Mountain magic turning tragic by Sudeshna Sarkar/IPS A mountainous country that boasts of eight of the 14 highest peaks in the world, including Mt Everest, Nepal is threatened by both deluge and drought with climate change shrinking its glaciers by 21 percent in 30 years. As rising temperature disturbs the balance of snow, ice and water in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region where it is located, millions of mountain people and 1.3 billion people living downstream in Asia's major river basins face the loss of livelihood, homes and lives due to flash floods and droughts.
Climate Change - A silent killer in coastal Bangladesh Bangladesh, a deltaic country that drains major Asian rivers like the Ganges and the Brahamputra, is highly vulnerable to climate change and the effects are already being felt in the coastal regions in the shape of salinity, frequent floods and land erosion. Farmers and fisherman are already turning into climate refugees and, in a buiness as usual scenario, the next decades could see millions of people displaced according to projections by the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change.
Women and gender recognised by UNFCCC Days before the start of COP17 in Durban, the UNFCCC has formally recognised the Women and Gender Constituency, giving them full constituency status when the talks start in Durban at the end of November. Tinus de Jager reports that there will be a strong push for a gender-specific focus at the climate-change talks in South Africa
The Bronx: Portrait of a borough - A documentary by Christian Papesch The Bronx is one of the poorest Congressional Districts in the United States. In no other county of the 62 in the state of New York is the unemployment rate as high, and the average income as low, as in New York City’s fourth-largest borough.
Ismael Betancourt Jr. who received his B.S. from Columbia University, his MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business and his MA in Political Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, founded the Bronx Transformation Project last year. Its goal is to facilitate cooperation, trade, integration and development among and between the different cultural communities in and beyond the borders of Bronx.
For his documentary, “The Bronx“, IPS correspondent Christian Papesch visited Betancourt, his borough and its people. He met a teacher from Puerto Rico, an imam from West Africa and the Catholic editor of an Islamic newspaper. And he portrays a district that is multicultural, self-confident and far from being as pessimistic as its statistics may suggest.
Occupy Wall Street - A Citizen's Movement Spreads Like Wildfire As the Occupy Wall Street movement gathers momentum, activists, union members and community groups continue to gather every day in downtown Manhattan, as well as in a growing number of cities across the United States.
On Oct. 5, more than 10,000 people marched in New York to express their anger at growing economic inequality, focused on the "one percent" who take home 24 percent of national income and own half of the country's stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, but owe only five percent of the nation's personal debt.
Not in the Name of the Quran Dr. Mohammad Al-Habash, director of the Islamic Studies Centre in Damascus speaks to IPS on the Death Penalty.
Lao Women Take A Bow Lao women artists have been trying to create more space in arts, literature and performance circles for discussion of issues relevant to women, but the path to doing this has not always been easy. Against this backdrop, the recognition that they got in the 2011 artist awards in Laos was a long-awaited one. Video report by Vannaphone Sitthirath for IPS Asia-Pacific.
Youth in rural South Africa have taken a leadership role in promoting safer sex.
IBSA Editors Forum, Brasilia
As the leaders of the IBSA and BRIC groupings met in Brasilia on April 15, IPS hosted an official meeting of leading media editors from Brazil, India and South Africa. IPS Director General Mario Lubetkin and the chair of the IPS core donors group, Carlos Roberto Tiburcio de Oliveira, presented the recommendations from the meeting to President Lula, Prime Minister Singh, President Zuma, their Ministers and delegations, in a segment broadcast live on Brazilian national television. Read more: ips.org/institutional/ibsa-editors-forum-brasilia/
Mexico: Food Emergency
As of the entry into force of NAFTA, in 1994, Mexico’s northern border has concentrated more than 30 percent of the country’s workforce, employed in the manufacture of electronic components, vehicles and auto parts. Combined exports by Canada and Mexico to the United States increased from 150 billion dollars to 500 billion dollars during this period.
But not all that was promised has been met. Mexico has become the leading importer of beef, rice, apples, beans and corn-based sweeteners. It is also the second largest importer of U.S. corn, and while U.S. producers and Mexico’s large food companies have clearly benefited, the experience of Mexico’s farmers and consumers is not that favourable.
Food security in Colombia
53 million people in Latin America facing hunger, Colombia’s problem is considered moderate by the Global Hunger Index’s findings of 2009. However, 12 of every 100 families are not in a position to feed their children and 17 percent of children in rural Colombian suffer malnutrition, according to Colombia’s Social Welfare Ministry
On Friday, September 25, 2009, activists from environmental, youth, labor, church, poverty advocacy, single payer and various anti-capitalist organizations carried out a march on the G20 Summit in downtown Pittsburgh. The protest was estimated to be 5,000 strong. Filmed and edited by Jeb Sprague, for the Inter Press Service (IPS). Visit the Inter Press Website at http://www.ipsnews.net and Jeb Sprague's University website at http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~jhsprague/ Also for more background on the story here, read: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnew... The music at the end of this clip is by Tristeza, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/tristeza
On Thursday, September 24, 2009, delegates arrived at fancy hotels in downtown Pittsburgh. Thousands of police deployed around the city. Some shoppers and sightseers remained in downtown. IPS only witnessed a few dozen protestors on Thursday but a large people's march is planned for Friday, September 25th. Filmed and edited by Jeb Sprague, for the Inter Press Service (IPS).
Footage of activists in Pittsburgh organizing against the G20 Summit, including labor, fair trade, living wage, community, and socialist organizers. The 2009 G20 Summit in Pittsburgh will be held September 24th and 25th attended by leaders from the most powerful countries. This footage was filmed on September 23rd, 2009 at the Teach-in at the Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh and at the Mounumental Baptist Church 'Tent City' in Pittsburgh's The Hill district. Filmed and edited by Jeb Sprague, for the Inter Press Service (IPS).
Inter Press Service ( IPS) and the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) have partnered to commission environmental journalists to contribute in-depth, independent reporting on sustainable development. The IFEJ network of individuals and national associations of specialised environmental journalists is working with the IPS network of writers and editors.
Articles contributed by local journalists writing from all regions about key sustainable development issues will be distributed through the IPS global wire service and other partner networks.
This partnership was created within, and is supported by, the Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development, COM+. IPS and IFEJ are both founder members of COM+.
Iran debates negotiations
Gareth Porter: While Obama talks carrots and sticks, Iran questions sitting at the table
(Part 1 of 4)
Iranian factions debate nuclear negotiations
Gareth Porter: Potential Iranian Presidential candidates differ on nuclear policy
(Part 2 of 4)
Obama, Iran and control of the Middle East
Gareth Porter: US must acknowledge that Iran has a broad influence that no US policy can alter
(Part 3 of 4)
Gareth Porter, an investigative journalist and
historian specialising in U.S. national security policy, has just completed
a 12-day visit to Tehran to find out how Iranian officials, analysts and
political figures view possible negotiations between the Obama administration
and Iran.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Credit: UN Photo/Marco Castro.
Jude Chan discusses birds with Alison Stattersfield
Who are the people running for President? Ramesh Jaura reports
"Changing Oceans", a ten-year journey through the world seas
Peru's Victor Quinches explains how he has made a difference
TerraViva's Julio Godoy speaks with Meindert Browner, Independent Communication Consultant
TerraViva´s Ramesh Jaura speaks with Pamela Cox
Q&A: Money Crisis May Hit Development Assistance
Sabina Zaccaro interviews PAMELA COX from the World Bank
The global financial crisis and rising food prices are certain to impact Latin America despite the growth in recent years, says Pamela Cox, the World Bank's vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Alejandro Kirk interviews Holly Dublin, IUCN Species Commission.
Zarina Geloo interviews Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Shell ENERGY: Governments Must Lead on Renewables, says Shell CEO
By Rahul Kumar
Royal Dutch Shell, which makes more than 310 billion dollars profit a year extracting oil and gas, mainly in third world countries, says it is up to governments rather than companies like Shell to take the lead in finding solutions for a sustainable energy future.
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