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Friday, June 24, 2016

The Week With IPS 6/24/2016

ck here for the online version of this IPS newsletter   


Political Crisis Looms in Nicaragua in Run-Up to Elections
José Adán Silva
The seventh consecutive nomination of Daniel Ortega as the governing party’s candidate to the presidency in Nicaragua, and the withdrawal from the race of a large part of the opposition, alleging lack of guarantees for genuine elections, has brought about the country’s worst political crisis since ... MORE > >

UN Staff Unions Demand Stronger Action on Sexual Abuse
Thalif Deen
The United Nations claims it is doing its best to curb widespread sexual abuses in its peacekeeping operations overseas – from Haiti all the way to the Central African Republic. But the UN’s best is just not good enough, says Ian Richards, President, Coordinating Committee of International ... MORE > >

Fearing Violence, LGBT Refugees Rarely Seek Help
Lyndal Rowlands
Despite their extreme vulnerability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) refugees often do not seek the assistance they need, since revealing their sexual or gender identities can put them in grave danger. “People are just absolutely completely terrified to come out, and ... MORE > >

Aquaculture Meets Agriculture on Bangladesh's Low-Lying Coast
Naimul Haq
A continuous influx of sea water is threatening agriculture and food security in vast coastal areas of Bangladesh, but farmers are finding ways to adapt, like cultivating fish and crops at the same time. The coastal and offshore areas of this low-lying, densely populated country include tidal ... MORE > >

The Environment: Latin America’s Battleground for Human Rights
Tharanga Yakupitiyage
2015 was the deadliest year on record for the killings of environmental activists around the world, according to a new Global Witness report. The report, On Dangerous Ground, found that in 2015, 185 people were killed defending the environment across 16 countries, a 59 percent increase from ... MORE > >

Yoga Unites the UN for Sustainable Development
Valentina Ieri
The word yoga means "unite" in Sanskrit, and the Indian government hopes that the ancient practice will help United Nations member states to work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Day of Yoga was celebrated here Tuesday with an outdoor yoga ... MORE > >

Asia’s Rising Prosperity, Climate Change Taking Toll on Food Security
Graham J. Dwyer
Asia’s economic growth over the last decade has been relentless, bringing with it a rising population and an influx of people from the countryside to the cities in search of prosperity. These trends are not expected to abate. By 2025, the total population of Asia and the Pacific region should ... MORE > >

Civil Society in Latin America Campaigns Against Trans-Pacific Partnership
Emilio Godoy
Civil society organisations from Chile, Mexico and Peru are pressing their legislatures and those of other countries not to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The free trade agreement, which was signed in New Zealand on Feb. 4, is now pending parliamentary approval in the 12 countries ... MORE > >

Fences and Walls: A Short-sighted Response to Migration Fears?
Andrew MacMillan and José Graziano da Silva
European nations from which millions once left to escape hardship and hunger – Greece, Ireland, Italy - are today destinations for others doing the same. Many people are on the move. The really big numbers relate to rural-urban migration in developing countries. In 1950, 746 million people ... MORE > >

Children of a Lesser God: Trafficking Soars in India
Neeta Lal
Sunita Pal, a frail 17-year-old, lies in a tiny bed in the women’s ward of New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Her face and head swathed in bandages, with only a bruised eye and swollen lips visible, the girl recounts her ordeal to a TV channel propped up by a pillow. She talks of her employers ... MORE > >

A Courageous Life After Escaping the Lord's Resistance Army
Aruna Dutt
Evelyn Amony’s bravery not only helped her survive and escape captivity from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), but has made her an advocate for thousands of abducted women and children who face long term consequences after returning home. Raised in Amuru District, northern Uganda, Evelyn ... MORE > >

What If Turkey Drops Its “Human Bomb” on Europe?
Baher Kamal
Will the rapid--though silent escalation of political tensions between the European Union and Turkey, which has been taking a dangerous turn over the last few weeks, push Ankara to drop a “human bomb” on Europe by opening its borders for refugees to enter Greece and other EU countries? The ... MORE > >

Combating Rape Requires Cultural Change in Brazil
Mario Osava
The outrage in Brazil over the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl by more than 30 men prompted mass protests by thousands of women on the streets of cities around the country, while activists complain that the response to the case by politicians has been misfocused. The first reaction by the ... MORE > >

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