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Thursday, August 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Back Seat Driver of Social Change
The World Social Forum (WSF) is only "a tool" and must not be confused with the global movement for another world, says Chico Whitaker, one of the founders of this meeting which is celebrating its tenth year with a seminar to assess its track record Jan. 25-29, in its southern Brazilian place of origin, Porto Alegre.BRAZIL: ‘Colonisation Made Us Poor,’ Say Indigenous Peoples
"We weren't poor until colonisation made us poor," indigenous leader Marcos Terena said at the Rio de Janeiro launch of a United Nations report on the State of the World's Indigenous Peoples.BRAZIL: Solidarity Economy Thriving
The initiatives were already there, in the form of cooperatives and a variety of related activities. But they have a new connectedness thanks to the growing solidarity economy, which has opened up new horizons for alternative forms of production and social relations.LATIN AMERICA: From Peacekeeping to Humanitarian Relief in Haiti
Two planes from Brazil carrying 21 tons of food and water were to head to Haiti Thursday, as part of an air bridge to provide humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean island nation in the wake of the deadly earthquake that has claimed an untold number of lives.ECONOMY-BRAZIL: Going Up in the World
Brazil's economic achievements are being enthusiastically recognised abroad as never before. "Brazil takes off" was the Nov. 12 cover title of the British weekly The Economist.
Climate Change: Scientific Fact, Not a Political Issue
It might take a story of huge cataclysm, like the one told by Komatu Sakyo in his 1973 novel "Japan Sinks", to convince the world to reach an accord that will steer it away from the suicidal path of global warming.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Scientific Fact, Not Political Issue
"In a year's time, the Japanese archipelago will be completely under water." This official announcement was made following a violent eruption of Mt. Fuji, as a series of devastating earthquakes shook the country, forcing the world to face the challenge of taking in 110 million refugees within a very short time.RIGHTS: Brazil’s Turn for Truth and Justice?
Almost 25 years after the fall of the dictatorship in Brazil, relatives of the victims and human rights activists are still battling to discover the fate of those who were murdered or "disappeared," gain access to official records and find out in detail what went on under the repressive regime.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Cattle, the Ignored Predator
Because of its effect on the environment, cattle must be given the same priority in global agendas as nuclear weapons, wars and, in particular, climate change, says Brazilian activist João Meirelles Filho, author of two books on Amazon deforestation.
Q&A: “We Are Moving Towards Modest Cooperation”
Vested interests in fossil fuels have blocked major steps against global warming so far, according to José Goldemberg, who has played a leading role at key times in the climate crisis facing humanity.BRAZIL: Development Bank Funds Destructive Projects, Say Activists
Public money in Brazil is being used by the state development bank to finance deforestation projects and others that trample rights, concentrate wealth, and encourage "imperialist" expansion of large national companies, according to activists at a three-day meeting in this southeastern city.BRAZIL: Crack Epidemic – Yet another Tough Nut to Crack in War on Drugs
J. ran away from home - a shack in a "favela" or shantytown in Brazil - when he was just eight years old, after he realised that the money he begged for in the streets was spent by his violent father on alcohol and drugs. He became a street urchin, as his two older brothers - with whom he lost contact long ago - had already done.CLIMATE CHANGE: Brazil to Recover Leadership Role with CO2 Limits
Brazil's decision to adopt voluntary reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions is an indication that the planet's climate change emergency has joined strategic, economic and ideological issues as a new factor on the global political agenda.BRAZIL: Deforestation Down 45 Percent
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon jungle was reduced more than expected between August 2008 and July 2009 - 45 percent compared to the previous 12 months, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported.BRAZIL: Green Beans to Go, Roast Coffee Grounded
For over a century and a half, Brazil has led the world in green coffee bean production and exports, without ever achieving similar success with processed beans. Some of the internal and external hurdles reflect the dilemma of reliance on agricultural commodities for export revenue.LABOUR: Sorting Garbage – Green and Dignified Work
More than 1,500 representatives of waste recyclers from 13 countries, and thousands of other visitors, including the host country Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, met last week in São Paulo, demonstrating that they are no longer pariahs in our throw-away society.ECONOMY-SOUTH AMERICA: Chinese Competition Undermines Integration
Brazil's products are losing ground in the rest of South America, mainly because of the flood of low-cost Chinese goods – a trend that is also exacerbating the region's dependence on commodity exports.LATIN AMERICA: Poor Response to Global Call Against Poverty
The creative approach of using football matches, student gatherings, shows or events indirectly related to the issue of poverty enabled Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) activists to reach a wide variety of audiences in Latin America with their message.MIGRATION-BRAZIL: Gov’t Engages Three Million Far-Flung Citizens
Brazil, a major source of migrants since the 1980s, is now working at recognising and supporting the rights of the three million Brazilians who are scattered among over 100 countries.BRAZIL: Olympics in Rio – ‘Happiness’ Trumps Wealth and Technology
Brazil has "the happiest and most creative" people in the world, and deserved this opportunity, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in Copenhagen, celebrating Friday's election of Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Olympic Games.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: The Long Shadow of the Dictatorship
Those who died and "disappeared" during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship in Brazil represent a mere "one percent of the agenda" of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights (SEDH), but captivate "99 percent of the attention of the press," complained Human Rights Secretary Paulo Vannuchi.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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