Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Human Trafficking - It Came Disguised as the Opportunity of a Lifetime Miriam Gathigah Six years ago Mary Njambi* received news of a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity far away from her poverty-stricken village situated in the heart of Kiambu County, Central Kenya. She was 20 years old, a single mother and out of work. “My best friend told me that rich families in Saudia (Saudi ... MORE > >

Wall Street can Free the World’s 40 Million Modern-Day Slaves James Reinl Financiers in Wall Street, the City of London and other banking centres should play a bigger role in freeing the millions of people who endure slave-like working conditions globally, according to a new study. A group of experts known as the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human ... MORE > >

Combining Biogas and Solar, the Best Energy Deal in Brazil Mario Osava "Biogas is the best energy, it has no contraindications," and if you combine it with solar it becomes "the best energy business," at least in Brazil, says Anélio Thomazzoni. His enthusiasm is not merely rhetorical. He raises about 38,000 pigs on his property, Gavea Farm, and uses their manure to ... MORE > >

Barbados Prime Minister Warns of Mass Migration Backlash Because of Climate Crisis Desmond Brown The Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley tells IPS her patience is running thin, as she challenges the world to tackle the climate crisis. She warned of a backlash of mass migration to the world’s richest and biggest polluters, saying an influx of climate refugees can be expected in coming years ... MORE > >

Countercyclical Fiscal Policy Needed to Counter Global Economic Downturn Jomo Kwame Sundaram A conjuncture of developments, short- and medium-term, have conspired to further slow the world economy. In recent months, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), among others, has acknowledged that global economic prospects are worsening, forcing it to make not one, but at least five consecutive ... MORE > >

Caribbean Adopts Remote Sensing to Prepare for Hurricanes Jewel Fraser The Caribbean is currently deploying a new technology to help it build resilience to natural disasters. Known as LIDAR, the acronym for light detection and ranging, the technology is being used to gather data that will help regional governments better predict the impacts of climate-related events ... MORE > >

Watchdog Pushes U.S. to Publish ‘Duty to Warn’ Khashoggi Files James Reinl A media watchdog has asked United States intelligence agencies to reveal whether they knew about an assassination plot against Jamal Khashoggi and failed to warn the Saudi journalist he was in mortal danger. A legal brief, filed in a Washington DC district court by the Committee to Protect ... MORE > >

Right-Wing Politicians Fear “Invasion” of Europe & US by Migrants and Refugees Thalif Deen The United Nations commemorated its annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) on September 29 ---- this time amidst rising anti-immigrant rhetoric and widespread xenophobia. The right-wing populist attacks have come mostly from politicians and political leaders primarily in Europe, the ... MORE > >

Q&A: How Vietnam went from Zero to Hero in Developing Solar Projects and What Other Countries Can Do for Climate Change Samira Sadeque A week ago, downtown New York witnessed one of the most historic moments in the climate action moment — hundreds of thousands of people attended the Climate Strike, where teen activists delivered powerful speeches and blows to world leaders for not taking climate change seriously. Dr. Frank ... MORE > >

Q&A: A New Model for Independent Journalism in Slovakia Ed Holt In 2014, worried about editorial independence after local businessmen bought a substantial stake in the major Slovak daily newspaper they worked at, a small group of journalists left in protest and set up their own paper run solely by the journalists themselves to ensure impartiality. Written ... MORE > >

Investments to Cushion African Countries against Climate Shocks Not Enough James Reinl African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina unveiled millions of dollars of new pledges at the United Nations this week amid growing fears of climate change ravaging the continent and derailing anti-poverty targets. At a gathering of world leaders in New York, Adesina disclosed ... MORE > >

Finance Global Green New Deal for Sustainable Development Jomo Kwame Sundaram The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can only be achieved by 2030 with the political will to change international economic rules and mobilize resources needed for a massive public sector-led investment push to reinvigorate world economic progress sustainably, says UNCTAD’s ... MORE > >

A Rising Youth Movement Picks Up Where Governments Have Failed Thalif Deen When the Youth Climate Summit concluded last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres predicted that if governments still lack the political will to make peace with nature, “there is huge hope in what the youth is doing all over the world". “And the youth is clearly telling my generation that we ... MORE > >