News headlines in December 2013, page 7

RATANAKIRI PROVINCE, Cambodia, Dic 17 (IPS) - "I prefer the dam to the fish," says middle-aged farmer Ton Noun, when asked his opinion on a proposed 400 megawatt dam on Sesan river near his home in northeastern Cambodia. Then he chuckles and asks, "What fish?"

WASHINGTON, Dic 17 (IPS) - The U.S. wind industry looks set to enter a period of uncertainty, with an important government subsidy expiring at the end of the month and no clear plan for lawmakers to work towards an extension.

WASHINGTON, Dic 16 (IPS) - The U.S. government announced Monday it has repatriated two Saudi detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison, less than two weeks after two Algerian detainees were likewise sent back to their home country.

Dic 16 (IPS) - As the ongoing crises in some of the world's hot spots - including Syria, the Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Palestine and Darfur, Sudan - continue unabated, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday singled out some of the biggest challenges facing the international community in 2014.

SANTIAGO, Dic 16 (IPS) - The promised structural reforms to modify the political system inherited from Chile's 1973-1990 dictatorship and reduce the severe social inequalities in the country propelled Michelle Bachelet to a resounding triumph in the Sunday Dec. 15 runoff election.

BALI, Dic 16 (IPS) - As industrialised countries celebrate the World Trade Organisation's Bali accord, the developing and the least-developed countries are forced to carry their battle to another day after securing only half-baked results and grandiose promises, said several trade ministers.

BOUWER, Argentina, Dic 16 (IPS) - Towns traditionally celebrate their most characteristic aspect. So the town of Bouwer in central Argentina decided to "celebrate" garbage.

KAMPALA, Dic 16 (IPS) - At an unremarkable office on Bukoto Street in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, health workers and civil society activists attend a regular meeting to offer information and advice on living with HIV and AIDS. What is unusual is that these information sessions cater to a group of around 50 transgender women.

NAPLES, Dic 16 (IPS) - The beauty of the Bay of Naples under a setting sun, the romance of Sorrento and the scenic splendour of the Amalfi coastline pull thousands of visitors to southern Italy. But the region is also home to an ugly truth.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dic 16 (IPS) - Doctors in the Pakistani frontier provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are running scared after nearly 45 consultants were kidnapped for ransom this year. Police suspect that gangs enjoying the Taliban's patronage are behind the abductions that are just a symptom of the many challenges the country faces as it battles terrorism, ethnic conflicts and sectarian divisions.