IDEALS

CAIRO, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – Opposition figures and political
activists have slammed a new deal to sell Egyptian liquefied
natural gas (LNG) to Israel at what they say are vastly reduced
prices.

“Egyptian gas is being sold to Israel at prices far below the
international average,” Ibrahim Yosri, former head of legal affairs
and treaties at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told IPS. “This
agreement is proof that the ruling regime is unconcerned with
public opinion and is insistent on depriving the Egyptian public
of its rightful national assets.”

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COLOMBO, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – These days, the front pages of
mainstream Sri Lankan newspapers are dominated by reports of
clashes between two Muslim groups, the drama of two baby elephants
separated from their mothers and government efforts to ban porn
sites and curb adult-only movies. This shift in news focus is a
radical departure from the days when newspapers were choked with
war coverage.

“I think the clashes between two Muslim factions have been
overplayed, maybe because there is no other news,” said Mohamed
Ameen, a veteran Sri Lanka journalist.

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KABUL, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – The Afghan carpet weaving industry
is Afghanistan’s second largest, behind only agriculture in terms
of size and number of people employed.

Yet, carpet producers across the country receive only a fraction
of the profits that their work eventually makes on the global
market. And, Afghan carpets are distributed as a product that’s
made in Pakistan.

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GUATEMALA CITY, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – Indigenous women in
Guatemala suffer discrimination and ill-treatment on a daily basis
because there are no laws to protect the rights of domestic
employees, although they contribute to higher standards of living
for the families that employ them.

“What really hurt was that they refused me my right to rest before
and after I had my baby. Even when my contractions started, they
wouldn’t let me go to the hospital,” said Mildred D¡az, a
Guatemalan domestic employee, talking about the worst aspects of
her job.

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BALI, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – Pharmaceutical firms have developed
drugs that have lengthened lives and cut death rates from HIV and
AIDS, but their financial clout in no way overrides their social
responsibility in fighting the pandemic, a key advocate argued at
an Asian conference on AIDS Wednesday.

At the 9th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
(ICAAP), Javed Jabbar, a former senator and minister from Pakistan,
called on governments and communities to remind drug firms of the
fundamental difference between owning patents on goods – such as
designer items or mobile phones – and life-saving HIV drugs.

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KABUL, (Aug. 13, 2009) IPS/GIN – Carpet weaving has long been a
part of Afghanistan’s history and culture.

Though it is unclear exactly when Afghans began making carpets, it
is believed that long ago, women poured their emotions into the
carpets they created, telling stories of hero’s and prophets. Since
that time, carpets have come to symbolise Afghan national dignity
and stand as a testament to the creativity of her people.

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WASHINGTON, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – A letter sent last week by
the U.S. State Department has caused many to question the Obama
Administration position on reinstating ousted Honduras President
Manuel Zelaya.

In an Aug. 4 letter to Senator Richard Lugar – the ranking
Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – signed by
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Richard Verma,
the U.S. condemned the coup, though said Zelaya was to blame for
his ousting and did not call for his return.

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BALI, (Aug. 13, 2009) IPS/GIN – Kartini Slemeh and other
transgenders in Malaysia fear that their movement to end stigma and
discrimination is misunderstood.

“There has been so much confusion going around transgenders. We
are not MSMs [men who have sex with men] and don’t lump us under
the transvestite [category either] because we have different
needs,” declared Slemeh at the 9th International Conference on AIDS
in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) here.

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WASHINGTON, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – In the face of mounting
pressure from hawks in Washington and the continued threat of
military action from Israel, the Obama Administration has been
taking a harder line in its latest pronouncements about Iran.

Recent media reports have suggested that the administration is
leaning toward an end-of-September deadline for Tehran to respond
to U.S. diplomatic outreach concerning its nuclear programme, at
which point it will consider stepping up sanctions against the
Iranian energy sector.

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UNITED NATIONS, (Aug. 12, 2009) IPS/GIN – When U.S. President
Barack Obama presides over a meeting of world leaders in the
Security Council on Sep. 24, he will provide a high profile
political platform for two of the most sensitive issues at the
United Nations: nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

“This is the time for the Security Council to plan together a route
to international security in a nuclear weapons-free world,”
Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute, told
IPS.

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