FINANCE: Self-Policing of Extractive Industries a "Dismal" Failure Charles Fromm WASHINGTON, 9 Mar (IPS) - An international initiative that seeks to reform how governments profit from their natural resources should not reduce its existing standards of membership solely because candidate countries have been reluctant or incapable of meeting them, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. more...   RIGHTS: Fewer Jobs, Less Money, Same Old Story Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, 9 Mar (IPS) - "What do I get from them? Nothing but bullsh*t," says Nupur Acharya, reflecting about how she is treated by her husband and two grown sons on daily basis. more...   IRAQ: Elections Bring Joy and Uncertainty Mohammed A. Salih WASHINGTON, 8 Mar (IPS) - The holding of Iraq's third parliamentary elections on Sunday has generated a sense of satisfaction in Washington, but there is a feeling of anxiety about how the post-election negotiation process to form a new government might proceed. more...   U.S.: ACLU Ad Challenges Military Commissions William Fisher NEW YORK, 8 Mar (IPS) - Civil libertarians hit back hard Sunday at reports indicating that the Barack Obama administration is about to cave in to pressure from Congress and local groups in New York City and is not only considering transferring the cases of suspected terrorists to another federal court, but even moving them to the military commission system. more...   IRAQ: Secular Candidates Have Their Best Chance Mohammed A. Salih WASHINGTON, 6 Mar (IPS) - As Iraqis go to the polls on Sunday, a key question in the minds of many in Iraq and Washington is whether secular candidates can continue their recent rise and possibly come out as winners. more...   US-TURKEY: Armenian Genocide Vote Threatens Ties at Key Moment Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, 5 Mar (IPS) - Thursday's vote by a Congressional committee condemning the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians during World War I as "genocide" is almost certain to complicate U.S. ties with Turkey, a long-time strategic ally and increasingly influential player in the Middle East and central and southwest Asia. more...   RIGHTS-US: Senate Debates Indefinite Detentions William Fisher NEW YORK, 5 Mar (IPS) - Civil liberties advocates and U.S. constitutional law scholars lost no time in condemning proposed legislation introduced in the Senate Thursday that would hand the government the power to indefinitely detain terrorism suspects without charge and to conduct trials through military commissions only. more...   RIGHTS: U.S. Criticised over Soaring Housing Costs Armin Rosen UNITED NATIONS, 5 Mar (IPS) - On Friday, the richest and most powerful country on earth was the subject of a damning report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. more...   INDONESIA: U.S. Seeks to Resume Training of Controversial Military Unit Charles Fromm WASHINGTON, 4 Mar (IPS) - The administration of President Barack Obama hopes to resume U.S. training of an elite Indonesian military unit whose members have been convicted of gross human rights abuses in East Timor and elsewhere in the sprawling archipelago. more...   U.S.: Detained Migrant Women Shackled During Childbirth Valeria Fernández PHOENIX, Arizona, 4 Mar (IPS) - When Maricopa County sheriff's deputies raided Celia Alejandra Alvarez's workplace and discovered her hiding place, she says they lifted her off her feet and slammed her face into a wall, causing injuries to her jaw and teeth. Later, in detention for having false documents, she says she was not given medical care. more...