News headlines in 2017, page 78

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 (IPS) - The Group of 77 is calling for the creation of a new and dedicated Trust Fund for the implementation of the UN's strategic plan on forests for the period 2017-2030.

ROME, Apr 11 (IPS) - Food assistance is a priority and the only way to prevent the crisis from worsening in the Lake Chad Basin, is to support food production according to José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 11 (IPS) - More than eight years after the global financial crisis exploded in late 2008, economic growth remains generally tepid, while ostensible recovery measures appear to have exacerbated income and other inequalities. Yet, despite the G-20 group of the world's largest economies raising the level, frequency and profile of its meetings, effective multilateral cooperation and coordination remains a distant dream.

SYDNEY, Apr 11 (IPS) - Science and medicine were not subjects of dinnertime conversations in the Norton household in Christchurch, New Zealand, but Professor Robyn Norton grew up observing her parents' commitment to equity and social justice in improving people's lives. It left an indelible impression on her young mind.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 10 (IPS) - Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai has become the youngest UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls' education.

ROME, Apr 10 (IPS) - "The future of work must be inspired by considerations of humanity, of social justice and peace. If it is not, we are going to a dark place, we are going to a dangerous place," said the head of the leading world body specialised on labour issues.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Apr 10 (IPS) - Microscopic soil organisms could be an environmentally friendly way to control crop pests and diseases and even protect agriculture against the impacts of climate change, a leading researcher says.

WARSAW, Apr 08 (IPS) - Ameer Alkhawlany moved to Poland in September 2014 to pursue a Master's in biology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland's second largest city. Two years later, the Polish state awarded him a scholarship to complete a PhD in the same faculty.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 07 (IPS) - U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday night described the deepening Syrian refugee crisis as partial justification for the first direct U.S. airstrike against the Syrian government, even though the United States still bans all refugees from Syria.

RESSACA, Brazil, Apr 07 (IPS) - The decline of this town is seen in the rundown houses and shuttered stores, and the few people along the streets on a Sunday when the scorching sun alternates with frequent rains at this time of year in Brazil's Amazon region.