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

CLIMATE CHANGE: Four Degrees of Devastation
By Stephen Leahy
UXBRIDGE, Canada (IPS) – The prospect of a four-degree Celsius rise in global average temperatures in 50 years is alarming – but not alarmist, climate scientists now believe.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48791

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SOUTH AFRICA: We Have Land Rights but No Water Rights – Farmers
By Fidelis Zvomuya
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) – Thandi Sihadi stands next to a dry tap. As a maize and dairy farmer in one of South Africa’s driest districts, the lack of running water is nothing new to her.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48726

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COLOMBIA: US Should Open Its Files on Palace of Justice Massacre
By Constanza Vieira
BOGOTA (IPS) – A declassified U.S. State Department cable dated January 1999 blames Colombian soldiers for the killings of civilians rescued by the military operation to retake the Palace of Justice from guerrillas who had seized the building in November 1985.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48797

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ENVIRONMENT: Novel Tribunal Gives Voice to Climate Change Victims
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK (IPS) – Shorbanu Khatun flew into the Thai capital to share her pain about being a victim of a natural disaster. In May, Cyclone Aila tore through her community along the coast of Bangladesh, adding another layer of misery to the 36-year- old?s already impoverished life.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48756

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EGYPT: Virtually, Some Real Freedom
By Cam McGrath
CAIRO (IPS) – Egyptians critical of their government are using new media and the Internet to expose its improprieties and press for social change.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48692

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RIGHTS-PARAGUAY: Int'l Backing for Indigenous Land Claims
By Natalia Ruiz Díaz
ASUNCIÓN (IPS) – After 20 years of fighting for their ancestral lands in Paraguay's northwestern Chaco region, the Xákmok Kásek indigenous community's case has reached the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48789

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ENVIRONMENT: Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change
By Anil Netto*
PENANG, Malaysia (IPS/IFEJ) – When organisers of an international conference on climate change and the food crisis first scheduled the event here for late September, little did they realise the event would be sandwiched by two typhoons buffeting the region. Ironically, the first typhoon, ?Ketsana?, delayed the arrival of conference delegates from the Philippines.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48783

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MIGRATION-US: Controversial Sheriff Dismisses Federal Probe
By Valeria Fernández
PHOENIX, Arizona (IPS) – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, nationally known for his crackdown on undocumented migrants in Arizona, could have all of his immigration enforcement powers taken away by the federal government.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48772

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RIGHTS: Police Force HIV Tests for Sex Workers
By Charles Mpaka
LILONGWE (IPS) – It was, Malawian police say, a routine sweep for criminals at one of the country?s busiest border posts. They were looking for criminals.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48800

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ENVIRONMENT: Turning Junk Mail Into Art
By Alecia D. McKenzie
PARIS (IPS) – Like everyone else, Barbara Hashimoto hated the junk mail coming in through the door. Until she decided one day that it could be transformed into art, and lessons about the environment.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48721

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