News headlines in July 2011, page 30

The pipeline that carries Egyptian natural gas to Israel was attacked by unknown perpetrators on Monday (Jul. 4), the third such incident since the Jan. 25 Revolution that ended the rule of longstanding former president Hosni Mubarak.

The sharing of oil between North and South Sudan needs to be urgently addressed otherwise conflict between the two regions will escalate and could possibly lead to civil war, according to government officials and rights organisations.

As UN Women, the new United Nations agency dedicated to enhancing gender equality, releases its first annual report, its most significant finding may be the shared challenges faced by women across the globe.

Villages like this one are nothing more than a mix of small wooden and cement houses on tree-lined lanes where people make a living growing rice or rearing cattle and pigs. Yet they are shaping the future of Thailand’s democracy and taking part in what residents call a 'rural awakening'.

A crucial proposal to move to higher climate targets in the EU was resolutely voted down Tuesday after amendments by Conservatives heavily watered down the proposal. Several members of parliament blame business lobbying for the loss, even though dozens of corporations called out for higher climate goals.

As Bahrain's government launches its much-touted 'national dialogue' with members of civil society, experts here are expressing scepticism that it will defuse growing tensions in the strategically located Gulf kingdom, let alone promote genuine reform.

Amidst despair and poverty, women in some remote villages of Bangladesh are raising money and lending it to each other through a unique microfinance programme launched by a local non-government organisation.

Educators in Indonesia are turning green with environmental advocacies they plan to integrate into the curriculum of state-run elementary and high schools through the 'Green Teacher Network'.

'The mosque was just 100 metres from our house. We prayed there every day, five times a day. But it was more than a house of prayer,' says Mohammed, a Beit Hanoun resident, of one of the 34 mosques completely destroyed during the 23-day Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-2009.

As Bahrain's government launches its much-touted 'national dialogue' with members of civil society, experts here are expressing scepticism that it will defuse growing tensions in the strategically located Gulf kingdom, let alone promote genuine reform.