News headlines in July 2013, page 20

RANGPUR, Bangladesh, Jul 05 (IPS) - Shirin Aktar was just 13 years old when her parents decided it was time for her to get married.

CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba, Jul 05 (IPS) - Houses with sturdy masonry walls and reinforced concrete roofs, looking like they could survive any tropical storm or hurricane, are sprouting up on the outskirts of this city in central Cuba, thanks to the development of local production of construction materials.

WASHINGTON, Jul 05 (IPS) - The military's removal of democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi poses a serious challenge to Washington's pro-democracy agenda and its ability to influence events in Egypt and the rest of the region.

WASHINGTON, Jul 05 (IPS) - Spy equipment from the Surveillance Group Limited, a British private detective agency based in Worcester, England, has been found in the Ecuadorean embassy in London where Julian Assange, editor of Wikileaks, has taken refuge.

CAIRO, Jul 05 (IPS) - In less than three days, Egypt moved from being under Islamists into civilian hands. Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was overthrown by the army on Wednesday after massive nationwide protests calling for his removal on the first anniversary of his election to power.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 04 (IPS) - For the small town of Kafranbel in Syria, the old saying "a pen is mightier than a sword" still rings true. Every week in Kafranbel, protesters draw posters, write banners and demonstrate against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

RIACHÃO DO JACUIPE, Brazil, Jul 04 (IPS) - The first surprise on arriving at Abel Manto's farm is how green it is, in contrast with the dry brown surroundings. His beans and fruit trees seem oblivious to the persistent drought in the semi-arid hinterland of northeast Brazil, the worst in 50 years.

WASHINGTON, Jul 04 (IPS) - Advocacy groups here are reacting with frustration as several southern U.S. states have moved to enact stricter voting requirements in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision that rolled back key legislation that had safeguarded minority voters for decades.

LITTORAL REGION, Cameroon, Jul 04 (IPS) - In Maleke village, western Cameroon, an oil palm tree is considered to be "black gold". At least, that is what Joseph Tesse, the local processor of oil palm, tells IPS.

MONTEVIDEO/WASHINGTON, Jul 04 (IPS) - The suspicion that Bolivian President Evo Morales' jet was carrying Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who has become Washington´s public enemy number one, triggered an unprecedented international incident.