News headlines for “Democracy”, page 123
Kazakhstan Takes Lead in Global Push for Nuclear Disarmament Amid Heightened Tensions
- Inter Press Service
TOKYO/ASTANA, Aug 19 (IPS) - In a world increasingly shadowed by the threat of nuclear conflict, Kazakhstan is stepping up its efforts in the global disarmament movement. On August 27-28, 2024, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Kazakhstan will host a critical workshop in Astana. This gathering, the first of its kind in five years, is set to reinvigorate the five existing Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs) and enhance cooperation and consultation among them.
How Extreme Heat Intensifies Health Problems and Hunger
- Inter Press Service
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 19 (IPS) - In May, temperatures soared above 52° Celsius (125.6° Fahrenheit) in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh. To cope, Samina Kanwal, a community health worker with Action Against Hunger, began work at 7:00 am — the earliest time possible given neighborhood security protocols — to travel door-to-door helping vulnerable with the health consequences of extreme heat including heatstroke, difficulties with brain function, and even hunger.
2023 Deadliest Year for Aid Workers – & 2024 Could be Even Worse, Predicts UN
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 19 (IPS) - Back in August 2003, the United Nations faced one of its violent tragedies when a terrorist attack on the UN headquarters in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad claimed the lives of 22 people.
Among those killed was Sergio Vieira de Mello of Brazil, the UN envoy in Iraq and High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had a long and distinguished UN career stretching over 30 years.
Origins of the Gaza Catastrophe - Part 1
- Inter Press Service
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug 16 (IPS) - During the first half of the 20th century, antisemitism was endemic in Europe and eventually burst out in full force when Nazi-Germany and its collaborators between 1941 and 1945 systematically (and well-documented) murdered six million Jews across German-occupied Europe.
In an environment mined by hostile public opinion, the Zionist Nahum Sokolow popularized the Hebrew term Hasbara. The word has no real equivalent in English, but might be translated as "explaining", indicating a strategy seeking to explain actions, regardless whether or not they are justified.
As a skilled diplomat, Sokolow based his widely publicized opinions on in-depth research of actual events, though he presented his findings in a manner that favoured his cause.
Dealing with Bangladesh’s Odious Debt
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON DC, Aug 16 (IPS) - Bangladesh has become increasingly indebted since 2009. The country's external debt stock increased from US$23.3 billion in 2008 to US$100.6 billion in December 2023 (see figure below). Thanks to the country's mega-projects led so-called development with borrowed money under the now deposed authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina.
Gender Equality Has Everything To Do with Climate Change
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Aug 16 (IPS) - After years of reporting on the frontlines of climate change, I have witnessed the devastating impact extreme weather events have on women and girls. In Kenya's pastoralist communities in far-flung areas of Northern Kenya, West Pokot, Samburu and Narok counties, droughts mean a resurgence in harmful cultural practices such as outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM), beading and child marriages.
Freedom of Press in Jeopardy With Journalists in Crossfire in Kenya
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Aug 15 (IPS) - In the heart of Nairobi, as tear gas clouded the streets, the line between journalists and protesters blurred in the eyes of Kenyan law enforcement. A wave of anti-government protests, ignited by opposition to a proposed finance bill, has spiraled into violence, with journalists increasingly caught in the crossfire between police and protesters.
WFP in Gaza: ‘We Need a Long Ceasefire That Leads to Peace so We Can Operate’
- Inter Press Service
ROME, Aug 15 (IPS) - Corinne Fleischer, WFP's regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, describes Gaza as "a terrible situation getting worse." Over the past two weeks, 21 United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) food distribution points have been closed under evacuation orders.
Rizwana Hasan Vows to Ensure Justice for Those Killed During Bangladesh’s Quota Reform Movement
- Inter Press Service
DHAKA, Aug 14 (IPS) - Justice for all those who died and suffered injuries during the recent student-led quota reform movement in Bangladesh and reforms to the systems to ensure that this justice takes place are not negotiable, an adviser to the Bangladesh interim government, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, told IPS in an exclusive interview
The Plight of Women Three Years after Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 14 (IPS) - I've just come back from the north of Afghanistan. I asked the women I met what they want the world to know about their lives.
One woman, Nasima told me: "I was married at 16. I couldn't finish school. My hope was that my daughter's life would be better. Now I'm worried her life is going to be worse. To those who are still listening to our voices, please help us fight for our freedom."
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