News headlines in 2013, page 86

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 31 (IPS) - The number of "least developed countries" (LDCs), which rose from the original 24 back in 1971 to the current 49, is beginning to shrink - haltingly.

TUNIS, Jul 31 (IPS) - As political divisions threaten to destabilise the national transition process in Tunisia, Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh has set deadlines for finalising the new constitution and holding elections. Not everyone is convinced these will be met.

HARARE, Jul 31 (IPS) - "We definitely can't miss this grand chance to cast our vote. It's like Zimbabwe is just gaining independence; the excitement to see a new government coming into power is just incredible and we hope we get a new Zimbabwe rolling again," 38-year-old Mildred Saungweme from Harare's Hatfield suburb, told IPS.

KIRKUK, Iraq, Jul 31 (IPS) - Two teams struggle to find an olive under one of the 11 cups displayed on a tray. The traditional game sin-u-serf  (tray and cup in Kurdish) is only played during the Muslim fasting month. In one of Iraq's most violent cities, it is nothing less than a challenge to death.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul 30 (IPS) - At odds since colonial times, Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian religions have embarked on a process of mutual acceptance. Pope Francis added words and gestures to this reconciliation of two groups that share a common interest: confronting the growth of evangelical and neo-Pentecostal churches.

WASHINGTON, Jul 30 (IPS) - A U.S. military judge ruled Tuesday that Private Bradley Manning, the young soldier who shared a mountain of classified data with the rogue pro-transparency group WikiLeaks, is not guilty of "aiding the enemy".

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 30 (IPS) - The progress made by Argentina in trials for crimes against humanity committed by the 1976-1983 dictatorship has been tarnished by a growing number of human rights violators escaping from prison.

WASHINGTON, Jul 30 (IPS) - Newly published recollections by the former French ambassador to Iran suggest that Iran was not running a covert nuclear weapons programme that it then decided to halt in late 2003, as concluded by U.S. intelligence in 2007.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul 30 (IPS) - Ten years ago, Brazil yielded to agribusiness pressure and legalised the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) soy. Today it is the world's second leading producer of GM crops, surpassed only by the United States.

TOKYO, Jul 30 (IPS) - Life for Yoshihiro Watanabe and his wife Mutsuko, mushroom and rice farmers from Fukushima, has changed drastically since the disastrous meltdowns in the Dai Ichi nuclear plant that was hit by a massive tsunami after a 9.0 strong earthquake struck on Mar. 11, 2011.