News headlines in March 2010, page 16
POLITICS-BURMA: A Poll, Yes, But Not Political Change
- Inter Press Service
In teashops and markets, the national election due this year in Burma is the talk of the town, so much so that Thuzar, who did not take part in the 1990 poll, is quite eager to cast her vote this time.
IRAQ: Seculars Gain as Religious Parties Lose Ground
- Inter Press Service
Iraq's largest secular bloc appears to be the biggest surprise of the parliamentary elections at a time when some of the most well-known religious groups and figures have sustained great losses, preliminary election results so far indicate.
KENYA: State Insists Counterfeit Law’s No Threat to Right to Life
- Inter Press Service
Kenya’s Constitutional Court heard yesterday from counsel representing the government that the Anti-Counterfeit Act of 2008 does not threaten the importation or manufacturing of cheap generic medicines and therefore does not deny Kenyans their constitutional right to life.
NEPAL: Crippling Power Outages Throw Life Out of Gear
- Inter Press Service
When it gets cold during Nepal’s winter nights, Yem Prasad Gurung turns on his heater run by liquefied petroleum gas. When it gets dark, he switches on the lights that rely on a solar inverter — and to make sure he gets water, he turns on a generator-powered water pump.
MEDIA-ASIA: Exiled Radio Plays A Cat-and Mouse Game
- Inter Press Service
For exiled journalists working on shortwave radio programming aimed at Burmese and Tibetan listeners, dodging the ‘enemy’ in the name of freer speech is often a cat-and-mouse game.
GUATEMALA: Ok for Ex-President's Extradition to US Just One Step
- Inter Press Service
Civil society groups in Guatemala say a court decision authorising former Guatemalan president Alfonso Portillo's extradition to the United States is just a first step in a lengthy process.
EDUCATION-MALAWI: Communication Made Easier with a Local Language Dictionary
- Inter Press Service
The thickest book on secondary school teacher Hellen Ndalama’s desk is her indigenous language dictionary. It is also her most-used book.
ECONOMY-SENEGAL: Small and Medium-sized Businesses Cannot Access Bank Credit
- Inter Press Service
Despite the financial sector boom in Senegal, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs), which represent over 90 percent of the industrial fabric of the country, struggle to access funding for their development, their representatives claim.
WEST AFRICA: Stopping the Polio Virus
- Inter Press Service
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners hope to eliminate the circulation of the polio virus in West Africa as soon as June by launching the first round of national synchronised immunisation days against the debilitating disease.
CLIMATE CHANGE-BRAZIL: The Threat Posed by Livestock
- Inter Press Service
The livestock industry has less economic clout than the oil industry, but ranchers say it has better arguments to defend itself from accusations regarding its share of responsibility for global warming.