News headlines in February 2016, page 5

SAN SALVADOR, Feb 17 (IPS) - El Salvador is debating reforms of the country's privatised pension system, which could introduce changes so that it will no longer discriminate against women.

OXFORD, Feb 17 (IPS) - Although the implementation of Iranian nuclear deal has been welcomed by all those who had been involved in the negotiations as part of the P5+1, the deal has had many vociferous opponents.

COTONOU, Benin, Feb 17 (IPS) - Africa is eating more rice than other food staples, though it produces less than it needs. This is good news for the cereal's potential to help Sub Saharan Africa out of poverty according to researchers. Rice is the second most important source of calories in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), a research organisation working to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 16 (IPS) - Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 93, was the only UN Secretary-General (1992-1996) to be denied a second term in office because of a US veto in the 15-member Security Council.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 (IPS) - Owuor P.'s 16-year-old sister Nekesa tried and tried to get an abortion after she was gang-raped and found herself pregnant during Kenya's post-election violence in 2007-8. "We are not sure how many raped her," Owuor told me. "She told us that she saw three men rape her and then she lost consciousness. She was quiet most of the time after the rape." In desperation after the birth of the child, she killed herself. The baby survived, and today Owuor is raising the child, who has a serious mental health condition, and is still grieving for his sister.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb 16 (IPS) - 2015 proved challenging for multilateralism, especially in relation to development concerns. July's Addis Ababa third Financing for Development (FfD) conference delivered little real progress. Nevertheless, the September Sustainable Development Goals summit redeemed hopes with an ambitious and universal Agenda 2030.

KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb 16 (IPS) - After escaping the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region during which his father and two brothers were killed and his mother and sister displaced, Adam (named changed), began a new chapter. But it was a life "in limbo". Over a decade later, he remains trapped in a strange country where he struggles to prove his identity; cannot find work or receive financial support.

Feb 15 (IPS) - "We want Pope Francis' message to come true…We want the rights of indigenous people to be supported, respected and strengthened," Yuam Pravia, a representative of the Misquito native people, said in this city in southern Mexico.

Feb 15 (IPS) - A European Parliament (EP) delegation has expressed concern over the human rights situation in Bangladesh, and called for an impartial investigation into all the cases of blogger killings.

MADRID, Feb 15 (IPS) - When 25 million Syrians--half of them refugees abroad or at home and the other half terrorised by daily bombing, learnt that major world leaders in their meeting in Germany launched an unprecedented confrontation threatening with unleashing World War III, instead of easily agreeing on a ceasefire to alleviate their inhumane suffering, they most probably fell into an even deeper desperation. Se what happened.