News headlines in February 2018, page 4

Palestine, Feb 16 (IPS) - As a video clip spread all over the world, so too did the name Ahed Tamimi. For Palestinians, she has become an icon of freedom. Arbetet Global met the father of the teenage girl that kicked and hit two Israeli soldiers.It is late morning. A clear blue sky. The quiet of the village is deceptive. Bassem Tamimi is the father of the teenage girl, Ahed Tamimi, who has become a symbol of Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 (IPS) - Sexual abuse allegations against Oxfam staff, and failings in the charity's response to them, delivered a body blow to an organisation renowned for years of humanitarian and development work. At the very least the accusations will leave a stain on the reputation of a charity that works in some of the toughest environments in the world, and has made a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable.

MANAGUA, Feb 15 (IPS) - Nicaragua's "closed-border" strategy, aimed at bolstering internal security, has been successful with regard to the fight against transnational crime. But its victims are migrants who are relentlessly blocked from passing through the country en route to their destination: the United States.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb 15 (IPS) - It may seem as if achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, and its target of ending all violence against children, depends mostly on action from governments and civil society. But we also need leadership from the business community to achieve a world where every child is free from violence, abuse, trafficking and torture.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 15 (IPS) - I first met Asma Jahangir, the champion of human rights in Pakistan, who died Sunday, as a teenager in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. In a friendship that spanned political upheavals and turbulent transitions in Pakistan and in Sri Lanka, to the War on Terror in the US, Asma remained my mentor and muse.

PHNOM PENH, Feb 15 (IPS) - Researchers recently evaluated 65 countries which represent 87 percent of internet users globally. Half of them experienced a decline of internet freedom. China, Syria and Ethiopia are the least free. Estonia, Iceland and Canada enjoy the most freedom online.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 15 (IPS) - Persistent and pervasive gender-based discrimination is undermining sustainable development and preventing communities and countries from reaching their full potential, said a UN agency.

WASHINGTON DC, Feb 14 (IPS) - An increasingly common justification for European development assistance to Africa is the notion that it will reduce migration from the South. While this sounds intuitive and makes for an appealing argument, the research shows that it is highly unlikely.

DURHAM, North Carolina, Feb 14 (IPS) - The world's wealthiest countries today promote development abroad in a way that is relatively new. For centuries, some of these countries colonized the developing world. As former colonies gained independence they were caught in the international power struggle of the Cold War, often led by dictators who found it in their interest to serve as pawns in great power proxy conflicts.

LUSAKA, Zambia, Feb 14 (IPS) - In the past, Lameck Sibukale only knew savings in the form of rearing chickens, goats and more importantly, cattle—a long cherished cultural heritage of the Tonga-speaking people of southern Zambia.