Global Issues News Headlines for “Third World Debt Undermines Development”

Q&A: U.S. Women's Commissions Under the Budget Axe

2012-02-10T08:34:00-08:00

State and local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) are facing shrinking budgets and even total elimination at a time when women are some of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, says Susan Rose, vice chair of Human Rights Watch's Santa Barbara Committee.

Mauritania: Ravaged by Drought - the Number of Malnourished Children Rises

2012-02-10T07:27:00-08:00

Mariem Mint Ahmedou sits cross-legged on a worn-out carpet in a basic tent built with mud bricks and layers of sewn-together fabric. Her eight-month-old twins, Hussein and Hassan, lie weakly against her body. Both of them have been malnourished since birth, because Beydar, undernourished herself, cannot produce enough breast milk to feed them.

Mali: Fifty Thousand Flee as Political Parties Call for Dialogue

2012-02-10T05:43:00-08:00

Mali's political parties have jointly called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation as a way to end a Tuareg rebellion launched several weeks ago. The uprising has forced around 55,000 people out of their homes, the majority fleeing the fighting in the north of the country, but others are seeking shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in cities in the south.

India: Community Radio Saves Lives and Livelihoods

2012-02-09T23:21:00-08:00

Fisher Wanka Masani, 25, has been inseparable from his two-dollar transistor ever since a community radio (CR) station started up in this coastal town. The square black box blares popular songs while Masani waits for his brothers to land the daily catch.

Caribbean Divided On Malvinas/falkland Blockade:

2012-02-09T12:34:00-08:00

Thirty years after England and Argentina went to war over ownership of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, tensions have again been rising. Unlike the 1982 conflict, however, this time the main bone of contention is oil, local legislators claim.

Russian, Chinese Arms Fuel Conflict In Sudan, Says Amnesty:

2012-02-09T11:56:00-08:00

Russia and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council described as key arms suppliers to the embattled regime in Syria, are now accused of supplying weapons and fuelling an ongoing conflict in another military hotspot: Sudan.

Books: In the Shadow World, Only Blood, Gold and Gunpowder

2012-02-09T07:13:00-08:00

They called themselves the 'cut hands commandos' because they lopped off their victims' hands with machetes; the 'burn house unit', for the thousands of families who were locked into their homes and roasted alive; the 'born naked squad', in reference to the hapless hundreds who were stripped naked and raped before being bludgeoned or burned to death.

Malawi: Cholera in a Time of Floods

2012-02-09T03:02:00-08:00

They survived floods and witnessed the horrific scenes of their houses, livestock, household items and gardens being swept away at the end of January. Now, the people of the Nsanje and Chikhwawa districts on Malawi’s southern border with Mozambique are facing another menace; a cholera outbreak, which has already killed one child and infected up to 103 people.

Philippines: LGBT Radio Switches to Podcasting

2012-02-08T22:11:00-08:00

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues have generally been ignored in the Philippines, or worse, negatively portrayed to spice up mainstream media programmes.

Native Peruvians See Loopholes In Prior Consultation Law:

2012-02-08T19:52:00-08:00

Indigenous communities in Peru have a long list of comments and objections to the proposed regulations for the law governing prior consultation on initiatives affecting their territories.