NIAMEY, Feb 18 (IRIN) - Small vendors abandoned their stalls as the typical lunch hour break opened with gunfire at the presidential palace shortly after 1pm local time in Niger's capital, Niamey. Firing continued intermittently with the military blocking all roads leading to the palace. Government helicopters were circling the city and fired in the afternoon, according to residents.

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

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for putting her own life at great risk to speak loudly against the forces -- domestic and international -- that are keeping the Afghan people from living in security

• OneWorld US

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for exposing the disgraceful treatment of soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan and for his work to protect civil liberties for all Americans

• OneWorld US

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ANTANANARIVO, Feb 15 (IRIN) - Madagascar's unresolved political crisis is causing havoc in its education system after steep cuts increased the island state's inability to meet schoolchildren's basic needs, bringing a spike in child labour.

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 15 (New America Media) - U.S. public concern about climate change has waned. But climate change is foremost among the concerns of our communities. It is our responsibility, as the media that serve them, to call for action on this urgent matter.

• New America Media

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for adapting social networking principles in an effort to make higher education accessible to everyone, regardless of where they were born or how much money they have

• OneWorld US

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for shifting the goalposts in the global climate negotiations to give people in vulnerable African and small island nations a better chance of surviving the impacts of worldwide climate change

• OneWorld US

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for over 50 years leading and embodying a mass movement rooted in peace, mutual respect, and village development, and for promoting reconciliation and recovery in the face of this year's ferocious end to Sri Lanka's nearly-30-year-long violent conflict

• OneWorld US

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WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (OneWorld.net) - Some of the world's most influential leaders had the chance to experience life as a refugee during an annual economic summit last week -- for one hour they shared the suffering of 42 million people who have been forced to leave their homes by conflict or natural disaster.

• Inter Press Service

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for forging their own path out of an oppressive, patriarchal society, and then returning to provide new opportunities for the girls in their community

• OneWorld US

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 28 (New America Media) - Haitians living in the United States are deeply impacted by the devastating earthquake that hit their island homeland earlier this month, according to a poll sponsored by New America Media.

• New America Media

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WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (OneWorld.net) - Barack Obama is "missing a historic opportunity" to improve lives across the continent of Africa, says a new report from a pair of Africa policy think tanks, urging the U.S. president to create a new, "people-centered" strategy to tackle major ongoing challenges including HIV/AIDS, poverty, human rights violations, and climate change.

• OneWorld UK

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JOHANNESBURG and CAPE TOWN, Jan 25 (IPS) - The seizure of large commercial farms -- almost all white-owned -- has continued despite the formation of a unity government in Zimbabwe. The country's farm workers say they are the biggest losers.

• Inter Press Service

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WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (OneWorld.net) - The international community is urging Uganda's government to scrap a bill proposing the death sentence for "aggravated homosexuality" amid increasing concerns about homophobia across the African continent.

• New America Media

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DAKAR, Jan 21 (IRIN) - As aid agencies launch Haiti earthquake relief efforts, the Overseas Development Institute, a UK think-tank, has showcased an NGO report outlining 28 lessons learned over 30 years of earthquake responses.

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 20 (New America Media) - President Obama recently granted temporary protected status (TPS) to undocumented Haitians living in the United States, and this is surely a step in the right direction for human rights. After all, repatriating them back to a living hell would be immoral at best, and at worst, a crime against humanity.

• New America Media

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NAIROBI, Jan 17 (IRIN) - Africa has not been left behind in the scramble to provide international assistance to Haiti.

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

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WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (OneWorld.net) - Individuals, aid organizations, and governments worldwide are rallying to aid the people of Haiti after Tuesday's devastating earthquake that has killed tens of thousands of people and crippled the infrastructure of the island nation, already the poorest in the western hemisphere.

• OneWorld US

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DAKAR, Jan 14 (IRIN) - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) "accelerated child survival programme" in 11 West African countries did not save significantly more lives than in areas that were not targeted, says an evaluation published in The Lancet this week - but analysts say this does not mean UNICEF was doing the wrong things.

• Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

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WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (IPS) - The last 50 years have seen an unprecedented and unsustainable spike in consumption, driven by a culture of consumerism that has emerged over that period, says a report released Tuesday by the Worldwatch Institute.

• Inter Press Service

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