News headlines
Myanmar Looks Back in Fear and Anger after Military Coup
- Inter Press Service

YANGON, Myanmar, Feb 03 (IPS) - As night fell on Tuesday, the second day of the military coup in Myanmar, two familiar scenes were being played out on opposite sides of the world.
The Afghan Dilemma for the Biden/Harris Administration
- Inter Press Service

GENEVA, Feb 03 (IPS) - President Biden and his administration confront a very challenging situation within the United States and abroad. His predecessor, Mr. Trump, refused to accept the defeat or extend any cooperation to the incoming team.
Road to Hell Paved with Good Intentions
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb 03 (IPS) - Access to COVID-19 vaccines for many developing countries and most of their people will have to wait as the powerful and better off secure earlier access regardless of need or urgency. More profits, by manufacturing scarcity, will surely cause even more loss of both lives and livelihoods.
As Army Takes Over, Fear and Uncertainty Grip Myanmar Citizens
- Inter Press Service

HYDERABAD, Feb 02 (IPS) - Yangon resident Ni Ni Aye walked to her office yesterday morning. A couple of hours before, the army had staged a coup by seizing power and declaring a state of emergency in Myanmar. Ni Aye, an employee of one of Yangon’s largest technology firms, tried to call her colleagues and family, but phone services were down. So, she decided to walk to the office and see what was happening.
“There were no armoured vehicles or soldiers with heavy weapons, yet everything was extremely quiet. It was very confusing; nobody had a clue on what is really happening. Then we realised, the action is all happening in the capital,” Ni Aye told IPS.
A Counter-Narrative? Ruminations Around Holocaust Memorial Day
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Feb 02 (IPS) - For more than two decades, the mantra was “PVE” (preventing violent extremism) and/or “CVE” (countering violent extremism).
Millions of dollars were spent, new NGOs and think tanks emerged, government policy papers were drafted, countless books and articles were published, large and small scale initiatives developed - indeed almost an entire industry in development and foreign policy spaces thrived.
Caught in Tangled Web of Vaccine Nationalism
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb 02 (IPS) - “Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive”. Walter Scott’s lines, already over two centuries old, nicely sum up how pursuit of national advantage and private gain have undermined the public interest and the common good.
Sri Lankas Deteriorating Human Rights Situation Raises Multiple Alarms
- Inter Press Service

NEW DELHI, India, Feb 01 (IPS) - A decade has passed since the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war between the government and the LTTE, where at least 100,000 people were killed in the over three-decade long conflict. Families of victims of enforced disappearances continue to seek justice, the government is yet to end impunity and put accountability for crimes under international law and human rights violation and abuses in its transitional justice process.
Myanmar Coup Sends Chilling Message that Military wont Tolerate Dissent
- Inter Press Service

BONN, Germany, Feb 01 (IPS) - Responding to reports this morning that Myanmar’s military has sized control of government in a coup on the eve of the country’s opening session of its new parliament, rights group Amnesty International said it “sends a chilling message that the military authorities will not tolerate any dissent amid today’s unfolding events”.
A Grey Cloud Over Lebanon: Mental Health Burdens
- Inter Press Service

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb 01 (IPS) - Humankind is no stranger to the destabilizing events of 2020. The state of the global economy and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the headlines. In this ever escalating global crisis, Lebanon, has been facing what can only be described as unimaginable hardships. For the past year the country has seen challenges which have resulted in an utter state of hopelessness and rapid deterioration in mental health of many of its citizens.
UN Humanitarian Staff in Geneva Experience Anxiety, Job Insecurity & Fear of Tomorrow
- Inter Press Service

GENEVA, Feb 01 (IPS) - For the staff of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2021 is likely to be even more difficult than 2020, with job cuts, forced departures, transfers to Istanbul or The Hague, restructuring and too many rumours.
Global Issues