Global Issues
News headlines for “Democracy”, page 337
The Libyan Disaster: Little Bits of History Repeating
- Inter Press Service
STOCKHOLM / ROME, Jul 09 (IPS) -
And I've seen it before,
and I'll see it again.
Yes I've seen it before,
just little bits of history repeating.
-- Propeller Heads: History repeatingThe Libyan catastrophe and the suffering of "illegal" migrants are generally depicted as fairly recent events, though they are actually the results of a long history of greed, contempt for others and fatal shortsightedness. Like former Yugoslavia, Libya was created from a mosaic of tribal entities, subdued by colonial powers and then ruled by an iron-fisted dictator. Now, Libya is a quagmire where local and international stakeholders battle to control its natural resources. The country holds the largest oil reserves in Africa, oil and gas account for 60 percent of GDP and more than 90 percent of exports.1 This is one reason why Egypt, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and many other nations are enmeshed in Libya. Furthermore, European nations try to stop mainly sub-Saharan refugees and migrants from reaching their coasts from Libya. An attempt to understand Italy´s essential role in the struggle over Libya´s oil and attempts to control unwanted immigration may help to clarify some issues related to the current situation.
Africa’s Megacities a Magnet for Investors
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 09 (IPS) - Finbarr Toesland, Africa RenewalMegacities, cities with a population of at least 10 million, are sprouting everywhere in Africa. Cairo in Egypt, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Lagos in Nigeria are already megacities, while Luanda in Angola, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Johannesburg in South Africa will attain the status by 2030, according the United Nations.
Media and Web Freedom Threatened in Sudan Turbulence
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 09 (IPS) - The United Nations has condemned an internet shutdown and the blocking of social media channels during Sudan's political crisis, as fears persisted over a crackdown on media freedoms in the turbulent African country.
Japan Boosts Complex Fight to Eliminate Leprosy in Brazil
- Inter Press Service
BRASILIA, Jul 09 (IPS) - When cases of Hansen's disease, better known as leprosy, increase in Brazil, it is not due to a lack of medical assistance but to the growing efficacy of the health system in detecting infections, contrary to the situation in other countries.
Of Leaders Then and Now
- Inter Press Service
COTONOU, Benin, Jul 08 (IPS) - Richard Dossevi parks his motorcycle taxi on one of the busiest street corners in Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, to wait for commuters amid the summer heat.
We Can Get the 2030 Agenda Back on Track – With More Empowered, Inclusive, & Equal Partnerships
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 05 (IPS) - Ulrika Modeer* is Director of UN Development Programme's Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy & Susanna Moorehead* is Chair of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, universally adopted in 2015, is a plan to create a better and more sustainable future for all in just 15 years, through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs). It sounds implausible.
Australia’s Forgotten Asylum Seekers
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 04 (IPS) - As the focus of Australian politics shifts away from refugee and asylum-seeker policies, the government avoids accountability for inhumane actions.
Libya Tragedy: Why Lock up Migrants in the First Place?
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 04 (IPS) - A military strike on a detention centre for migrants in Libya that claimed dozens of lives on Tuesday Jul. 2 has reignited a debate over the poor treatment of the mainly African people who transit through the turbulent country.
Chilean Schools Recycle Greywater to Combat Drought
- Inter Press Service
OVALLE, Chile, Jul 04 (IPS) - Children from the neighboring municipalities of Ovalle and Río Hurtado in northern Chile are harvesting rain and recycling greywater in their schools to irrigate fruit trees and vegetable gardens, in an initiative aimed at combating the shortage of water in this semi-arid region.
Indigenous Communities Head Towards Energy Self-Sufficiency in Guatemala
- Inter Press Service
USPANTÁN, Guatemala, Jul 03 (IPS) - Because the government has never provided them with electricity, indigenous communities in the mountains of northwest Guatemala had no choice but to generate their own energy.
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