News headlines in December 2013, page 4

PORT OF SPAIN, Dic 23 (IPS) - Whether it is a case of sabotage or simply poor management practices by the state-owned PETROTRIN, as the union claims, a mysterious oil spill in south Trinidad is wreaking havoc on homes and wildlife in the area.

UNITED NATIONS, Dic 23 (IPS) - Since Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines on Nov. 8, the country has sent holders of its debt close to one billion dollars, surpassing, in less than two months, the 800 million dollars the U.N. has asked of international donors to help rebuild the ravaged central region of the archipelago.

MÁLAGA, Spain, Dic 23 (IPS) - María came to Spain from Paraguay to work as a housekeeper in a hotel. But it was a false job promise, and she ended up in a nightclub, where she was forced to work as a prostitute.

HARARE, Dic 23 (IPS) - Losing the Jul. 31 polls in Zimbabwe may have been a heartrending experience for the country's former prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, but a veiled succession struggle in his own party may prove the straw that breaks his political career.

PARIS, Dic 23 (IPS) - A woman and her husband are seated at a table. As she talks, he seems to be ignoring her, his head hidden behind a newspaper.

DUÉKOUÉ, Dic 22 (IPS) - In Cote d'Ivoire, traditional hunters known as dozos are accused of human rights abuses and extortion. But in several areas, they also remain the sole guarantor of local safety.

CARONI, Trinidad, Dic 22 (IPS) - Ramdeo Boondoo, a root crop farmer in Caroni, Trinidad, understands better than most the challenge of developing crops that are both climate resilient and marketable.

Dic 22 (IPS) - An amnesty freeing high-profile detainees and convicts and the pardoning of arguably Russia's most famous political prisoner have failed to move critics of the country's appalling human rights record.

WASHINGTON, Dic 21 (IPS) - This week's introduction by a bipartisan group of 26 senators of a new sanctions bill against Iran could result in the biggest test of the political clout of the Israel lobby here in decades.

BUALA, Solomon Islands, Dic 21 (IPS) - Women's political representation in the Pacific Islands region is globally the lowest at 3.65 percent, compared to the world average of 18 percent. Leadership is still widely perceived as ‘men's business' and voting is heavily influenced by nepotism and money politics. However, Rhoda Sikilabu, minister for community affairs in Isabel Province in the Solomon Islands is demonstrating that women leaders can drive development progress and win voter support.