One out of Eight Plant Species May Vanish	by Danielle Knight Habitat destruction and introduction of non-native species have caused approximately 12.5 percent of the world's plants to now be so rare they could easily disappear
Protesters Dig in at Blockade of Uranium Mine	by Ilana Eldridge and Carolyn Court Australian Native landowners and green activists have vowed to keep up a blockade against work on the Uranium mine until the controversial project is halted
Expect Indonesia "Spiral of Violence," Warns Journalist	by Farhan Haq The lesson for Nairn -- who was expelled from Indonesia in mid-March because authorities in 1991 labelled him a "threat to national security" -- is that Indonesia's economic woes may be accomplishing the one thing 33 years of dictatorship have so far prevented: the downfall of Suharto
Women Find Catholic Hospital Takeover Means no Birth Control	by Melanie Conklin Catholic doctrine opposes abortion, contraception, tubal ligations, vasectomies, and fertility treatments. This doctrine applies not just to Catholics, but to any patient treated in a Catholic facility or even at a hospital or clinic affiliated with a Catholic institution. With more than 600 Catholic hospitals and 200 health-care centers serving some fifty million patients a year, reproductive health care for women is becoming harder to find
U.N. "Near Bankrupt" Over U.S. Failure to Pay Dues	by Thalif Deen U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told a meeting of the American Newspaper Editors Association that Congress was engaged in "legislative blackmail" in tying funds for the United Nations to the abortion issue and population control programs
Genetic Food Engineering Turns Poor Nations Into Farmers For Rich	by Judith Perera Products developed by biotech companies are mostly aimed at industrialized countries, creating new commodities for the West in parts of the world where hunger and malnutrition are serious problems
Congress Considers Several Bills to Censor Internet	by Mark Taylor Now VP Al Gore wants Congress to require schools and libraries to adopt plans to protect children from offensive Internet content in order to receive money
Battle Over U.S. Corporations Patenting Amazon Plants	by Danielle Knight Under archaic patent law, corporations currently are developing pharmaceutical drugs from plants taken without permission
Hospitals Bully, Mislead Patients on Bills, Study Suggests	Certain hospitals may discourage inquiries into bills by putting on a friendly face in their initial correspondence and conversations with patients, but those consumers who actually call for an audit of their bills may meet with explicit hostility, even threats
School Of Americas Protestors Enter Prison	by Elaine Hopkins Release in 1996 of Spanish language training manuals recommending torture, execution and blackmail galvanized protests against the U.S. Army school linked to torture, murder
More Pollution-Linked Sex Deformity in Alligators Found	by John Lester Reproductive and hormonal problems documented in alligators living in a polluted Florida lake have turned up in alligators living in other Florida lakes thought to be more insulated from pollutants
Science Uncertain Why Frogs Are Vanishing	by Danielle Knigh Habitat destruction, acid rain, ozone depletion, pesticides, parasites, toxic pollution, and pathogens all have been branded as possible causes
River Dies as Paper Factory Thrives	by Kafil Yamin Giant plant using unprecidented quantities of water from river in Sumatra, destroying entire ecosystem and way of life for hundreds of thousands
Shamen Claim Credit for Stopping Amazon Fires	by Mario Osava Local residents celebrated by literally dancing in the rain and singing the praises of the two shamen who seemed to break a four-month drought and forest fire after performing a rain dance ceremony
Indonesian Notebook: Stress, Despair Growing as Hard Times Pressure	by Kafil Yamin Many having trouble coping as prices, unemployment rates soar
Section 404: Stories Missing From the News	Summaries of under-reported news, short updates on previous Monitor stories