News headlines in June 2015

VIENNA, Jun 30 (IPS) - An international conference has highlighted advances made in detecting nuclear explosions,tracking storms or clouds of volcanic ash, locating epicentres of earthquakes, monitoring the drift of huge icebergs, observing the movements of marine mammals, and detecting plane crashes.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (IPS) - As most developing nations fall short of meeting their goals on sanitation, the world's poorest countries have been lagging far behind, according to a new U.N. report released here.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (IPS) - In 2013, an estimated 240,000 children were born with HIV. This was an improvement from 2009, when 400,000 babies tested positive for the infection, but still a far cry from the global target of reducing total child infections to 40,000 by 2015.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (IPS) - Environmental groups are praising China following the formal submission of Beijing's highly-anticipated climate change strategy to the United Nations Tuesday.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (IPS) - Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in 2014 declined 16 per cent to 1.2 trillion dollars, according to this year's newly released World Investment Report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

TEKNAF, Bangladesh, Jun 30 (IPS) - Though he is only 16 years old, Mohammad Yasin has been through hell and back. He recently survived a hazardous journey by sea, crammed into the cargo-hold of a rudimentary boat along with 115 others.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 29 (IPS) - When the 193-member General Assembly hosted a high level meeting on climate change Monday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that any proposed agreement at an upcoming international conference in Paris in December must uphold the principle of equity.

MANAGUA, Jun 29 (IPS) - They say they are tired of waiting for justice after centuries of neglect and contempt due to the color of their skin. Black women leaders from 22 countries of the Americas have decided to create a political platform that set a 10-year target for empowering women of African descent and overcoming discrimination.

WASHINGTON, Jun 29 (IPS) - A key senator and a D.C.-based think tank are calling for Washington to step up its aid in cleaning up toxic herbicides sprayed by the United States in Vietnam during the war that ended 40 years ago.

NEW YORK, Jun 29 (IPS) - In a setback to the Barack Obama administration's clean energy plans just five months ahead of a critical climate change summit in Paris this December, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked an initiative to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.