News headlines in March 2019, page 9

MELBOURNE, Mar 11 (IPS) - Leyla Acaroglu is an Australian designer, sustainability innovator, and educator. She is the founder of two design agencies, Disrupt Design and Eco Innovators. Not too long ago, the term "zero waste" was just one of those boring policy directives or catchphrases thrown around by governments.

But in the last few years, ‘going zero waste' has taken on a new direction as a lifestyle trend of the insta-famous, who are helping to make zero waste a movement that anyone can get involved in.

BUENOS AIRES, Mar 11 (IPS) - "Look at this water. Would you drink it?" asks José Pablo Zubieta, as he shows a glass he has just filled from a faucet, where yellow and brown sediment float, in his home in Villa La Cava, a shantytown on the outskirts of Argentina's capital.

CASTRIES, Mar 11 (IPS) - Karlis Noel spends his days in his lab in the small, picturesque community of Laborie in St. Lucia. The former fisherman's story might sound like an overnight success, but his present accolades in the field of engineering are the result of years of hard work and an unceasing drive to make life easier for communities in the throes of a water crisis.

STOCKHOLM / ROME, Mar 11 (IPS) - After his first meeting with Kim Jong-un Donald Trump declared: "And then we fell in love, okay? No, really – he wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters." Maybe it was a joke, maybe not. At least Trump indicated that he and Kim Jong-un were friends. In his book De Amicitiawritten 44 BCE, Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote "A friend is, as it were, a second self." Are Trump and Kim Jong-un really friends? At least they seem to have many personal traits in common.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 11 (IPS) - The Middle East, one of the world's most politically-volatile and war-ravaged regions, has doubled its arms imports during the past five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

LAGOS, Nigeria, Mar 11 (IPS) - Nigeria is mourning along with the rest of the world after the downing of Ethiopian Airlines Flight, which claimed all of the 157 lives onboard. The fatalities included people from 35 countries, 19 United Nations officials and two Nigerians, one of whom was regarded as Africa's leading academic and labelled a genius by many. 

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 09 (IPS) - The international community must extend protections for Venezuelans in light of a growing humanitarian crisis with no end in sight.

Human Rights Watch has urged governments in the Americas to provide temporary protection to the millions of Venezuelans fleeing a severe humanitarian crisis.

LONDON, Mar 08 (IPS) - Solitaire Townsend is a sustainability expert and co-founder of the change agency Futerra.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a hero. While my friends dressed up as princesses, I wore a home-made Joan of Arc costume. Where others read romance novels, I read about fighting dragons. I didn't want to be a princess, I wanted to save them.

GEORGETOWN, Mar 08 (IPS) - For several decades, Guyana has been using mangroves to protect its coasts against natural hazards, and the country believes its mangrove forests should be included in programmes like the REDD+ of United Nations, in order to access financing to continue their restoration and maintenance, as they complement miles of seawalls that help to prevent flooding.

MADRID, Mar 08 (IPS) - Karessa Ramos is Social Media Data Analyst for BBVA Microfinance Foundation.

Imagine a world where women fully participate in society, and enjoy equal access to resources and opportunities. Most probably, the 2030 Agenda would be nearing its fulfillment and we would be closer to achieving the better planet we wish to build.