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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
ARGENTINA: Education to Overcome Tradition of Tax Evasion
A novel plan for tax education in Argentina is using theatre, puppets, educational games, entertainment centres, and competitions to teach youngsters about the importance of paying taxes to finance and preserve what belongs to everybody. They are all useful methods, according to those in charge of the programme.CHALLENGES 2005-2006: Social Reforms Making Slow Progress in South America
Hit hard by the impact of free-market "neoliberal" policies during the 1990s, in recent years many South American voters have opted for progressive governments. But the social agenda of the new administrations has lagged, and while some countries are moving forward slowly, the progress made by others is frankly disappointing.ARGENTINA: Now, Housework Pays
They cook, clean, wash, iron, and look after the children, the elderly and the sick, without pay. They are neither robots nor angels, but homemakers, who keep on working after the age of retirement. But at least now in Argentina they will have access to a pension.CHALLENGES 2005-2006: Women Making Headway in Argentina
They had been waiting at the starting line for years. Now in little over a year in Argentina, several women have sprinted on to the public scene and have taken possession of positions of responsibility historically occupied by men.ECONOMY-ARGENTINA: The Social Debt Will Have to Wait
Argentina's announcement that it will pay off the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier than scheduled, following Brazil's lead, was seen as a historic move. But some analysts doubt that the enormous financial effort will actually lead to progress in resolving the country's severe social problems.WTO-SPECIAL: Failure to Reach Agreement Would Benefit South
Social action movements that have been following the World Trade Organisation (WTO) debates in Hong Kong from a distance are of the opinion that if the meeting ends without a firm agreement, it will mainly be of benefit to the countries of the developing South, which need more time to strengthen their bargaining position.CORRUPTION-ARGENTINA: Many Crimes, Few Convictions
Fraud, graft, money laundering. In the past 25 years, at least 750 legal cases involving corruption have been prosecuted in Argentina, but a mere three percent have ended in a conviction. In a majority of the cases the statute of limitations has run out, or is about to do so, due to flaws in the justice system, experts say.ARGENTINA: Toppling the Wall Blocking the Poor from Justice
Access to justice is a human right guaranteed by Argentine law. But lack of money or time often prevents the poor and most vulnerable from taking their complaints to the courts.ARGENTINA: Impact of Pulp Mills Across Border Precedes Construction
Residents of the eastern Argentine province of Entre Ríos, a short distance away from the future site of two new pulp mills in Uruguay, maintain that the plants have already had an impact on local economic activity, despite the fact that they will not actually open for another two years.WTO-SPECIAL: End to Subsidies Would Not End Rural Poverty
Critics of the farm subsidies shelled out to farmers in wealthy nations argue that their elimination would improve the lives of farmers in developing countries. But some small farmers and activists in Latin America suspect that the benefits would only go to a handful of large agribusiness corporations.WTO-SPECIAL: End to Subsidies Would Not End Rural Poverty
Critics of the farm subsidies shelled out to farmers in wealthy nations argue that their elimination would improve the lives of farmers in developing countries. But some small farmers and activists in Latin America suspect that the benefits would only go to a handful of large agribusiness corporations.ARGENTINA: Slave Labour Alive and Well
"They exploit us and threaten to hand us over to the police. When I was single I could claim my rights, but now with three children I have to accept the humiliation and submit to slavery," said José Orellana, a Bolivian immigrant who was able to escape with his family from a clandestine textile factory in Buenos Aires.ARGENTINA: Slave Labour Alive and Well
"They exploit us and threaten to hand us over to the police. When I was single I could claim my rights, but now with three children I have to accept the humiliation and submit to slavery," said José Orellana, a Bolivian immigrant who was able to escape with his family from a clandestine textile factory in Buenos Aires./ARTS WEEKLY/ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires, a City that Inspires Design
A large number of young people are at the centre of an explosion of creativity in the Argentine capital. Now that the country has finally pulled out of a severe economic crisis, thousands of graduates of design courses have found much to be done, and they have set to with a will.ARGENTINA: ‘Cruel, Inhumane’ Prison Conditions in Mendoza
Up to five prisoners sleep on the floor, without mattresses, in four square metre cells. They defecate in plastic bags and urinate in bottles. The corridors, littered with several days' worth of garbage, are often flooded by sewage.HEALTH: Paediatricians Turn Spotlight on Environmental Risks
How many childhood respiratory problems are related to the fuel used in homes for cooking? How many cases of diarrhoea are the result of drinking contaminated water? How can we detect the relationship between potential exposure to lead and learning problems in school?HEALTH-LATAM: Haiti the Sole Exception in Grim AIDS Outlook
In Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, HIV prevalence fell in urban areas due to changes in sexual behaviour. But in the region as a whole, the number of people living with HIV, the AIDS virus, rose in 2005.ARGENTINA: NGOs Call for Partnership, Not Philanthropy
Many corporations have transformed social responsibility into a marketing tool, to boost sales and improve their image. But today in Argentina, an alliance of civil society groups is advocating a paradigm shift, to replace philanthropy with a new business culture.
Pediatricians Turn Spotlight on Environmental Risks
Hospitals in Mexico and Argentina have specialized units focused on children's health and the environment. But the region as a whole has a long way to go in this area.ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires Mayor to Be Impeached Over Tragic Blaze
The Buenos Aires city legislature decided Monday to suspend Mayor Aníbal Ibarra and impeach him for maladministration in connection with a late 2004 nightclub fire in which 194 young people died./ARTS WEEKLY/BOOKS-ARGENTINA: Biographer Bows to ‘Queen Cristina’
The books written by Argentine journalist Olga Wornat on the private lives of leading Latin American politicians have tended to be highly controversial. Her biography of Senator Cristina Fernández, the wife of Argentine President Néstor Kirchner, is no exception, albeit for different reasons.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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