News headlines in April 2014, page 3

WASHINGTON, Apr 25 (IPS) - Even as countries around the world have started to sign on to and ratify a landmark international treaty that would for the first time regulate the international trade in conventional weapons, experts here are warning that the treaty in itself will not be able to maintain peace and security in Africa.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 25 (IPS) - The tiny Pacific nation state of Marshall Islands - which depends heavily on the United States for its economic survival, uses the U.S. dollar as its currency and predictably votes with Washington on all controversial political issues at the United Nations - is challenging the world's nuclear powers before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

WASHINGTON, Apr 25 (IPS) - On the eve of next week's meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), more than 100 representatives of 11 faith groups from around the world have pledged to step up their efforts to seek the global abolition of nuclear weapons.

SÃO PAULO, Apr 25 (IPS) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed into law an Internet bill of rights just before her opening speech at an international conference on Internet reform in the southern city of São Paulo Wednesday.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Apr 25 (IPS) - There is urgent need to increase the proportion of climate finance for adaptation in Africa by increasing public sector budgets for agriculture and exploring partnerships with the private sector.

STOCKHOLM, Apr 25 (IPS) - For policy makers and activists working for sexual and reproductive health and rights, it's been a long road since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994.

WASHINGTON, Apr 25 (IPS) - Throughout the Ukraine crisis, European Union (EU) leaders have become more vocal about their interest in reducing Europe's consumption of Russian natural gas. As a result, Qatar — the world's number-one provider of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — is well positioned to play a more influential role in Europe's energy landscape.

MANGALORE, Apr 25 (IPS) - Thirteen-year-old Sampreeth Monteiro's neighbours are suddenly taking his advice seriously. "Buy a Guppy fish, it will eat all the mosquito eggs in your house. You will not get malaria again."

WASHINGTON, Apr 24 (IPS) - Amidst a roiling and mostly partisan debate over Washington's global role, a survey released here Thursday suggests that President Barack Obama's preference for relative restraint and multilateral - over unilateral - action very much reflects the mood of the voting public.

WASHINGTON, Apr 24 (IPS) - A coalition of 134 institutional investors are calling for global corporations to institute new transparency policies throughout their supply chains and to step up assistance to survivors and families still suffering a year after a major fire led to the collapse of a garments factory in Bangladesh, despite repeated warnings from workers.