News headlines for “Natural Disasters”, page 169
What Indonesias Local Elections Mean for National Politics
- Inter Press Service

JAKARTA, Dec 08 (IPS) - In just over a day, on 9 December, Indonesia holds 270 simultaneous local elections for executive office. This involves nine of the republic’s 34 governors, 224 of 416 bupati (district chiefs) and 37 of 98 mayors. The polling was initially scheduled for 23 September but the independent KPU (General Elections Commission) put the date back to 9 December due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
La Niña Weather Phenomenon Could Endanger Colombia's Food Security
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Dec 08 (IPS) - After ten years without a strong La Niña weather phenomenon in Colombia, the climate pattern, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, could create a vacuum in food production and supply. Multilateral organizations, along with the Colombian government, are trying to implement measures to reduce malnutrition risk. Still, the population is already overwhelmed by a year of struggles that have deepened socio-economic differences.
Urgently Needed Deficit Financing No Excuse for More Fiscal Abuse
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, Dec 08 (IPS) - Fiscal and monetary measures needed to fight the economic downturn, largely due to COVID-19 policy responses, require more government accountability and discipline to minimise abuse. Such measures should ensure relief for the vulnerable, prevent recessions from becoming depressions, and restore progress.
Keeping Climate Ambition Alive: Challenges Remain but Signs of Progress Abound
- Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON DC, Dec 03 (IPS) - For those of us in the international climate action community, 2020 isn’t ending the way we expected when we rang in the new year.
Even before 2020 dawned, countries were hard at work planning for their first updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), in line with the Paris Agreement’s five-year NDC revision cycle.
NDCs are official statements, prepared by countries themselves, outlining the commitments they are making to reduce national emissions and adapt to climate change’s impacts. They are at the heart of putting the Paris Agreement into practice and pursuing action on a global scale.
How to Reap the Benefits of Food as Medicine
- Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, Dec 02 (IPS) - COVID-19 has magnified global food insecurity and is driving unhealthy eating and worsening malnutrition, food experts say. They have called for deliberate global investment in food as medicine on the back of growing diet-related illnesses.
Pandemic, Great Reset and Resistance
- Inter Press Service

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec 01 (IPS) - According to the Center for Systems Science at Johns Hopkins University, as of November 29th, there have been 62,150,421 COVID-19 cases, including 1,450,338 deaths.
Will the New Fiscal Crises Improve International Tax Cooperation?
- Inter Press Service

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 01 (IPS) - COVID-19 recessions have hit most countries, requiring massive fiscal responses. While most developing countries struggled with mounting debt even before the pandemic, many developed countries also face unprecedented macroeconomic pressures despite earlier spending cuts due to ‘fiscal consolidation’ policies.
Women Empowerment During COVID-19 Through Remote Learning - the Fuzia Perspective
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (IPS) - This year, the world commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, instead of celebration; however, its progress has been impeded by the COVID-19.
Sustainable Measures Help Farmers Script a Positive Story Amid COVID-19 Uncertainty
- Inter Press Service

HYDERABAD, India, Nov 26 (IPS) - As India continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing number of deaths, farmers here have been fighting a battle of their own against volatile pricing, uncertain demand and lack of access to the market. But in the midst of all this uncertainty, one farming couple in a village near Hyderabad are working to become a food-secure future for themselves using eco-friendly farming techniques.
Millions of New Poor Are on the Way Who Cares?
- Inter Press Service

ROME, Nov 26 (IPS) - The recent meeting of the G20 – scheduled to take place in Riyadh but held virtually due to the Coronavirus pandemic – has been an eloquent example of how the world is drifting, in a crisis of leadership. It was, in a sense, a showcase. Everybody had to accept the view that the host of the meeting, the ailing King Salman of Saudi Arabia, was accompanied on TV screens by his apparent heir, Prince Mohamed bin Salman, who is clearly the mastermind of the brutal assassination, dismembering and disappearance of the body of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

