Post-Quake Haiti Severely Dependent on Private Sector Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 15 May (IPS) - More than two years after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, NGOs and private contractors are continuing to provide 80 percent of the country's social services. more...   U.S. Occupiers Reclaim Land for Sustainable Farming Judith Scherr ALBANY, California, 14 May (IPS) - With hoes, shovels, some 15,000 seedlings and a bolt cutter to break the locks that kept them out, students, community members and participants from nearby Occupy movements have laid claim to an undeveloped 10-acre parcel since Earth Day, Apr. 22, in Albany, California. more...   Indigenous Peruvian Community Locked in Dispute with Oil Company Fawzia Sheikh TORONTO, 8 May (IPS) - An indigenous group in the Amazon rain forest took its anti-oil message to Canada in a case rife with accusations of social and environmental damage that highlights the issue of securing consent prior to commencing exploration operations. more...   Over-investment Fears Loom in Myanmar Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 3 May (IPS) - As governments around the world continue to discuss how to ease sanctions in Myanmar, fears are increasing that a sudden massive influx of foreign investment could be detrimental to the delicate ongoing transition. more...   ILO Urges Worker-Friendly Recovery Policies Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 29 Apr (IPS) - Although economic growth has resumed in much of the world since the 2008 financial crisis, the global unemployment situation remains alarming and could worsen, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). more...   In New U.S. "Bioeconomy", Industry Trumps Environment Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 26 Apr (IPS) - The White House on Thursday announced the formulation of the National Bioeconomy Blueprint, aimed at shoring up the U.S. commitment to bioscience-related research. more...   OP-ED Nobel Laureates and Students Defending Human Rights, One Step at a Time Kerry Kennedy* CHICAGO, Illinois, U.S., 24 Apr (IPS) - I spent Monday morning in the library of Chicago's Lincoln Park High School, listening to students talk about what the word "hero" means to them. This wasn't any normal school day – in a few moments they would meet Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the father of micro-lending and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. more...   U.S. Trekking for Wild Florida Adrianne Appel KENANSVILLE, Florida , 20 Apr (IPS) - There was a time when big, yellow cats freely roamed the length of a wild Florida. Today, three medium-sized humans are trekking the length of this southeastern U.S. state - 1,000 miles of swamp, forest, ranchland and blistered feet - in hopes that panthers may one day be able to safely tread the same path. more...   Multilaterals Warned Not to Go Too Far, Too Fast in Myanmar Carey L. Biron WASHINGTON, 18 Apr (IPS) - As multilateral lending agencies prepare to seriously re- engage with Myanmar for the first time in decades, observers at the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are warning that a poor understanding of ground conditions in the country could jeopardise many of the early opportunities created by government-initiated reforms. more...   U.S. Praises Myanmar Poll Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 2 Apr (IPS) - The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama Monday hailed Sunday's parliamentary by-election in Myanmar, also known as Burma, which the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won in a landslide. more...