IPS Inter Press Service - EuropeIPS, civil society's leading news agency, is an independent voice from the South and for development, delving into globalisation for the stories underneath.MIDEAST: Israelis Assault Award Winning IPS Journalist- (Found June 29, 2008 ) GAZA CITY, Jun 28 (IPS) - Mohammed Omer, the Gaza correspondent of IPS, and joint winner of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, was strip-searched at gunpoint, assaulted and abused by Israeli security officials at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank on Thursday as he tried to return home to Gaza.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43005 DEVELOPMENT: EU Renews Its Intentions- (Found June 29, 2008 ) BRUSSELS, Jun 21 (IPS) - European Union governments have resolved to ensure that international objectives on reducing extreme poverty are realised, but have backed away from devising concrete plans for increasing the amount of aid that they give to poor countries.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42911 ENVIRONMENT: New Fund Launched for Congo Basin- (Found June 29, 2008 ) OSLO, Jun 23 (IPS) - The prime ministers of Norway and Britain have launched a 200 million dollar fund to tackle deforestation in the Congo Basin, the world's second largest tropical forest.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42919 DEVELOPMENT: Water Flowing Back Into Public Hands- (Found June 29, 2008 ) PARIS, Jun 23 (IPS) - The announcement by the Paris municipality that water services will return to public hands by 2010 is in line with a global trend of ending privatisation of such services.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42922 SWITZERLAND: No Takers for Ex-Dictator's Money- (Found June 29, 2008 ) BRUSSELS, Jun 24 (IPS) - A Swiss court has ordered eight million Swiss francs to be unblocked in favour of the heirs of Mobutu Sese Seko, the former dictator of Zaire. The Swiss are trying to convince the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to send an envoy to collect the money in the name of the Congolese people, but Kinshasa doesn't seem to care.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42935 RUSSIA: Tight Curbs Placed on Foreign Labour- (Found June 29, 2008 ) MOSCOW, Jun 24 (IPS) - Russia is not increasing grant of work permits despite a growing demand for foreign labour.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42936 MEDIA: IPS Has New Chairman- (Found June 29, 2008 ) ROME, Jun 25 (IPS) - The IPS International Association has chosen Federico Mayor as new chair of its Board of Directors. He replaces Mario Soares, former President of Portugal (1986-1996), who has been guiding the IPS Board since 2002.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42952 MIDEAST: Aid Pledged to Strengthen West Bank Police- (Found June 29, 2008 ) BERLIN, Jun 25 (IPS) - International donors have promised to channel more aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), particularly to strengthen the police and the judiciary.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42954 DEVELOPMENT: &39;Aid From New EU Members Disregards Women&39;- (Found June 29, 2008 ) BRUSSELS, Jun 25 (IPS) - Foreign aid budgets administered by the European Union&39;s most recent entrants do not pay sufficient heed to the needs of women in poor countries, a series of new studies has found.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42955 DEVELOPMENT-EU: Saving Agriculture From Climate Change- (Found June 29, 2008 ) VIENNA, Jun 26 (IPS) - Climate change will top the agenda of an international food conference on Europe that begins Thursday in Innsbruck, Austria.http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42972 |