People go about their daily lives in Roseau, Dominica. The country’s chief medical officer says climate change is taking a toll on the health of people. Credit: Desmond Brown/IPS ROSEAU, Dominica, Jan 20 2014 (IPS) – Caribbean countries, struggling to emerge from a slump in exports and falling tourist arrivals brought on by the worldwide […]
Category: Wellness
Divisions Over Drugs Rise
VIENNA, Mar 17 2014 (IPS) – A top level United Nations conference on drugs has highlighted growing divisions between member states on how to move forward in dealing with global drug problems as calls grow for major reforms in approaches to international drug policy. The High-Level Review at the latest annual session of the U.N. […]
Desperate Gazans Turn Plastic Into Fuel
Ibrahim Sobeh and his son Mahmud with the device they built for domestic fuel production. Credit: Khaled Alashqar/IPS. GAZA CITY , May 7 2014 (IPS) – On the roof of a modest house amidst the alleys of Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, Ibrahim Sobeh and his sons spent more than 200 days working […]
Here Are the Real Victims of Pakistan’s War on the Taliban
An elderly displaced man carries a sack of rations on his shoulder. The Pakistan Army has distributed 30,000 ration packs of 110 kg each. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jul 1 2014 (IPS) – Three days ago, Rameela Bibi was the mother of a month-old baby boy. He died in her arms on Jun. 28, […]
Former War Zone Drinking its Troubles Away
Women and children are badly affected by the rise in alcohol consumption in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. Credit: Amantha Perera/IPS DHARMAPURAM, Aug 3 2014 (IPS) – Back in the day when the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a de-facto state in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, alcohol consumption was closely monitored, and sternly […]
U.N. Urged to Reaffirm Reproductive Rights in Post-2015 Agenda
Millions of women in Pakistan do not have access to family planning services. Credit: Zofeen Ebrahim/IPS UNITED NATIONS, Sep 19 2014 (IPS) – The U.N. s post-2015 development agenda has been described as the most far-reaching and comprehensive development-related endeavour ever undertaken by the world body. But where does population, family planning and sexual and […]
U.S. Proposes Major Debt Relief for Ebola-Hit Countries
An Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone, on the day of a visit from Anthony Banbury, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). Credit: UN Photo/Ari Gaitanis WASHINGTON, Nov 13 2014 (IPS) – The United States proposed Tuesday that the international community write off 100 […]
When Ignorance Is Deadly: Pacific Women Dying From Lack of Breast Cancer Awareness
Local women’s NGO, Vois Blong Mere, campaigns for women’s rights in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands. Credit: Catherine Wilson/IPS SYDNEY, Jan 28 2015 (IPS) – Women now face a better chance of surviving breast cancer in the Solomon Islands, a developing island state in the southwest Pacific Ocean, following the recent acquisition of the […]
Namibian President Wins $5 Million African Leadership Prize
Outgoing Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba was Monday named winner of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, believed to be the most lucrative individual award in the world. The award, with an initial $5 million prize and an annual $200,000 gift for life, “recognises and celebrates African leaders who have developed their countries, lifted […]
Child Labour on U.S. Tobacco Farms: A Stubborn Problem in a Billion-Dollar Industry
Children who work on tobacco farms in the U.S. are vulnerable to nicotine poisoning, especially when handling wet tobacco leaves. Credit: MgAdDept/CC-BY-SA UNITED NATIONS, Apr 6 2015 (IPS) – For many young people, the summer is synonymous with free time, relaxation, or family vacations. For less fortunate kids the summer means labour, with scores of […]