News stories by James Reinl
George Floyd: US' Week of Broken Glass and Broken Dreams
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Jun 04 (IPS) - The United States has been a story of broken dreams and broken glass this past week.
Once again, an unarmed black man died at the hands of a white police officer, with George Floyd being pinned to the ground under a lawman's knee in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as stunned passersby made cell-phone videos of the incident to post on social media.
UN Warns of ‘Screen Teens’ not Getting Enough Exercise
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 27 (IPS) - It is a common complaint of parents globally that their children and teenagers spend far too many hours sprawled on couches playing video games, sharing selfies with online friends and giggling over TikTok videos.
Saudi UNESCO Win Riles Khashoggi Standard-Bearers
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 22 (IPS) - Human rights campaigners have reacted angrily to the election of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO's top board, highlighting the kingdom's ongoing crackdowns on political freedoms and critics.
As Donors Ramp up Polio Funding, Worries of Comeback Persist
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 20 (IPS) - Efforts to wipe polio off the face of the planet took a step forward this week, with a multibillion-dollar fundraiser in the Middle East helping eradication schemes tackle a virus that disproportionately kills and cripples children in poor countries.
World’s Sewage Workers ‘Underpaid, Sidelined and Risking their Lives’
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 15 (IPS) - People who empty out sewage tanks and scrub down latrines doubtless perform a vital, thankless and even undesirable task. A new report, however, shows that doing such jobs could also cost workers their lives.
Campaign Targets UNESCO’s Tie-up with ‘Saudi Spies’
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (IPS) - The United Nations faces renewed criticism over its partnership with Saudi Arabia's Misk Foundation amid revelations that the charity is headed by the mastermind of a recent Twitter spying operation.
UN Agency for Palestinians in Crisis as Chief Quits
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 07 (IPS) - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees was in "crisis mode" on Wednesday after director Pierre Krahenbuhl resigned amid a misconduct probe over whether he fast-tracked his girlfriend into a top aid job, analysts said.
Online Trolls, Bots, Snoopers Imperil Democracy: Report
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 05 (IPS) - Using armies of online fans, trolls and, automated ‘bots', the world's authoritarians and populists are increasingly using the web to drown out opponents and swing public opinion and elections their way, a new study says.
Insurance Scheme Offers Hope for Drought-stricken African Farmers
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24 (IPS) - A partnership between United Nations and African Union (AU) agencies will help African economies insure themselves against the droughts and other extreme weather events that plague the continent, organisers say.
Europe Should Rethink Assumptions about African Migrants: UN
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 22 (IPS) - Sub-Saharan African migrants who risk perilous sea crossings to Europe are often assumed to be illiterate, jobless chancers in desperate bids to flee stagnation and rampant corruption in their home countries. But a survey of some 2,000 irregular African migrants in Europe found them to be more educated than expected, while many of them were leaving behind jobs back home that paid better-than-average wages.

