News stories by Jomo Kwame Sundaram, page 25

BERLIN and KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 04 (IPS) - The world economic contraction so far this year is largely due to measures, especially at the national or local level, to contain or prevent Covid-19 contagion, particularly those restricting business operations, thus reducing economic activity, output, incomes and spending.

KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, Jun 02 (IPS) - Indonesia's founding President Sukarno delivered his annual Independence or National Day address on 17 August 1964 anticipating the forthcoming year as Tahun vivere pericoloso, the ‘year of living dangerously'. 2020 may well be the world's turn, and not only due to the obvious Covid-19 threat to the world.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (IPS) - With well over five million Covid-19 infections worldwide, and deaths exceeding 340,000, the race for an effective vaccine has accelerated since the SARS-Cov-2 virus was first identified as the culprit.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 19 (IPS) - Economic growth is supposed to be the tide that lifts all boats. According to the conventional wisdom until recently, growth in China, India and East Asian countries took off thanks to opening up to international trade and investment.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (IPS) - Although Wuhan local authorities undoubtedly ostracized local medical whistle-blowers, notably Dr Li Wenliang, who suspected a new virus was responsible for flu-like infections in Wuhan in late 2019, official responses were apparently not delayed, and possibly even expedited, as the novel character of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for Covid-19 infections, was not immediately self-evident.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 05 (IPS) - Like much of the West, Argentina did not take many early precautionary actions after the Covid-19 epidemic was confirmed in January, but became the first Latin American country to act decisively with a 12 March public health emergency declaration.

The presidential decree came a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, just over a week after the first case was detected in the republic on 3 March.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 28 (IPS) - The Covid-19 pandemic is now widely considered more threatening than any other recent viral epidemic. Most believe that many more have been infected or even died than officially confirmed.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 27 (IPS) - Thandika Mkandawire (1940-2020) had a wicked sense of humour. But he was so considerate that he often made himself the butt of his jokes which typically had a moral. When others struggled to pronounce his surname, he would help them out, "Me kinda weary".

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 21 (IPS) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro appointed medical entrepreneur Nelson Teich his new health minister on 17 April. The businessman quickly echoed his boss' desire to resume business as usual regardless of its potentially lethal consequences.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 14 (IPS) - Vietnam, just south of coastal China, is the 15th most populous country in the world with 97 million people.According to its Ministry of Health (MoH), as of 13 April, there were 262 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 144 recovering or discharged from hospitals, and no deaths.