Finance : US dollar annual credit growth slows down   (Kanaga Raja, Geneva) (PRIV)
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The annual growth rate of US dollar credit to non-bank borrowers outside the United States slowed down to 3% at end of third quarter (Q3) in 2018, with the outstanding stock standing at $11.5 trillion, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has reported.

Latin America : Fighting machismo - the formula to combat femicides   (IPS, Lima) (PRIV)
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Peru began the year with 11 femicides in January, despite progress made in laws and statutes and mass demonstrations against gender-based violence.

Venezuela : Bullets against pots and pans in crackdown on protests   (IPS, Caracas) (PRIV)
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The protests in Venezuela demanding an end to the presidency of Nicolas Maduro in the last 10 days of January, whose soundtrack was the sound of banging on pots and pans in working-class neighbourhoods, had a high human cost - more than 40 deaths, dozens wounded and about a thousand detainees, including 100 women and 90 children under 18.

Africa : Nigerians hear how migrating irregularly "is like killing yourself"   (IPS, Benin City) (PRIV)
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"Don't assume if you attempt the journey your fortune will change for the better," a woman says over the public address system in the crowded Uselu market in Benin City, the capital of Nigeria's Edo State.

Opinion : Ending violence against women & girls in the Sahel   (IPS, New York) (PRIV)
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After flying into the city of Bol in the Republic of Chad, over the lush fields and receding lakes, we landed to a rapturous welcome from traditional rulers and local women.

Opinion : Venezuela - Alea Jacta!   (IPS, Geneva) (PRIV)
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The countdown towards a tragic outcome in Venezuela has started. All outside powers express what they say is a shared concern for its peace-loving people that has the misfortune of sitting on what is maybe the largest oil reserves in the world.