News headlines in August 2015

ALTAMIRA, Brazil, Aug 31 (IPS) - In the case of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in Brazil, the projects aimed at mitigating the social impacts have been delayed. But in other cases, infrastructure such as hospitals and water and sewage pipes could improve the image of the hydropower plants on Brazil's Amazon rainforest rivers, turning them into a factor of effective local development.

LEEDS, England, Aug 31 (IPS) - A new grassroots initiative born in the northern England city of Leeds has set itself the ambitious goal of ending food waste, once and for all.

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (IPS) - Puerto Rico's religious leaders have called for debt relief of the Caribbean U.S. territory in the face of the 72 billion dollar liability that represents 20,000 dollars of debt for every man, woman and child.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug 30 (IPS) - A one-day summit taking place here on Aug. 31 hopes to bring Arctic nations together in support of climate action against a backdrop of criticism of offshore oil drilling in the region.

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Aug 30 (IPS) - The new Sri Lankan government that was voted in on Aug. 17 certainly didn't inherit as much baggage as its predecessors did during the nearly 30 years of conflict that gripped this South Asian island nation.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 30 (IPS) - As tens of thousands of refugees continue to flee conflict-ridden countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, Western European governments and international humanitarian organisations are struggling to cope with a snowballing humanitarian crisis threatening to explode.

MEXICO CITY, Aug 28 (IPS) - The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will include targets for information and communication technologies, such as strengthening the Internet. And Latin America will be behind from the start in aspects that are key to increasing its educational and medical uses, bolster security and expand bandwidth.

HIROSHIMA, Aug 28 (IPS) - A three-day landmark U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues has ended here – one day ahead of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests – stressing the need for ushering in a world free of nuclear weapons, but without a consensus on how to move towards that goal.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27 (IPS) - New research released today by a leading human rights watchdog has found evidence of seven attacks involving cluster munitions in Yemen's northwestern Hajja governorate.