News headlines in 2018, page 49

San Jose, Jul 25 (IPS) - La Carpio is an island of poverty on the outskirts of Costa Rica's capital, surrounded by the country's most polluted waters – the Torres River - on one side and a massive garbage dump on the other.

Jul 24 (IPS) - The conflict in Nicaragua is spiraling out of control. International political action is urgently needed to prevent further escalation, argues Hivos Director Edwin Huizing. And the Netherlands must take the lead.

Just 40 years after Daniel Ortega led the Sandinistas to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, a severe crisis grips Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans want nothing more than to see Ortega, who has been in office for eleven years, disappear from the political scene. Hivos, headquartered in The Hague, believes the Netherlands should use its membership in the UN Security Council to prevent a civil war and bring about a peaceful transition.

PENANG, Malaysia, Jul 24 (IPS) - Martin Khor is Advisor to the Third World Network, and a former Executive Director of the South Centre.

The escalating trade war initiated by United States President Donald Trump is a major threat to world trade and the global economy. The developing countries will be among those most affected. It is time for them to respond and speak out.

LONDON, Jul 24 (IPS) - Tom Maguire is the Communications Manager at RESULTS UK.

A group of teenage boys huddle around Michelle in the mangroves behind Joyce Bay, a spot frequented by men who have sex with men (MSM) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 (IPS) - Significantly more investment is needed to lift hundreds of millions rural poor out of poverty and make agriculture environmentally sustainable, according to Rob Vos, director of the markets, trade and institutions division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 (IPS) - Izumi Nakamitsu is UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs & Jean-Pierre Lacroix is UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

From children living in fear of cattle rustlers in South Sudan to families fleeing violent armed groups in the Central African Republic, trafficked small arms are devastating livelihoods and displacing communities.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 (IPS) - The Group of 77 (G77) -- the largest single coalition of developing countries at the United Nations-- is to be chaired by Palestine, come January.

"It's a historical first, both for Palestine and the G77," an Asian diplomat told IPS, pointing out that Palestine will be politically empowered to collectively represent 134 UN member states, including China.

ST GEORGE'S, Jul 23 (IPS) - In 2004, when the Category 4 hurricane Ivan hit the tiny island nation of Grenada and its 151 mph winds stalled overhead for 15 hours–it devastated the country. But not before pummelling Barbados and other islands, killing at least 15 people.

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 23 (IPS) - How should cities address the problem of waste? The most important thing is to set a clear objective: that the day will come when nothing will be sent to final disposal or incineration, says an international expert on the subject, retired British professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology Paul Connett, author of the book "The Zero Waste Solution."

ISLAMABAD, Jul 20 (IPS) - Flight Lieutenant Quratulain Fatima is a policy practitioner working extensively in rural and conflict-ridden areas of Pakistan with a focus on gender inclusive development and conflict prevention. She is a 2018 Aspen New Voices Fellow.

Last week, 200 people were injured and 131 died in a suicide bombing in Mastung, Baluchistan. This attack was second most deadly since the 2014 Army Public School Attack in Peshawar, KhyberPukhtunkwah, which killed 144 people. This recent attack was one of three in 72 hours related to the country's upcoming elections on July 25.