News headlines in February 2013, page 11

SANA'A, Feb 16 (IPS) - This week in Sana'a thousands of Yemenis – mostly youth - crowded the highway near the landmark ‘Change Square' to celebrate the second anniversary of the revolution. Adjacent to the university, this was the site of a tented encampment that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators throughout 2011.

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - For the first time, a U.S. government auditor has added climate change to a list of issues that pose the greatest financial risk to the government and country. It is also warning that Washington is markedly unprepared to deal with the scope of the problem.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 15 (IPS) - Following a promising start, Brazil's dream of positioning ethanol in the global market on an equal standing with petroleum-based fuels is hindered by new and old challenges.

MALAGA, Spain, Feb 15 (IPS) - Public outcry against evictions this week led Spain's parliament to accept a popular initiative against mortgage-related evictions for unpaid debts, which in the past seven days have led to four suicides.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 15 (IPS) - The only difference the resignation of Benedict XVI as head of the Catholic Church will make in Brazil will be the name changes needed on posters advertising his coming to this city in July for World Youth Day, jokes Frei Betto.

NEW YORK, Feb 15 (IPS) - The term "civil disobedience" takes its roots from an 1849 essay by U.S. poet, philosopher and environmentalist, Henry David Thoreau, originally entitled "Resistance to Civil Government".

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - Amidst ongoing violence and continuing humanitarian emergencies in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, the International Crisis Group (ICG) called Thursday for a comprehensive solution to Sudan's many regional conflicts.

SYDNEY, Feb 15 (IPS) - The Pacific Islands have some of the lowest rates of Internet penetration in the world, but tech-savvy urbanites are behind the emergence of a number of social media sites dedicated to generating public debate and demanding government accountability. However, without real action, online forums speaking truth to power are constrained in impacting political and social reforms in the region.

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 15 (IPS) - African nations and other emerging countries are expected to soon outperform the developed world, and South Africa wants to take advantage.

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (IPS) - Following on a surprise announcement supporting a universal preschool guarantee during his annual State of the Union address earlier this week, President Barack Obama spent much of Thursday pushing a suite of new policy initiatives aimed at vastly increasing access to high-quality education and development programmes for a child's first few years of life.