News headlines in July 2013, page 5

KATHMANDU, Jul 25 (IPS) - Last December, Pradeep Dongol, child protection officer at the Kathmandu-based Children and Women in Social Service and Human Rights (CWISH), received an urgent call from one of the NGO's many offices in Nepal's sprawling capital city.

NAIROBI, Jul 25 (IPS) - Kenyan police are said to be investigating the rise of a group dubbed the March 4th Movement (M4M), which aims to make Kenya ungovernable by recruiting youths to take part in protests, similar to those that saw Egyptians overthrow their president. But politicians and analysts here say they do not foresee the movement capable of creating an East African Spring.

WASHINGTON, Jul 25 (IPS) - Momentum appears to be building in the push to close down the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, where 166 inmates, 86 of whom have been cleared for release, remain held without charges.

GOMA, DR Congo, Jul 25 (IPS) - At a popular tourist art market in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, paintings and art sculptures made from bronze, copper, malachite, stone or wood attract visitors. It seems like an ordinary tourist market. But only the regulars know that this is also a black market for ivory products.

WASHINGTON, Jul 24 (IPS) - President Barack Obama is vowing to spend his remaining time in office encouraging bipartisan efforts to strengthen the U.S. middle class by ensuring it is open to those from all backgrounds.

NEW YORK, Jul 24 (IPS) - The China pavilion is a red, inverted pyramid in Shanghai that was built for the city's bustling 2010 World Expo. While the pavilion pays some homage to China's ancient past, it mostly shows off China's 21^st century ambitions, with as much swagger as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

WASHINGTON, Jul 24 (IPS) - A U.S. federal judge has upheld a key regulatory provision aimed at ensuring that the profits from products mined in central Africa are not used to benefit armed groups, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

BANGKOK, Jul 24 (IPS) - A draft law being readied for parliament that seeks to offer lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples could make Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise gay marriage.

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 24 (IPS) - Industry in Argentina has seen a sustained rise in production, exports and employment since 2003. But in order for this trend to become a structural change, greater import substitution is needed, analysts say.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jul 24 (IPS) - Pakistanis are no strangers to sports-related violence; in fact, many have come to expect scuffles and conflict, especially following a major cricket match. In the country's northern Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), however, cricket has become a tool to promote peace.