News headlines in December 2013, page 3

PESHAWAR, Dic 27 (IPS) - Farhat Bibi, 43, was left to fend for her three young sons after her husband was killed in a bomb attack in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) three years ago. A few days later, she landed at a camp for people displaced by violence. "The camp proved to be a blessing in disguise," she says.

WASHINGTON, Dic 27 (IPS) - For the first time in its 85-year history, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Wednesday was declared a terrorist organisation. The provisional government's decision, presumably with the military junta's approval, came after two deadly bombings in Mansura and Cairo.

UNITED NATIONS, Dic 27 (IPS) - When the U.N. Correspondents Association (UNCA) held its annual award ceremony last week, one of the video highlights was a hilarious skit on the clumsy attempts to bug the 38th floor offices of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

SAVELUGU, Ghana, Dic 26 (IPS) - A battle over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is building in Ghana after the government recently completed regulations that could allow modified cowpeas and other selected crops to be grown following confined field trials (CFT).

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Dic 26 (IPS) - Colleen James arrived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from Canada two days before Christmas hoping to enjoy the holiday season with her family. Now she's getting ready to bury her two-year-old daughter and 18-year-old sister.

ERBIL, Iraq, Dic 26 (IPS) - Despite an atmosphere of deep mutual distrust, two major rival Syrian Kurdish bodies have agreed to attend an expected international conference on the fate of Syria, known as Geneva II, on the side of the Syrian opposition forces, Syrian Kurdish sources told IPS.

JINBA, Occupied West Bank, Dic 26 (IPS) - Jinba is in the crosshair of ‘Firing Zone 918' - and ‘Firing Zone 918' is a microcosm of the Israeli occupation. Together with seven other communities, Jinba is slated for demolition to make way for an Israeli training ground. Forced eviction hangs over a thousand Palestinians.

CAIRO, Dic 26 (IPS) - At a small pet shop in an upscale Cairo neighbourhood, puppies, kittens and sickly-looking parakeets occupy the cages behind the storefront window. But if you want more exciting and exotic animals – such as crocodiles or lion cubs, just ask behind the counter.

SRINAGAR, India, Dic 24 (IPS) - Mehnaz Bano (not her real name), a 37-year-old woman in a hamlet in Indian Kashmir, is living a "satisfied and peaceful" life ever since she secured her daughter's property rights before her remarriage – though not without a long and tedious struggle following her first husband's death.

TBILISI, Dic 23 (IPS) - The South Caucasus country of Georgia is a source of much sought-after Christmas tree seeds. But its own forests are now under threat, as firewood is in increasing demand as a cheap source of heat for homes, schools and hospitals.