News headlines in April 2018, page 5

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 19 (IPS) - Busani Bafana is a writer at Africa Renewal* A new wave is sweeping across Africa. Elections on the continent are increasingly yielding younger leadership than ever before. From presidents to ministers and governors, senators to members of parliament, Africa's young people are demanding a seat at the political table.

BRIDGETOWN, Apr 19 (IPS) - At the start of 2017, the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPN) warned eastern Caribbean countries that they were facing "abnormal climate conditions" and possibly another full-blown drought. 



UNITED NATIONS, Apr 18 (IPS) - With upcoming elections in May, the Iraqi government is urging Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to return home. After the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, an increase in security and number of returnees to their region of origin is expected; however, many IDPs see no way to leave the camps just yet.

WASHINGTON DC, Apr 18 (IPS) - Masood Ahmed is President of the Center for Global Development*When the world's finance ministers and central bank governors assemble in Washington later this month for their semi-annual IMF meeting, they will no doubt set aside time for yet another discussion of the lingering debt problems in the Eurozone or how impaired bank debt could impact financial stability in China.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 18 (IPS) - Miroslav Lajčák, is President of the UN General Assembly First, I want to talk about how we got here. It was nearly 100 years ago, when indigenous peoples first asserted their rights, on the international stage. But, they did not see much progress. At least until 1982 - when the first Working Group on Indigenous Populations was established.

INONGO, Democratic Republic of Congo, Apr 17 (IPS) - Thousands of logs loaded into makeshift boats at the port of Inongo at Lake Mai-Ndombe stand ready to be transported to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

PARIS, Apr 17 (IPS) - UNESCO Courier*"I was so angry, I felt like I wanted to blow up the whole world, but I didn't. I decided I wouldn't be pushed to become evil. I would choose peace."Dalia Al-Najjar has crammed a great deal into her short life. At 22, the Palestinian refugee has already lived through three wars and has spent every spare moment between siege and ceasefire studying, volunteering, working, blogging, on the daily struggle to live in Gaza – and planning how to change the future.

NAPIER, New Zealand, Apr 17 (IPS) - This article is part of a series of stories and op-eds launched by IPS on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.Rarely has the press been as powerful as it is today. Thanks to the advent of social media, the use of which has grown exponentially, the combination of the formal press, newspapers, television and radio is now strengthened, and itself even kept in check by social media. Jo and Joanne citizen have found a voice, not infrequently with the power of a political and social tsunami.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 17 (IPS) - Africa Renewal*At the dawn of independence, incoming African leaders were quick to prioritize education on their development agendas. Attaining universal primary education, they maintained, would help post-independence Africa lift itself out of abject poverty.

Apr 16 (IPS) - In less than 12 months, the United Kingdom will leave the EU. One of the hardest issues to solve is how to handle the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Border shop employees are particularly worried about what's going to happen with their jobs.In a bus sits a man wearing a chequered shirt and cap. His age is difficult to determine. He could be 45, 55 or 65 years old; life treats us so differently.