News headlines in March 2017, page 5

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Mar 22 (IPS) - In 2015, Coca Cola's chief scientist was forced to resign after revelations that the company had funded researchers to present academic papers recommending exercise to address obesity and ill health, while marginalizing the role of dietary consumption. Coca-Cola, the world's largest producer of sugary beverages, had provided millions of dollars to fund researchers to downplay the links between sugar and obesity, tooth decay and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 22 (IPS) - Despite 25 years of impressive global development, many people are not benefiting from progress due to persistent discrimination, according to a UN report released Tuesday.

STOCKHOLM, Mar 21 (IPS) - I listened to a Haitian farmer share solutions with neighbouring water users on how best to allocate scarce water resources. I learned about the resolution of inter-village water conflicts after sitting in a longboat for hours on the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh. On the dry floodplains of Ethiopia, I heard how local solutions benefitted women and outperformed ‘imported' ones.

STOCKHOLM, Mar 21 (IPS) - Water is a finite resource. With a growing population, an expanding global middle class and a rise in energy and industrial production, the demand for water is reaching new levels. According to the OECD, global demand for freshwater will increase by 55 percent between 2000 and 2050. By 2050 it is expected that roughly 6.4 billion people will live in cities, making urban water management an essential building block for resilience and sustainable growth.

ROME, Mar 21 (IPS) - During the final exams of Spanish official high school of journalists, a student was asked by the panel of professors-examiners: If scientists discover that there is water in Planet Mars, how would you announce this news, what would be your title? The student did not hesitate a second: "There is life in Mars!" The student was graduated with the highest score.

ROME, Mar 21 (IPS) - "Politics of division and the rhetoric of intolerance are targeting racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, and migrants and refugees. Words of fear and loathing can, and do, have real consequences," warns the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

NEW DELHI, Mar 21 (IPS) - In Asia, it likely will not be straightforward water wars.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Mar 21 (IPS) - Though key to good health and economic wellbeing, water and sanitation remain less of a development priority in Africa, where high costs and poor policy implementation constrain getting clean water and flush toilets to millions.

ISLA DE MÉNDEZ, El Salvador, Mar 20 (IPS) - After an exhausting morning digging clams out of the mud of the mangroves, Rosa Herrera, her face tanned by the sun, arrives at this beach in southeastern El Salvador on board the motorboat Topacio, carrying her yield on her shoulders.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 (IPS) - A group designated as a hate group for its "often violent rhetoric" against LGBTI rights was an invited member of the United States Official Delegation to the annual women's meeting say rights groups.