Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Malawi’s COVID-19 Cash Transfer Almost Ready But Election Fever may Prevent Lockdown Lameck Masina Malawi remains one of the few nations in the world that has not gone into a coronavirus lockdown as the government rushes to meet the conditions of a court order to implement a cash transfer scheme for the poor before doing so. But as some parts of the world are slowing coming out of their ... MORE > >

Unsung Heroines: Who Cares for the Carers? Jomo Kwame Sundaram Even before Covid-19, the world was facing a care crisis. The plight of often neglected, under-appreciated, under-protected and poorly equipped ‘frontline’ health personnel working to contain the pandemic has drawn attention to the tip of the care crisis iceberg. Rising care work ... MORE > >

Solar Power Fills Gaps in Underserviced Rural Argentina Daniel Gutman Rice farmers in the Argentine province of Entre Rios often look like mechanics. "They're always full of grease, because they haul diesel fuel around all the time, for their water pumps," says local farmer Arturo Deymonnaz. He, however, doesn't have that problem, because he uses solar energy to grow ... MORE > >

World Protests Show Rising Outrage and Mounting Discontent Isabel Ortiz, Sara Burke and Hernan Cortes Saenz After a period of forced silence because of the Covid-19 quarantines, citizens around the world are defying coronavirus restrictions and claiming the streets to fight for real democracy, jobs, living wages, public services, human rights and against corruption, inequality and injustice. We predict ... MORE > >

The Sahel - 'in Every Sense of the Word a Crisis' Samira Sadeque The combination of rife insecurity, food insecurity and more than 7.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance has left the Sahel a region in crisis, with the global coronavirus pandemic expected to exacerbate the situation. In a briefing released today, Jun. 10, Amnesty International ... MORE > >

UN Chiefs Silenced by Big Powers with Vetoes Thalif Deen The massive protests in more than 120 US cities over racial injustice and police brutality went global last week-- amidst presidential threats of military force on demonstrators in Washington DC. At the same time, there were continued political demonstrations against the imposition of ... MORE > >

We Need to Slow down and Reconnect with Our Ocean for the Future of the Planet Stuart Minchin COVID19 has brought the world to a halt. The devastating impact of the global pandemic on people’s lives and the world’s economy is a jarring and historic turning point for all of us but it is also an opportunity to re-think many of our practices. As we mark World Oceans Day, the current ... MORE > >

COVID 19 - Conspiracy or Apocalypse? - Part II Daud Khan and Leila Yasmine Khan As the COVID-19 virus spread rapidly around the globe, so did various theories about what caused the pandemic. According to the standard scientific theory, the virus originated in bats; crossed over to humans, probably via another intermediate host; and then spread rapidly across the ... MORE > >

Zimbabwe and US Diplomacy - this Time the Fight is About George Floyd Ignatius Banda “As tall as he is, if he continues to do that I will kick him out of the country,” thundered Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe in 2008, his anger aimed at the then United States ambassador James McGee after the diplomat questioned the results of Zimbabwe’s 2008 general elections. It ... MORE > >

Press Freedom Under COVID-19 Lockdown in Asia Samira Sadeque Governments have made the media “a scapegoat” across Asia, targeting journalists who are simply reporting on the failures or shortcomings of their leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, press freedom experts have warned. “Governments have said that the real emergency caused by the pandemic ... MORE > >

Philippines' Senior Citizens Vulnerabilities Increase Because of COVID-19 Lockdown Stella Paul In the Philippines, May has long been a month of joy when farmers harvest their rice crop and celebrate the Pahiyas harvest festival. But this year, the mood was somber. The food production and supply system also affected, thanks to the coronavirus lockdown, and the economy frozen. As a result, ... MORE > >

COVID-19: Reset Food Systems Now for a Better Future Cecilia Russell The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inherent fragility of food systems, Marta Antonelli told an international video conference organised by the Barilla Center for Food Nutrition (BCFN). However, she said, it also offered an opportunity to reset the way food is produced, distributed and ... MORE > >