News headlines in June 2017

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jun 30 (IPS) - The tourism industry is the key economic driver and largest provider of jobs in the Caribbean after the public sector. Caribbean tourism broke new ground in 2016, surpassing 29 million arrivals for the first time and once again growing faster than the global average.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (IPS) - The benefits of ending child marriage are many—boosting a young girl's morale and increasing her chances of education and work, and by that virtue, curbing high population rates in developing economies and boosting growth.

ROME/TOKYO, Jun 29 (IPS) - Why and how should the media report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an engaging way? Can the SDGs deliver global development? And what are the role and challenges of business leadership in advancing these goals?

KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 29 (IPS) - The World Bank and other influential international financial institutions and development agencies have been touting Southeast Asian (SEA) newly industrializing countries as models for emulation, especially by African developing countries seeking to accelerate their development transformations. But these recommendations are usually based on misleading analysis of their rapid growth and structural transformation.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 29 (IPS) - Five months into her stint as United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley faced two days of often-sharp questioning on June 27 and 28 by influential panels of the United States Congress. They demanded justification for the Trump administration's decision to slash funding to the United Nations, particularly cuts to the UN Population Fund, Unicef, UN Women and the World Food Program.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 29 (IPS) - As US-backed Syrian rebels plow ahead in the fight to take back Raqqa from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria, the stake of civilian lives, who number as many as 100,000 in the city, has raised concerns among top UN officials.

PEMBA, Zambia, Jun 29 (IPS) - Frequent extreme weather and climate shifts pose a challenge to already vulnerable groups such as smallholder farmers in the developing world. Between 2004 and 2014, farmers are said to have endured the brunt of the 100-billion-dollar cost of climate-related disasters.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 29 (IPS) - Millions lack access to quality education around the world—but how can the international community change this?

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 28 (IPS) - When Saudi Arabia – which has been spearheading a coalition of Arab states in a devastating war against Yemen since 2015 – was accused of bombing civilians, and particularly children caught up in the conflict, the government in Riyadh threatened to cut off humanitarian funding to the world body.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 28 (IPS) - Investing in the health of the poorest communities saves almost twice as many lives, according to a UN agency's analysis.