News headlines in 2017, page 73

Apr 26 (IPS) - Taha avoids giving his last name to journalists, but not out fear of the Sudanese government, whose harassment he fled in 2015.

ROME, Apr 26 (IPS) - Rogue interests, perhaps even foreign, are said to be trying to interfere with the electoral process in the U.S. and European Union members. Senior government officials glibly endorse what they themselves call "alternative facts" and even openly describe the media as their enemy.

PUNTA GORDA/BRITO, Nicaragua, Apr 25 (IPS) - Less than three years from the projected completion in Nicaragua of a canal running from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, there is no trace of progress on the mega-project.

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 25 (IPS) - Recent elections and referendums in a growing number of countries from Turkey to the USA and beyond are producing leaders and policies, which directly threaten some of the core principles of democracy.  In an increasing number of established and fledgling democracies, we see ruling parties violating the fundamental freedoms to speak-out, rally behind a cause and get involved in a social movement.

ROME, Apr 25 (IPS) - In the context of global development, ‘no one is left behind' brings with it a powerful message. It emphasizes progress- one that is inclusive, fair, integrated and empowering. The phrase ‘No one is left behind' is mentioned some five times in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that was adopted by all governments at the United Nations in 2015. The Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet, peace and prosperity. It has globally agreed 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 ambitious targets, and should be achieved within the next decade ‘to end poverty and hunger everywhere; to combat inequalities within and among countries; to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies; to protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.'

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 25 (IPS) - Despite progress, many gaps remain in international indigenous rights protection, said representatives during an annual UN meeting.

ROME, Apr 25 (IPS) - It all happened on the very same day—4 April. That day, indigenous peoples were simultaneously characterised as fundamental allies in the world's war on hunger and poverty, while being declared as collective victims of a "tsunami" of imprisonments in Australia. See what happened.

NAIROBI, Apr 25 (IPS) - As the clock ticks down to Kenya's general elections slated for Aug. 8, a move by the Kenya Communication Authority (CAK) to make journalists adhere to guidelines on election coverage has elicited fear that the government could be trying to control how they report on the polls.

NEW YORK, Apr 24 (IPS) - Hillary Clinton did not make it to the top, but Theresa May, the British prime minister, and Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, did. Since Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first female prime minister, in Sri Lanka in 1960, one-hundred women have been heads of state or government around the world.

VICTORIA, BC, Canada, Apr 24 (IPS) - When the United Nations continues its negotiations in June for an international treaty against nuclear weapons, there must be a treaty that should cover every single aspect of the devastating weapons --- and leading eventually to their total elimination from the world's military arsenals.