News headlines in 2018, page 34

CARACAS, Sep 23 (IPS) - The murder of journalists and changing forms of censorship show that freedom of expression and information are still under siege in Latin America, particularly in the countries with the greatest social upheaval and political polarisation.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sep 21 (IPS) - Marjani F, 44, spent 8 years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital working as domestic help. "My husband was killed by the military after being accused of organizing a protest. I have four children and there was no way I could pay the bills staying there," she says.

NAIROBI, Sep 21 (IPS) - The world's most important meeting is underway in New York, providing yet another opportunity for world leaders to discuss a wide array of issues such as peace, security and sustainable development. And experts stress that the role of women in peace, security and sustainable development cannot be over-emphasised.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Sep 21 (IPS) - Nyalen Kuong and her daughters fled to safety after an attack on their village in South Sudan in which Kuong's husband and two sons where killed and the family's cattle lost. Kuong, her daughters and other families from their village fled to islands surrounded by swamp land. There, she had little to eat. And soon began suffering from diarrhoea, brought on by acute malnutrition.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sep 20 (IPS) - "Look at these tall, beautiful buildings. I have worked as a mason during the construction and was one of those who laid brick by brick," says Mohammed Akhtar* who has been working as mason for over a decade in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Akhtar has seen the evolution of Dubai's skyline over time. "It has been an overwhelming journey."  When asked what has changed in the last 10 years, Akhtar smiles and says the weather.

LONDON, Sep 20 (IPS) - Andrew Norton is director, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)The world's first efforts to develop a way to govern the high seas – international waters beyond the 200 nautical mile national boundary – is truly underway. The initial round of negotiations at the United Nations has just ended after two weeks of talks.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA, Sep 20 (IPS) - Achuar indigenous communities in Ecuador are turning to the sun to generate electricity for their homes and transport themselves in canoes with solar panels along the rivers of their territory in the Amazon rainforest, just one illustration of how indigenous people are seeking clean energies as a partner for sustainable development.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 (IPS) - This article is part of a series of stories on disability inclusion.When it was time for Joe Lupinacci to graduate from his high school in Stamford, Connecticut, he knew he wanted to go to college. While other students were deciding which college to apply to, the choice required more thought and research on Lupinacci and his parents' part. Lupinacci, who has Down Syndrome, needed a college that would meet his needs.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 (IPS) - The unpredictable Donald Trump, described by some as a human wrecking ball, will be walking down his own path of self-inflicted destruction when he visits the United Nations next week.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Sep 19 (IPS) - Kris Janssens is a Belgian reporter based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His goal is to tell extraordinary stories about ordinary people throughout Southeast Asia.The new Macau. That's what the Cambodian coastal city Sihanoukville is called nowadays. Chinese investors are building casinos there on a massive scale.

The southern port city lies on the new Silk Road (the so called 'One Belt, One Road') and is therefore interesting for China.

The Cambodian government is happy to accept the money. And Beijing never asks difficult questions.