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Here are some of IPS’s most-read stories of the past week — and stories you shouldn’t go without reading:

MIDEAST: Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier
By Adam Morrow and Khaled al-Omrani
CAIRO (IPS) – Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50414

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ECONOMY: Euro not for Europe’s Poor
Analysis by David Cronin
BRUSSELS (IPS) – For 329 million, people shopping with the euro is a part of everyday life. Since its notes and coins were introduced on New Year’s Day 2002, this single currency has made it possible to travel across a 16-country zone stretching from Cyprus to Ireland without having to change the money in one’s pocket or handbag.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50405

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EL SALVADOR: Killings Bear Hallmarks of Death Squads
By Edgardo Ayala
SAN SALVADOR (IPS) – Human rights defenders and analysts in El Salvador suspect that death squads were responsible for two highly coordinated attacks in which 12 young men were killed this month.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50369

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HEALTH-BRAZIL: When the City Makes You Sick
By Mario Osava
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 22, 2010 (Tierramérica) – Limiting your cholesterol through diet may not be enough to maintain cardiovascular health in polluted cities like São Paulo in Brazil: the particulates suspended in the air alter the molecular composition of LDL, popularly known as “bad cholesterol,” making it even more dangerous.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50420

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HAITI: Private Contractors ‘Like Vultures Coming to Grab the Loot’
By Anthony Fenton
VANCOUVER, Canada (IPS) – Critics are concerned that private military contractors are positioning themselves at the centre of an emerging “shock doctrine” for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50396

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POLITICS: Jailed Taliban Leader Still a Pakistani Asset
By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON (IPS) – Contrary to initial U.S. suggestions that it signals reduced Pakistani support for the Taliban, the detention of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the operational leader of the Afghan Taliban, represents a shift by Pakistan to more open support for the Taliban in preparation for a peace settlement and U.S. withdrawal.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50384

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ENERGY-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Small Is Beautiful, Say Independent Power Producers
By Servaas van den Bosch
WINDHOEK (IPS) – Independent power producers argue that small hydroelectric plants have a key role to play in avoiding an energy shortfall in the Southern African region.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50408

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COTE D’IVOIRE: Policy Changes Revive Poultry Industry
By Fulgence Zamblé
ABATTA, Côte d’Ivoire (IPS) – Ivorian poultry producers are enjoying strong growth thanks to the imposition of a tax on imports of poultry products from the European Union and South America.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50353

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ASIA: Through Art, A Look at Migrants’ Temporary State of Being
By Sutthida Malikaew
BANGKOK (IPS) – “Migrant workers are not aliens,” sang a local music band here called Paradon. “Any kind of work that Thais don’t do, they do it for Thais. No matter how dirty, they do it for Thai. Which job is dangerous, they do. They do it for Thais. Though it is a demeaning job, they do it. They do it for Thais.”
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50374

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INDIA: Education as Empowerment Tool for Children of Sex Workers
By Manipadma Jena
KOLKATA, India (IPS) – “May I come in, Miss?” asks seven-year-old Ajmiri Khatun, her face beaming with her radiant smile. Her teacher, Pujo Roy, gladly welcomes her into the eight-square-foot educational facility designed for Indian children like her.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50360

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IPS SPECIAL COVERAGE: WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2010

Ten years ago the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre burst onto the world stage giving social movements and civil society the space to challenge the orthodoxies symbolised by the World Economic Forum. Visit the IPS TerraViva World Social Forum 2010 site for independent news, analysis and commentary on up to 35 WSF events that will take place on every continent in 2010. What are the continuing challenges that drive social movements, and will the WSF stay relevant and innovative? Read IPS TerraViva to find out.
http://www.ips.org/TV/wsf2010/

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