News headlines in May 2014, page 9

ROME, May 15 (IPS) - Not a day goes by without news on the growing inequality that is the telling indicator of the kind of economic model in which we have put ourselves, following the neoliberal binge unleashed by the Washington Consensus. The idea that economic growth is "a rising tide lifting all boats", as the late Margaret Thatcher declared when she announced war on the welfare state, and its twin "capital will trickle down to everybody", are now totally discredited. Facts, as it has been said, are stubborn.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (IPS) - As diplomats began drafting a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme and Western sanctions in Vienna Tuesday, U.S. officials were poised to demand a drastic cut in Iran's enrichment capabilities that is widely expected to deadlock the negotiations.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 15 (IPS) - Already saddled with a veritable catalogue of crises, Pakistan's largest province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) now finds itself on the verge of industrial collapse, as extortion and kidnappings drive away all prospects for production or employment.

Warsaw, May 15 (IPS) - Since November last year, Bulgaria has virtually closed its borders to an inflow of Syrian asylum seekers and other migrants trying to enter the country from Turkey, while EU institutions concerned appear to have acquiesced to this. 

JUBA, May 15 (IPS) - It has not yet been a week, but South Sudan's most recent ceasefire appears set to collapse, along with hopes that – after five months of fighting – the country might finally be on the path to recovery.

NATAL, Brazil, May 15 (IPS) - Brazil's efforts to promote the image of an environmentally sustainable World Cup have focused on the stadiums built for the tournament. But the 12 cities where the matches will be played are in a race against time to complete the urban transport projects.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (IPS) - Amidst intensifying concern over the fate of more than 200 girls abducted by a radical Islamist group in northern Nigeria, at least 100 representatives of various activist groups Tuesday pressed the U.S. Senate to approve legislation designed to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls and discourage child marriages around the world.

WASHINGTON, May 14 (IPS) - Small underdeveloped countries, unless they suddenly discover oil or gold, are at a distinct disadvantage in the global arena. If they play by the rules, they will remain underdeveloped. Over the last half-century, very few countries have managed to jump from the Third World to the club of richest nations.

GEORGETOWN, May 14 (IPS) - Agriculture has always played an important role in the socioeconomic development of Guyana, the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state that straddles South America.

KIGALI, May 14 (IPS) - Twenty-year-old Fabrice Shyaka sells popcorn in brown paper bags five nights a week from his stand in a small alleyway, situated next to a DVD shop blaring loud music, and a supermarket. Here in Kanombe, a suburb in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, he is the only person selling popcorn in the area.