News headlines in May 2009, page 5

  1. EUROPE: Traffickers Still Looking East

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    Eastern Europe has been a major source of trafficking for sexual labour since the fall of communism. Now, other forms of exploitation are catching up.

  2. RIGHTS-CHILE: Ex-Soldier Arrested for Víctor Jara Murder

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    A judge in Chile has charged a former soldier in the 1973 murder of internationally renowned Chilean folk singer Víctor Jara. Up to now, the only person prosecuted in the case was the commanding officer at the temporary prison camp where the songwriter was killed shortly after the Sept. 11, 1973 coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.

  3. ENVIRONMENT: Damaged Ecosystems Not Lost Forever

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    Most polluted or damaged ecosystems worldwide could recover within a single lifetime if societies commit to their cleanup or restoration, according to researchers at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

  4. CARIBBEAN: China Consolidates Influence as U.S. Frets

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    Since the year began, China has given the clearest signals yet that Latin America and the Caribbean will be its new commercial and strategic focus, as it doles out billions in soft loans and grant aid, and ties up sweet trade agreements with countries ranging Brazil to finance-starved Cuba.

  5. MIDEAST: Political Clouds Hang Over UNESCO Selection

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    With only a few days left before the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) nominates final candidates for the post of director-general, controversy continues to swirl around the leading contender, Egyptian culture minister Farouk Hosni.

  6. AUSTRALIA: Military to Focus on Immediate Neighbours

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    The Rudd government’s recently-released defence white paper outlines a substantial boost to the nation’s military capabilities and places a high priority on stability in neighbouring countries, including Indonesia and South Pacific states.

  7. POLITICS-US: Same-Sex Marriage May Return to the Ballot Box

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    In the wake of the California Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to uphold Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, a surprising scapegoat and potential savior for opponents of the proposition has emerged in the California ballot initiative process.

  8. CHINA: Cashing In on ‘Earthquake Tourism’?

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    Cashing in on huge public interest in one of the deadliest earthquakes of recent history, China has officially endorsed ‘disaster tourism’ as a form of economic subsidy to devastated areas. Home debris and whole sections of partially wiped out cities and villages during last year’s massive earthquake in southwestern China will now be open to tourists, the state media announced this week.

  9. MIDEAST: Israel Prepares for North Korean Fallout

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    The tremors of Monday's North Korean nuclear test have been felt all around the world, no more so in a country seemingly not directly affected by whether or not North Korea is a full-fledged nuclear power. In Israel, there is deep concern, an existential fear even - over the implications that Iran will be next in the nuclear line.

  10. BIODIVERSITY-EUROPE: Not Just About a Frog Here or There

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    Politicians across the European Union are waking up to the fact that biodiversity is fast becoming a crucial environmental issue that needs to be tackled soon.

Powered by Inter Press Service International News Agency and UN News