News headlines in March 2016

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 31 (IPS) - "We cannot respond to refugee crises by closing doors and building fences," said UN High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi in his opening address to a high-level event in Geneva.

By the end of the meeting, however, the international community remained reluctant to welcome refugees.

ROME, Mar 31 (IPS) - Many well-meaning people believe that "good governance" is key to inclusive development. But research claiming that "good governance" is essential for rapid growth suffers from serious methodological or conceptual limitations. Existing definitions are extremely broad, suffer from functionalist tautology, or mainly refer to corruption.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Mar 31 (IPS) - Billions of dollars of aid has been pumped into Africa. Yet effective change too often remains an elusive outcome, leading to a vicious cycle: more needs, more aid but still little change. How to resolve this seemingly intractable dilemma?

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 30 (IPS) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has singled out Oman as perhaps the only Arab country in the Gulf playing a discreet role – mostly behind-the- scenes – in helping resolve some of the military and political conflicts in the war-ravaged region.

HAVANA/LA PALMA, Mar 30 (IPS) - The United States has indicated a clear interest in buying organic produce from Cuba as soon as that is made possible by the ongoing normalisation of ties between the two countries. But farmers and others involved in the agroecological sector warn that when the day arrives, they might not be ready.

JUBA, South Sudan, Mar 30 (IPS) - A single phone call from an irate security official is enough to shutdown a newspaper in Sudan. Security agents sometimes employ unorthodox methods: they storm the premises of a newspaper or a printing press and confiscate print runs in full view of employees. No reasons are provided. And there is no legal recourse.

OAKLAND, Mar 29 (IPS) - I was taught that responsibility means admitting your mistakes and being accountable when you make a mistake. I still believe this to be true for individuals and institutions. So when a powerful group like the World Bank makes a mistake, I expect it to be accountable for its wrong-doings, and to do everything possible to make sure those mistakes don't happen again.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Mar 29 (IPS) - Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two remaining polio-endemic countries, have joined forces to eradicate poliomyelitis by vaccinating their children in synchronised campaigns.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28 (IPS) - The health situation in Yemen has severely deteriorated and is critical, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28 (IPS) - The United Nations has begun negotiations for a new legally binding treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological resources in the world's oceans – nearly 64 percent of which lie beyond national jurisdiction.