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Friday, August 14, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Disasters Undercut Millennium Development Goals
The social and economic impacts of natural disasters are increasing, warn experts. In Cuba alone, hurricanes resulted in losses of 2.3 billion dollars in 2005.EDUCATION-LATIN AMERICA: Reading, Writing…and Then What?
María del Carmen Cervantes has learned to read the mysterious signs she couldn't decipher before, and now she wants to "go on reading and studying," a goal that is not always possible for recently literate adults in Latin America, because of deficiencies in the literacy programmes.CUBA: 83-Year-Old Powerhouse Confides Her Secret – Keeping Active
"I was born on Friday the 13th, which didn't bring me bad luck, but just the contrary," says Antonia Díaz, bubbling with vitality and optimism. It is hard to believe that this Cuban teacher, who is studying psychology and heads an educational institution, is about to turn 84 on Jun. 13.ENVIRONMENT-CUBA: Sugar Mill Poses Explosive Risk
One of the main industrial sugar refining complexes in the province of Matanzas, in the west of Cuba, has been blamed for an underground build-up of methane gas and other violations of environmental law that are putting thousands of families in the area at risk.COLOMBIA: ELN Commander Sees No Reason for Ceasefire
The insurgent National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia is "for the time being" not considering a ceasefire during the May 28 elections, in which conservative President Álvaro Uribe is seeking re-election.CUBA: Sugarcane Harvest Falls Short
The sugarcane harvest in Cuba, which as of Apr. 30 had yielded 1.1 million tons, has fallen short of expectations and will barely cover foreign commitments and domestic consumption needs, warn experts.LATIN AMERICA: Chavez, Morales and Castro Close Ranks
Less than two weeks after declaring that the Andean Community trade bloc is "dead," Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia will be meeting this weekend in Havana with Cuban President Fidel Castro to further boost integration among the three countries.DEATH PENALTY-CUBA: A Debate that Has (Yet) to Happen
In Cuba, the death penalty is not a focus of public debate, so the strength of feeling for or against a moratorium on executions, or the abolition of capital punishment, is difficult to gauge.DEATH PENALTY-CUBA: No Abolition in Sight
A new de facto moratorium on the death penalty in Cuba, since the last three executions took place in 2003, does not seem to indicate that capital punishment will disappear any time soon in this socialist Caribbean island nation.EDUCATION: Women Key to Literacy in the Home
"A literate woman makes a literate family," says Cuban teacher Leonela Relys, who created a successful method for teaching reading and writing, which can be adapted to different languages and cultures.CUBA: Human Rights Record Under Scrutiny Once Again
The criticism of Cuba contained in the U.S. State Department's annual human rights report serves as a prelude to diplomatic confrontations that will undoubtedly crop up again in the last period of sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.COLOMBIA: Government and Rebels to Continue Exploratory Talks in Havana
The second round of exploratory talks in Havana between delegates of the Colombian government and the insurgent National Liberation Army (ELN) aimed at designing an agenda for formal peace talks ended with an agreement to continue meeting in April.CUBA-CHINA: Firm Friends and Excellent Business Partners
Trade between Cuba and China is growing at a breathtaking rate, and is the most visible expression of the close ties between the two countries, which appear to have overcome past differences and reached a high point in their relations.ENERGY: Threat of Scarcity Draws Oil Companies to Cuba
The need to find new oilfields to satisfy world demand, which could soon outstrip production, has prompted foreign oil companies to take an interest in offshore prospecting and drilling around Cuba, to explore the country's unconfirmed potential.CUBA: Combining Skills Training, Heritage Restoration and Jobs
"Restoring our heritage is like reliving history day by day," said Alberto Herrera, making himself heard above the banging of hammers and the strident buzz of a motor saw in this vocational training school in Old Havana, where he is learning carpentry.CUBA-US: Forest of Flag Poles Ratchets Up ‘Billboard War’
"This is just more of the same," a man walking his dog along one of the streets that leads up to the U.S. Interests Section in the Cuban capital told IPS. He was referring to nearly 150 flag poles that now occupy what used to be part of the U.S. diplomatic mission's parking lot.WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Violence Against Women in the Dock
Women who are victims of various kinds of gender-related violence and discrimination will testify at a "world tribunal", as part of the Latin American phase of the VI World Social Forum, which opens Tuesday in Caracas.SUGAR-CUBA: Former Lifeblood of Economy Reduced to Mere Trickle
Sugar, once the mainstay of the Cuban economy, has been relegated to a weaker role than ever before, as the country prepares for a shortened harvest season that will involve just over half of the mills kept open after a major restructuring of the industry in 2002.CHALLENGES 2005-2006: Cubans Surprised by Impressive Growth Figures
After registering impressive economic growth in 2005, Cuba now faces the challenge of devoting greater resources to improving the population's quality of life, but without disregarding the need to more fully develop the country's productive base, economists say.COLOMBIA: Landmines on the ELN-Government Negotiating Table
The question of antipersonnel landmines could be included on a future humanitarian agenda for the civil war in Colombia, where these deadly weapons claim more than two victims a day on average, according to the international organisation Geneva Call.COLOMBIA: Landmines on the ELN-Government Negotiating Table
The question of antipersonnel landmines could be included on a future humanitarian agenda for the civil war in Colombia, where these deadly weapons claim more than two victims a day on average, according to the international organisation Geneva Call.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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