Thalif Deen STOCKHOLM, Aug 17 2007 (IPS) – As the world faces new threats of water scarcity, triggered by phenomena like global warming and bioenergy demands, Singapore and Iraq have been singled out as two political extremes in water management. Singapore, the tiny city-state of 4.5 million people, has been touted as a phenomenal success … Read more
David Vargas ASUNCION, Sep 14 2007 (IPS) – Satellite images show Paraguay s territory covered with small red dots. Fires have devastated 400,000 hectares, and over 15,000 people are homeless. The government is being accused of excessive delay in acting on the emergency. In the last three weeks, about 1,700 fires have broken out, especially … Read more
Abra Pollock WASHINGTON, Oct 12 2007 (IPS) – At the midpoint between the Millennium Development Declaration in 2000 and the deadline of 2015, the majority of developing countries are failing to meet two key Millennium Development Goals, according to a report released here Friday by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The 60-page report, … Read more
Fulgence Zamblé ABIDJAN, Nov 5 2007 (IPS) – In certain parts of Africa, female genital mutilation (FGM) has been linked to religion, with Muslim communities mistakenly believing that the practice is a religious requirement. But in Côte d #39Ivoire, religion is also being put at the service of fighting FGM. El Hadj Kassoum Traoré, an … Read more
Sahana Singh BEPPU, Japan, Dec 4 2007 (IPS) – Although 2.6 billion people in the world two-thirds of whom are in southern or eastern Asia are living without access to basic sanitation, the issue has been a poor cousin to water supply in terms of visibility and financing. However, efforts are now on to reverse … Read more
Sam Olukoya LAGOS, Jan 23 2008 (IPS) – Cigarette packs sold in Nigeria carry a health warning: The Federal Ministry of Health warns that cigarette smokers are liable to die young. But, says the government, this warning has not stopped many Nigerian youngsters from smoking. Taju Olaide, 17, told IPS that he unaware of the … Read more
Neena Bhandari SYDNEY, Feb 28 2008 (IPS) – International health experts and activists are calling for immediate global action to avert the looming epidemic of preventable chronic diseases which will kill 388 million people in the next decade, threatening economies in the developed and developing worlds. Poor diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use are said … Read more
Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail* FALLUJAH, Mar 31 2008 (IPS) – Iraqi doctors in al-Anbar province warn of the spread of Blackwater fever, a complication of malaria. Many Iraqis see that name as ominously one with Blackwater Worldwide, the U.S. mercenary company operating in Iraq. This disease is a severe form of malarial infection caused … Read more
Kwamboka Oyaro NAIROBI, May 13 2008 (IPS) – Every day, the Dandora dumpsite in the eastern part of Nairobi receives 2,000 tonnes of rubbish about half of the waste generated daily by the capital s 4.5 million people. The 12-hectare site is a low mountain of smouldering trash. Vultures and marabou storks circle overhead in … Read more
Bernarda Claure LA PAZ, Jun 12 2008 (IPS) – Domestic workers in Bolivia, most of whom are young indigenous women from the highlands region, are about to gain access to healthcare coverage. Women line up seeking domestic work in La Paz. Credit: Bernarda Claure/IPS A law in effect since 2003 already limited their workdays to … Read more