News headlines in 2019, page 14

OTTAWA, Canada, Nov 15 (IPS) - On November 6, Los Angeles became the first major city in the United States to earn the designation of "Blue Community" – a bold move that will keep water protected from privatization.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 (IPS) - We need to empower young people to sustain our planet, and let peace and prosperity thrive says UN's Resident Co-ordinator in Kenya, Siddharth Chatterjee speaks to IPS on reflections on the ICPD25 Summit.

The Nairobi Summit is about the Future of Humanity and Human Prosperity.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 15 (IPS) - People who empty out sewage tanks and scrub down latrines doubtless perform a vital, thankless and even undesirable task. A new report, however, shows that doing such jobs could also cost workers their lives.

ROME, Nov 14 (IPS) - Pulses are highly nutritious and their consumption is associated with many health benefits. They are rich in proteins and minerals, high in fibre and have a low fat content. Pulses are produced by plants of the Leguminosae family.

These plants have root nodules that absorb inert nitrogen from soil air and convert it into biologically useful ammonia, a process referred to as biological nitrogen fixation.

Consequently, the pulse crops do not need any additional nitrogen as fertilizer and help reduce the requirement of fossil fuel-based chemical nitrogen fertilization for other crops.

Expansion of pulse production, therefore, can play a vital role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 14 (IPS) - While women find it hard to talk about their painful experiences, some have found a way of expressing themselves through art. Women, trained as artists, from Nairobi's informal settlements Kibera and Kangemi, have produced a beautiful quilt that tells stories about their daily challenges.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (IPS) - When UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a global appeal for "zero hunger" on World Food Day last month, he provided some grim statistics rich in irony: more than 820 million people do not have enough to eat, he said, while two billion people are overweight or obese.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 14 (IPS) - Every day in developing countries it is estimated that 20,000 girls under the age of 18 give birth. This amounts to 7.3 million births a year.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (IPS) - Next year the United Nations will commemorate its 75th anniversary. The General Assembly determined that all the UN's activities in 2020 shall be guided by the theme "The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism".

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (IPS) - The United Nations faces renewed criticism over its partnership with Saudi Arabia's Misk Foundation amid revelations that the charity is headed by the mastermind of a recent Twitter spying operation.

EL CÓNDOR, Argentina, Nov 14 (IPS) - In Argentina's Puna region, at 4,000 metres above sea level, the color green is rare in the arid landscape, which is dominated by different shades of brown and yellow. In this inhospitable environment, daily life has improved thanks to a system of piping water downhill from rock glaciers to local communities.