News headlines in July 2014, page 4

MELBOURNE, Jul 25 (IPS) - The 20^th International AIDS Conference concluded today as the first in its history that remembered not just the 39 million people worldwide who have died of AIDS but also those who lost their lives in the crashed MH17 flight carrying six of its delegates, one of whom was the past president of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

WASHINGTON, Jul 25 (IPS) - As the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala prepare to meet with President Barack Obama Friday, more than 40 organisations issued a petition urging U.S. lawmakers to meet their "moral and legal obligations" by providing emergency aid to Central American children and families.

YAOUNDE, Jul 24 (IPS) - For the last 13 years, Michael Ndah, 37, has worked for three road construction companies in Cameroon, but it is only in the last two years that his current employer has managed to register him with the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS). 

COLOMBO, Jul 24 (IPS) - Millions still live in poverty and even those who have gained the security of the middle-income bracket could relapse into poverty due to sudden changes to their economic fortunes in South Asia, the latest annual Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) revealed.

BOSTON, Jul 24 (IPS) - Before a sexual violence survivor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has her day in court, she must surmount many obstacles. Poor or nonexistent roads and costly transportation may prevent her from going to a police station to report the crime, or to a hospital to receive treatment for the injuries sustained during the violence.

KRIBI, Cameroon, Jul 24 (IPS) - Pierre Zambo is a hotel manager in Kribi, a sea resort town in Cameroon's South Region. In the past his hotel would have "more than 100 tourists each week. But today if I manage to have 50 people registered into my hotel weekly, then it's good business."

WASHINGTON, Jul 24 (IPS) - The international community is failing to take advantage of a potent opportunity to counter climate change by strengthening local land tenure rights and laws worldwide, new data suggests.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 23 (IPS) - The overwhelming Israeli firepower unleashed on the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the ongoing battle in Gaza is perhaps reminiscent of the Algerian war of independence (1954-1962) when France, the colonial power, used its vastly superior military strength to strike back at the insurgents with brutal ferocity.

LONDON, Jul 23 (IPS) - Heightening their campaign to eradicate violence against women and girls, United Nations agencies and civil groups have called for increased action to end child marriage and female genital mutilation.