Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Attacks on Media in the Balkans Sound Alarm Bells for Democracy Susan Wilding Anti-government protesters invading Serbia’s state-owned television station, demanding that their voices be heard. Journalism bodies writing to the Albanian prime minister over plans to censor online media outlets. A Belgrade corruption-busting reporter forced to flee his house that had been ... MORE > >

Smears, Laws, Lack of Cooperation: Tools Against Activists A. D. McKenzie The murder of Brazilian politician and human rights activist Marielle Franco just over a year ago and attacks on other rights activists around the world have galvanised civil society organisations, with the United Nations heightening its own strategy to protect rights defenders. However, some ... MORE > >

Staying Cool is Creating a Vicious Cycle on our Warming Planet Joyce Msuya Our planet is heating up. 2018 was the fourth-warmest year on record, with peak temperatures engulfing the planet – from 43°C in Baku, Azerbaijan, to the low 30s across Scandinavia. The last four years have been the hottest since records began in 1880. It is no surprise, then, that demand for ... MORE > >

Civil Society, Once the “World’s New Superpower,” is Battling Against Heavy Odds Thalif Deen A former UN Secretary-General, the late Kofi Annan, once described civil society organizations (CSOs), as “the world’s new superpower” – perhaps ranking behind the US and the former Soviet Union. But that political glory has continued to diminish over the years-- and more so -- against the ... MORE > >

Migrant Farm Workers, the Main Victims of Slave Labour in Mexico Emilio Godoy "They mislead the workers, tell them that they will be paid well and pay them much less. The recruiters and the employers deceive them," complained Marilyn Gómez, a migrant farm worker in Mexico. Gómez, a member of the Mixteco Yosonuvico of Sonora Cerró Nublado cooperative and the mother of two ... MORE > >

Finding a Way to Food Sustainability James Jeffrey There’s much to think about regarding food this month. April is Reducing Food Waste Month in the United States, as efforts mount here to reduce food loss and waste, while globally Sunday Apr. 7 was World Heath Day. In dustbins across America, food is the single largest type of daily waste. More ... MORE > >

World Bank Financialization Strategy Serves Big Finance Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury The World Bank has successfully built a coalition to effectively advance its ‘Maximizing Finance for Development’ (MFD) agenda. The October 2018 G20 Eminent Persons Group’s (EPG) report includes proposals to better coordinate various international financial institutions (IFIs) in promoting ... MORE > >

Q&A: 607 Island Atolls Means it's Hard to Distribute Leprosy Healthcare to All Micronesians Stella Paul During his 22-year career in the health sector, Marcus Samo has seen the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) suffer from an increased burden of disease while at the same time the resources to address them have either remained the same or decreased. Samo is the Assistant Secretary in the ... MORE > >

Missing Data & Inefficient Drug Distribution Tops List of Micronesia’s Leprosy Challenges Stella Paul It’s a good day for Dexter, a 25-year-old fisherman from Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. He’s just been told that he is cured of leprosy. “I have been sitting at home for nearly a year now,” Dexter, who doesn’t want to reveal his last name, tells IPS. “But now I can finally return ... MORE > >

NGOs Blast US for Undermining Criminal Court Thalif Deen As it paves a destructive path against international institutions and multilateralism, the Trump administration is slowly but steadily undermining the United Nations and its affiliated agencies. The US has already withdrawn both from the Human Rights Council in Geneva and the UN Educational, ... MORE > >

Civil Society Leaders Meet Amid Protests, Attacks on Rights A. D. McKenzie Amid rising attacks on rights campaigners, and mass protests in countries such as France and Serbia, civil society groups are urging governments to ensure the protection of “democratic values” and freedom of expression. In Belgrade, some 850 human rights campaigners, civil society leaders ... MORE > >

Safeguarding The Health of People and Planet Through Food Tharanga Yakupitiyage Food sustainability, both in production and consumption, is at the heart of a healthy public and planet. On World Health Day, it is increasingly clear that a radical transformation of the global food system is sorely needed. “In recent years we have witnessed a gradual departure from ... MORE > >

The Amazon Seeks Alternatives that Could Revolutionise Energy Production Mario Osava A large steel wheel, 14 meters in diameter and 1.3 meters wide, could be the energy solution of the near future, generating 3.5 megawatts - enough to supply a city of 30,000 people, according to a company in the capital city of the state of Amazonas in northwest Brazil. An internal fluid, which ... MORE > >

As Marshall Islands Integrates Healthcare Services, Experts Offer a Word of Caution Stella Paul In Jack Niedenthal’s office in Majuro, there is an ominous reminder of the dark history of the Marshall Islands—once the site for dozens of nuclear tests conducted by the United States between 1946 and 1962. But it also provides a strong message about the future of island nation. “Given what the ... MORE > >

All What Your Jeans Can (and Do) Hide! Baher Kamal Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo… These are just some of the world’s most prestigious fashion catwalks. There, and elsewhere, perfectly – and often unrealistically – silhouetted young women and men graciously parade to impress elite guests and TV watchers with surprising, fabulous creativity of the ... MORE > >

Is Republic of China Still a Permanent Member of the Security Council – Despite its Ouster in 1971? Thalif Deen The Republic of China (Taiwan) withdrew from the United Nations in protest when it was ousted from its highly-prized permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC) about 48 years ago. But according to the UN charter, it still remains one of the five permanent members of the most powerful ... MORE > >