News headlines in February 2013, page 19

TORONTO, Feb 04 (IPS) - Canada's major Israel lobby organisation is running into conflict with critics who say it is betraying the historical liberal legacy of this country's 380,000-member Jewish community.

LIVERPOOL, Feb 04 (IPS) - The Middle East-North Africa – MENA -- is Arab-Muslim with a growing Jewish island in its midst. It was colonised for over four centuries by the Sunni Ottoman Turks and for the last half century by the secular West, England-Italy-France -- and is now under Jewish colonialism and U.S. imperialism.

RAMALLAH, Feb 04 (IPS) - Unknown to the Israeli government or the Israeli electorate, hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza took part in the recent Israeli elections by default thanks to an act of civil disobedience by Israeli peace activists.

MANILA, Feb 04 (IPS) - With territorial tensions in the South China Sea entering a new phase of confrontation, there are signs of growing Indian involvement in regional affairs.

TOKYO, Feb 04 (IPS) - Funding for reconstruction is beginning to decline after the tsunami almost two years ago - but in large parts of Japan's north-eastern region reconstruction has yet to begin. More and more young Japanese are now moving into this area for reconstruction in a new way.

KUDANKULAM, India, Feb 03 (IPS) - An indefinite struggle continues against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the southern Indian state Tamil Nadu despite a government crackdown on protests.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Feb 02 (IPS) - The tiny federation of St. Kitts-Nevis and its larger neighbour to the north, Jamaica, are leading the Caribbean's search for new ways to become more energy efficient by installing new solar streetlights, a green alternative to traditional ones.

MÁLAGA, Spain, Feb 02 (IPS) - The severe crisis crippling Spain is also sparking some creative responses, such the Okonomía project, a teaching initiative that helps individuals and communities to understand the workings of the economy and make more informed decisions to manage their finances.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 02 (IPS) - –"We demand an immediate end to the military operation in Khyber Agency because it has not brought any results during the past three years," says Iqbal Afridi from the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf party. "The military operations are killing the local population while the militants remained unharmed."

DIABALY, Mali, Feb 02 (IPS) - "We know they are close. We do not feel safe," mutters Allassane Traoré, as he stares down the road on which the Islamists entered the town of Diabaly in central Mali, almost two weeks ago.