News headlines in 2014, page 46

SAN DIEGO, Sep 12 (IPS) - For decades, the minority Christian population of Iraq has been suffering hardships. But in the summer months of 2014 - and since the beginning of the military campaign by ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIL or Islamic State) - the situation has gone from bad to intolerably worse.

WASHINGTON, Sep 12 (IPS) - U.S. President Barack Obama's new strategy to "degrade, and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is being met with widespread scepticism among both hawks and doves, as well as regional specialists.

WASHINGTON, Sep 11 (IPS) - At least half of global deforestation is taking place illegally and in support of commercial agriculture, new analysis released Thursday finds – particularly to supply overseas markets.

BARCELONA, Sep 11 (IPS) - At last, after the obligatory summer break, the European Union (EU) has some new faces to fill the top vacancies on the team that began to emerge from the May 25 parliamentary elections.

MONROVIA, Sep 11 (IPS) - As the Ebola crisis continues to take a toll on people's lives and livelihoods in West Africa, the focus is increasingly not just on the health aspects of the crisis, but also on its social and economic consequences.

TAIPEI, Sep 11 (IPS) - The Taiwan government's plan to liberalise tariff-free imports of agricultural produce from China and other countries for processing in free economic pilot zones, which will then be exported as ‘Made in Taiwan' items, may mean suicide for Taiwanese farmers if approved by the national legislature.

BANDE, Niger, Sep 11 (IPS) - It is a long, 14-hour drive from Niger's capital city Niamey to the village of Bande. And the ride is a dreary one as the roadside is bare. The occasional, lone goat herder is spotted every few kilometres and the sightings become a cause of both confusion and excitement since there aren't any trees, or watering holes in sight.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 11 (IPS) - After four long years of protracted negotiations, a proposal for a nuclear weapons-free zone (NWFZ) in the strife-torn Middle East remains in limbo - and perhaps virtually dead.

BRUSSELS, Sep 10 (IPS) - The appointment of Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini as the new European Union foreign policy chief offers the opportunity for an overhaul of EU foreign and security policy.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 10 (IPS) - If a Silicon Valley existed for the culture of peace, it would most likely look to global citizenship as the next big industry shake-up.