TODAY'S TOP STORIES
YESTERDAY
PAST WEEK
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MIDEAST-POLL: 75 PERCENT OF ISRAELIS EXPECT WAR WITHIN 5 YEARS
JERUSALEM, May 8, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Israelis are deeply pessimistic about the prospects of peace with their neighbors: As Israel marks its 60th anniversary, an overwhelming majority believe they will be at war again within the next five years.
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WEST BANK: ISRAELI WALL STILL BLOCKS VILLAGERS’ ACCESS TO FARMS
BI'LIN, The West Bank, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Some 1,700 Palestinians in the West Bank village of Bi'lin have been promised land, but so far it has not been delivered.
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PAKISTAN: STONINGS OFFER PROOF OF TALIBAN’S RESURGENCE
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The Taliban has confirmed that its sympathizers have stoned to death a runaway couple in a remote tribal region of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan.
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U.S.: IRAQI BLACKSMITH ACCUSES MILITARY CONTRACTORS OF TORTURE
NEW YORK, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A former Abu Ghraib "ghost" detainee has leveled new torture claims against two U.S. military contractors, claiming that he was wrongly imprisoned and later released without charge.
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MEXICO: CORRUPTION SAPS REVENUES OF STATE OIL MONOPOLY
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The wife of the chief executive of Pemex, Mexico’s oil monopoly, had no trouble paying for her liposuction treatment: She just reached into the coffers of the state-run company.
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ROMANIA: OFFICIALS DENY HAVING HOSTED CIA DETENTION CENTERS
BUCHAREST, Romania, May 7, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - Romania has still not heeded repeated calls from the European Commission and others to respond to allegations that it hosted CIA detention centers and allowed rendition flights to pass through its territory.
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FILM: SRI LANKA DECRIES DOCUMENTARY ON TAMIL SUICIDE BOMBERS
OSLO, Norway, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A Norwegian filmmaker has outraged the Sri Lankan government by releasing a documentary about two 24-year-old Tamil women training to end their lives as suicide bombers.
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U.N.: GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS ESCAPES SCRUTINY OF SECURITY COUNCIL
UNITED NATIONS, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- The food crisis that has triggered street demonstrations and riots in nearly 30 countries continues to escape the scrutiny of the most powerful body at the United Nations: the Security Council.
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GAZA: ISRAELI-IMPOSED FUEL SHORTAGE WRACKS FISHING INDUSTRY
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- It's been strangely quiet for some time at the port in Gaza: There’s no clanging of hooks, no creaking of cranes and no thumping of nets upon decks.
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AUSTRALIA: INQUIRY INTO TERRORISM CASE LACKS TEETH, CRITICS SAY
MELBOURNE, Australia, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Australia’s judicial inquiry into the case of a former terrorism suspect, Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, may well become a waste of taxpayers’ money if government officials are not forced to cooperate with the investigation.
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MALAYSIA: ACTIVISTS BLAME RISING FOOD PRICES ON SPECULATORS
PENANG, Malaysia, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Speculative investors are turning to fuels and the food sector as a "safe haven," driving up prices in the process, some food security activists say.
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CLIMATE CHANGE: INDIGENOUS ACTIVISTS DECRY CARBON MARKETS
UNITED NATIONS, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- International policymakers are facing fierce criticism from leaders of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples over plans to use carbon markets as a tool to mitigate climate change.
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LATIN AMERICA: FOREIGN INTERESTS FUELING AUTONOMY DRIVES, LEADERS SAY
CARACAS, Venezuela, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Rafael Correa of Ecuador are warning that the autonomy movement in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz is at risk of inspiring similar movements in their countries.
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U.S.-REPORT: DRUG WAR HAS UNJUSTLY TARGETED BLACK COMMUNITIES
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- African-Americans have suffered much higher rates of arrests and imprisonment than whites in the nearly 30-year-old U.S. "war on drugs," according to two reports released this week in Washington.
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GHANA: WORLD BANK URGES LIGHTING FIRMS TO INVEST IN AFRICA
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- An international campaign to bring modern lighting to one-fourth of Africa's residents is entering a new phase this week with talks to draw investors to markets outside the continent's outdated power grid.
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U.N.: BAN KI-MOON REBUTS ATTACKS ON FAO FROM AFRICAN CRITICS
UNITED NATIONS, May 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday rose to the defense of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization, which has come under fire for its failure to surmount the growing challenges of hunger worldwide.
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ECUADOR: NEW CONSTITUTION AFFIRMS NATION’S ETHNIC DIVERSITY
QUITO, Ecuador, May 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Ecuador’s new constitution, which a constituent assembly expects to finish drafting by mid-June, explicitly recognizes the importance of pursuing equality between the country’s diverse ethnic groups.
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FRANCE: DECLINING READERSHIP TRIGGERS CRISES FOR PRINT MEDIA
PARIS, May 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- French newspapers have been hit hard by a steady loss of readers and advertising, as well as by the emergence of the Internet and free newspapers, leaving them in dire financial straits.
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FIJI: JOURNALIST FACES DEPORTATION ON EVE OF PRESS FREEDOM DAY
SUVA, Fiji, May 5, 2008 (IPS) -- Fiji’s interim government has come under withering criticism nationally and internationally for the deportation on Friday of Evan Hannah, the Australian publisher of the Fiji Times, a leading daily newspaper.
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BOLIVIA: VOTE IN SANTA CRUZ STRENGTHENS AUTONOMY MOVEMENT
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, May 5, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Voters in Bolivia’s richest province overwhelmingly voted in favor of regional autonomy on Sunday, posing a challenge to the reforms being ushered in by the government of Evo Morales.
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BOLIVIA: AUTONOMY REFERENDUM SPARKS VIOLENCE IN SANTA CRUZ
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, May 4, 2008 (IPS) -- At least eight people were injured Sunday in clashes between backers of autonomy in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz and supporters of the government of Evo Morales from the country’s western highlands.
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SOUTH AFRICA: ABUSE OF ZIMBABWEANS JOGS MEMORIES OF APARTHEID
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 4, 2008 (IPS) -- The halls of downtown Johannesburg's Central Methodist Mission fill with weary figures every night as the autumn sun sets over South Africa's most populous city.
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HEALTH: NEW BOOK SAYS BIODIVERSITY HOLDS KEY TO NEW MEDICINES
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 3, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "When we harm nature, we are harming ourselves," said Aaron Bernstein, a doctor at Harvard Medical School. "Few people realize that our health is directly tied to the health of the natural world."
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IRAQ: DWINDLING FOOD RATIONS ARE INCREASINGLY OLD, POLLUTED
FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Iraqis are already enduring unemployment and impoverishment, and now they also face a cutting down of their monthly food rations, which have been dwindling in large part due to corruption.
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THAILAND: U.N. URGES JOURNALISTS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISSUES
BANGKOK, Thailand, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- United Nations officials, activists and journalists met Friday in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss the need for media agencies to make use of their freedom of expression to address local human development needs.
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EU-REPORT: COMPLICITY IN U.S. RENDITIONS HURT BLOC’S CREDIBILITY
BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Collusion between European Union members and the United States’ secret torture and kidnapping program has damaged the EU's efforts to promote human rights throughout the world, according to an internal paper drawn up by EU officials.
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Q&A-PARAGUAY: PRESIDENT-ELECT AIMS TO REACH OUT TO BOLIVIA
ASUNCION, Paraguay, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Fernando Lugo has rocketed into Paraguayan history: Not only is he the first Catholic bishop to be elected president, but he has also ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.
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U.S.: VETERANS AWAIT VERDICT ON CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST VA
SAN FRANCISCO, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A class-action trial brought on behalf of the 1.7 million U.S. veterans is drawing toward its close, with lawyers delivering closing arguments at the Federal Building in downtown San Francisco.
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EGYPT: ACTIVISTS PLAN GENERAL STRIKE FOR MUBARAK’S BIRTHDAY
CAIRO, Egypt, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Undeterred by the detention of their compatriots, Egyptian activists are planning to hold a second general strike on May 4, to coincide with President Hosni Mubarak's birthday.
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INDIA: AHMADINEJAD’S VISIT MAY KICK-START ENERGY COOPERATION
NEW DELHI, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s one-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday is expected to revive long-stalled talks concerning contracts for the purchase of natural gas.
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MEXICO: LARGE SUPERMARKETS SHUT OUT SMALL-SCALE FARMERS
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- A handful of large supermarkets have become increasingly powerful in Mexico, pushing out neighborhood shops and raising the prices of products such as coffee.
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BOLIVIA: LAND REFORMS EXPOSE HACIENDAS’ USE OF GUARANÍ SLAVES
LA PAZ, Bolivia, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- Efforts by Bolivia’s land reform authorities to free 167 Guaraní families living in servitude have brought to light a phenomenon that had remained largely hidden and ignored until now in the country’s vast Chaco plains region.
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MOZAMBIQUE: CHOLERA AND DYSENTERY RAVAGE FLOODED NATION
GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- More people have died of cholera following the recent floods in Mozambique than the number who perished in the rising floodwaters.
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SYRIA: UNABLE TO FIND WORK, IRAQI REFUGEES SEEK ENTRY TO EUROPE
DAMASCUS, Syria, May 2, 2008 (IPS/GIN) -- "I'll go to any country," said Zirgon Tomas al-Aya, a 60-year-old Iraqi man standing outside the U.N. refugee agency headquarters in Damascus. "I like Syria but I can't work here -- I want to go somewhere else."
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AFRICA
May 7
EGYPT: FEW PARTICIPATE IN STRIKE OVER FOOD, DUE TO SALARY HIKE
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May 6
MIDEAST: EGYPT TIGHTENS BORDER TO PREVENT INFLUX FROM GAZA
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May 5
ZAMBIA: FARMERS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER FROM SEVERE FLOODS
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May 4
Q&A-SOUTH AFRICA: BISHOP SHELTERS ZIMBABWEAN IMMIGRANTS
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May 1
Q&A: LABOR "HAS TO WEIGH UP THE TRADE-OFFS" IN ACTING TO PROTECT WORKERS
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May 1
DRC: REBEL LEADER'S INDICTMENT COULD DERAIL PEACE PACT
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ASIA
May 8
BURMA: JUNTA PRIORITIZES REFERENDUM OVER CYCLONE RELIEF
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May 7
BURMA: RESIDENTS DECRY JUNTA’S INDIFFERENCE IN CYCLONE’S WAKE
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May 7
JAPAN: VISIT FROM CHINESE PRESIDENT ELICITS PRO-TIBETAN PROTESTS
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May 7
CHINA: TALKS WITH DALAI LAMA'S ENVOYS MAKE SCANT PROGRESS
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May 6
BURMA: JUNTA PRESSURES VOTERS TO RATIFY NEW CONSTITUTION
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May 5
EAST TIMOR: ARMY DESERTERS REFUSE TO REAPPLY AS FRESH RECRUITS
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May 5
BURMA: JUNTA HOLDS UP U.N. RELIEF EFFORT IN CYCLONE’S WAKE
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MIDDLE EAST
May 7
LEBANON: U.N. FORCE REMAINS ON ‘HIGH ALERT’ AGAINST AL-QAIDA
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May 6
LEBANON: INSTABILITY THREATENS NATION AS GRIDLOCK PERSISTS
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Apr 30
LEBANON: HATE THE U.S., AND HEAD FOR IT
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LATIN AMERICA
May 7
ARGENTINA: INFLATION OF FOOD PRICES PUSHES MANY INTO POVERTY
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May 7
CHILE: UNICEF TOUTS SOUTH-SOUTH TEAMWORK TO END MALNUTRITION
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May 6
U.S.: TEXAS COURT SETS AUG. 5 EXECUTION DATE FOR MEXICAN INMATE
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May 6
HONDURAS: PROSECUTORS HOLD HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST CORRUPTION
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May 6
LATIN AMERICA: 60-YEAR-OLD THINK TANK RAILS AGAINST INEQUALITY
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May 2
BOLIVIA: VOTERS WEIGH CONTROVERSIAL AUTONOMY STATUTE
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May 2
PERU: GOVERNMENT LASHES OUT AT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS
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Apr 30
Q&A: HOW FAITH COMMUNITIES CAN HELP FIGHT VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
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CARIBBEAN
May 7
U.S.: OBAMA HAS CLINCHED NOMINATION, POLITICAL PUNDITS SAY
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Apr 30
LABOR-CUBA: THE CHALLENGE OF BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY
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US & CANADA
May 7
U.S.: CONGRESS AIMS TO LIMIT FUNDS FOR IRAQ WAR, RECONSTRUCTION
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May 7
U.S.: FLORIDA LEGISLATURE MAY FACE ANTI-EVOLUTION BILLS IN FALL
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May 5
UZBEKISTAN: ACTIVISTS SEEK INDEPENDENCE FOR NORTHWEST REGION
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May 3
IRAQ-REPORT: ‘DIVIDE AND RULE’ STRATEGY MAY PROVE SHORTSIGHTED
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May 2
U.S.: JUDGE DEEMS AVANT-GARDE ARTIST INNOCENT OF BIOTERRORISM
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May 2
U.S.: EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE RISE IN CONSUMER SPENDING TO INFLATION
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May 1
RIGHTS: SURVEY FINDS PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SUPPORT FREE MEDIA
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Apr 30
CANADA: JEWISH DEFENCE LEAGUE ENERGISED BY ISRAEL'S FAR RIGHT
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Apr 30
CLIMATE CHANGE: FIRMS COMING CLEAN ON CARBON
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Apr 30
RIGHTS-US: SKY-HIGH COSTS - BUT FEW EXECUTIONS
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EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
May 6
SPAIN: NGOS URGE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK TO ADOPT SAFEGUARDS
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May 6
BOSNIA: CITIZENS OF SARAJEVO ORGANIZE ANTI-VIOLENCE PROTESTS
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May 6
ASIA: DEVELOPMENT BANK INCREASES FOCUS ON PRIVATE INVESTMENT
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May 5
KOSOVO-REPORT: OFFICIALS HAVE RENEGED ON ANTI-GRAFT PROMISES
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May 5
GERMANY: FINANCIAL CRISES PUT CHURCHES ON REAL ESTATE MARKET
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May 2
UKRAINE: RIVALRY ESCALATES BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND PM
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May 2
SERBIA: SIGNING OF PACT WITH EU DEEPENS NATION’S POLITICAL RIFT
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May 1
BOSNIA: WORKERS MARCH THROUGH CAPITAL, DEMANDING RIGHTS
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Apr 30
TRADE-RUSSIA: ETHIOPIA SEEKS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR COFFEE
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Apr 30
EUROPE: TAX HAVENS CHEATING THE POOR
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GLOBAL / UNITED NATIONS
May 2
MEDIA: REPORTERS FACE MOST RISK IN IRAQ, SIERRA LEONE, SOMALIA
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Apr 30
Q&A: DRAWBACKS SEEN TO CIRCUMCISION AS A DEFENSE TO HIV
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Apr 30
RIGHTS: NATIVE PEOPLE WARN U.N. OF BIOFUELS DISASTER
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INDIA / PAKISTAN
May 8
INDIA/U.S.: TIME BEGINS TO RUN OUT AS NUCLEAR TALKS DRAG ON
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May 8
NEPAL: FOOD RIOTS MAY BE ON THE HORIZON, ANALYST SAYS
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May 2
BANGLADESH: STATE GRANTS AMNESTY TO CORRUPT BUSINESSMEN
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