By Joyce Chimbi Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 11 2019 (IPS) – Every day 830 women die while giving life. At least 33,000 girls are forced into child marriage with 11,000 girls undergoing female genital mutilation. These are some of the cruel…
Category: Op-Ed
The question of ‘relevance’ in changing times
Sudhirendar Sharma If current happenings are any indication, universities are beset with the challenge of conforming to the political narrative that has swayed public opinion against the idea of freedom of inquiry.
How European Court of Justice can be social rights guardian
by Susanne Wixforth and Lukas Hochscheidt on 4th November 2019 The privileging of economic freedoms over social rights by the European Court of Justice could be reversed by a thorough harmonisation of European social law.
Is there a place for ethics in Smart Cities?
By Dr Jaspal Kaur Sadhu Singh It is difficult to win a debate on ethics when you are pitted against a crowd of tech-acolytes. I was taking the position that a more vital consideration in developing cities are ethical ones…
Int’l tax emergency: Critical time for poor nations to speak up!
by José Antonio Ocampo on 6th November 2019 An OECD proposal to reduce transnational tax evasion contains flaws which developing countries must challenge before it is set in stone.
Nudge is what push is not
In recent years, several countries have been drawn to nudges to makes progress on pressing social problems as these do not cost a great deal.
Air pollutants tinkering with Guwahati’s acidic rainwater
by Sahana Ghosh on 22 October 2019 • A study suggests that a cocktail of natural and man-made pollutants wafting in the air is tinkering with the rainwater quality in Guwahati, northeast India’s largest metropolis, in the state of Assam.
Govts launch 294 reforms to make doing business easier: WB
Regulation exists to protect workers, public safety, businesses, and investments. But inefficient or inadequate regulation can stifle entrepreneurial activity and business growth and impact the ease of doing business. It takes over 200 hours to complete export border requirements for…
‘One In, One Out’ is a danger to workers’ health and safety
by Per Hilmersson on 24th October 2019 The new European Commission’s ‘One In, One Out’ approach to ‘burdensome’ legislation would stymie progress towards safer, healthier workplaces.
The Saudi Oil Attack: Geo-Political Theatrics
By Hassanal Noor Rahshid The 14th September 2019 attack which had caused significant damage to Saudi based Aramco Oil plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, was the trigger for much of the recent rise in regional tension at least when it…
Fourth industrial rev and (unwarranted) pessimism over jobs
– Jayant Menon 23 September 2019 If the industrial revolution leads to greater efforts to reskill and reshape the workforce to better adapt to change, then this is exactly what is required, and there is no overdoing it.
European economic democracy: A path out of the crisis
by Lorena Lombardozzi and Neil Warner on 21st October 2019 @floretta_voice A genuinely social Europe must have economic democracy rather than rely only on market mechanisms.
How Europe has moved away from being a journalists’ sanctuary
By Ed Holt Rising populism, anti-media rhetoric from politicians, cyber-harassment of journalists and physical attacks are among the reasons why press freedom in Europe is on the decline, according to the global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Counter Kremlin: USAID’s strategy in the name of democracy
By Countercurrents Collective An intergovernmental coalition about a new U.S. initiative planned to counter Russia in Europe hosted a presentation on September 12, 2019, in Warsaw.
Not really convenient, and yet
Sudhirendar Sharma Trains are rolling libraries of information provided one is willing to relinquish home comforts; is ready for the unexpected; and is alive to searching the unknown.
Holding transnational corporations accountable for HR abuses
By Shayda Naficy and Ebuata Pholip Jakpor Geneva / Lagos, Oct 16 2019 (IPS) – In Geneva this week, a treaty process is underway that promises to usher in a new era for human rights around the globe. The process—the…
Brexit reveals Jeremy Corbyn to be the true moderate
By Jonathan Cook If there is an upside to Brexit, it is this: it has made it increasingly hard to present Jeremy Corbyn, contrary to everything the corporate media has been telling us for the past four years, as anything…
14 women changing food around the world
Danielle Nierenberg Good morning from Lake Nona, Florida! Today is World Food Day, a day to celebrate the world’s farmers and focus attention on hunger, nutrition, poverty, and how to change food and agriculture. This year’s theme is “Our Actions…
World Food Day 2019 – “Our actions are our future”
By IPS World Desk Rome, Oct 14 2019 (IPS) – Globalization and urbanization have had a staggering impact on human history, especially over the last decade.
For some in Kashmir marriage equates to sexual slavery
By Umar Manzoor Shah Srinagar, Oct 11 2019 (IPS) – Haseena Akhtar was only 13 when an agent told her parents that they could earn a good amount of money by letting her marry a Kashmiri man. The man was,…
Meeting you’ve never heard of — & challenge on inequality
By Ben Phillips Mexico City, Oct 9 2019 (IPS) – Last month 195 world leaders once again met in New York for big speeches and grand events. But on inequality, when all is said and done, more has been said…
Clean Air Protocol for human health, Planet, put into force
UN, Oct 2019 (IPS) – European and North American countries have taken a major stride in cleaning up the atmosphere Monday, 7 October, through the implementation of an amended legally binding treaty to limit the amount of emissions polluting the…
Letter to Julian Assange from NoWar2019
By World BEYOND War, October 8, 2019 Letter to Julian Assange from NoWar2019 The fourth annual conference of World BEYOND War, which was held on October 4th and 5th in Limerick, Ireland, produced this letter, which is being delivered to…
Rosatom Chief for maximizing nuclear technology for SDGs
Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation-ROSATOM emphasized on maximum harnessing the potential of nuclear technologies in order to implement the decisions of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieve sustainable development goals. He was addressing…
Can cities save the world?
By Ramesh Bhushal By 2050 two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, and that infrastructure could be the key to managing the climate crisis, if we act now.
The rise of phantom investments
By Jannick Damgaard, Thomas Elkjaer and Niels Johannesen Washington DC, Oct 3 2019 (IPS) – According to official statistics, Luxembourg, a country of 600,000 people, hosts as much foreign direct investment (FDI) as the United States and much more than…
U.S. and Australia — joined at the hip
By John Menadue Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wants us to join with the U.S. in tackling the problems which Donald Trump created with Iran and presumably to soften us up to host missiles to protect the U.S. marines and…
Barbados PM warns of mass migration for climate crisis
By Desmond Brown UN, Oct 1 2019 (IPS) – The Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley tells IPS her patience is running thin, as she challenges the world to tackle the climate crisis.
Common ground
by Hans Dembowski In politics, there are two different ways to refer to religion. One is to pretend to be exerting God’s will; the other is to spell out the ethics of one’s faith.
Global Green New Deal needed to deliver on 2030 Agenda
Geneva, Sep (Kanaga Raja) – A Global Green New Deal is needed to reverse the polarization of income within and across countries, create a stable financial system that serves the productive economy, mitigate the threats and seize the opportunities associated…