News headlines in April 2014, page 14

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 04 (IPS) - In a country suffering from what the U.N. has called "ethno-religious cleansing", a "disappeared" state structure and "unacceptable sectarian brutality," gaining access to the population of the Central African Republic has proven a difficult and sometimes deadly task for humanitarian workers.

TAIWAN, Apr 04 (IPS) - When we read novels or short fiction in any language, we read to understand the story. We read to learn something new, and hopefully to get some kind of emotional uplift through the words on the page and the skills of the storyteller.

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Apr 04 (IPS) - John Daffi climbs to the top of a hill overlooking a scenic Rift Valley wall and the Ngorongoro forest, where wildlife migrates between the world famous Ngorongoro crater and Tanzania's Lake Manyara. Daffi, 59, looks down upon his family's farm below and reminisces about the time his father first brought him here as a boy.

FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Apr 04 (IPS) - "If Abdullah will become president, the will of Afghan people will be respected. Otherwise – especially if Zalmai Rassoul will be indicated as the winner – a new conflict will start and our country will become more insecure." The remark by Abdullah Abdullah supporter Qazi Sadullah Abu Aman is typical of uncertainties and accusations rising as election day draws close on Saturday.

WASHINGTON, Apr 03 (IPS) - Although half the world's population is under 25 years old, young people in more than two dozen countries feel that their opportunities for educational, economic and societal advancement are limited, according to new research released here Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 03 (IPS) - At a political level, when the United Nations speaks of a "high seas alliance", it is probably a coalition of countries battling modern piracy in the Indian Ocean.

WASHINGTON, Apr 03 (IPS) - With U.S.-mediated Israel-Palestinian peace talks once again dangling over the abyss, a new book has kicked up controversy over the roots of U.S. policy toward Israelis and Palestinians.

MEXICO CITY, Apr 03 (IPS) - Scientists warn that large-scale fracking for shale gas planned by Mexico's oil company Pemex will cause a surge in seismic activity in northern Mexico, an area already prone to quakes.

ADDIS ABABA, Apr 03 (IPS) - For a while now, Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI scanners have typically been a luxury that both government and private hospitals in Ethiopia have struggled to afford to purchase for in-house use.

WASHINGTON, Apr 02 (IPS) - In a decision with major implications for the U.S. political system, a bare majority of the Supreme Wednesday ruled that the government cannot limit total spending by individuals on federal elections.