Languages
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Active Citizens
CHECHNYA-RUSSIA: Peace Goes with Lebed?
The dismissal from office of the man who brokered the agreement that ended a protracted war in the Russian republic of Chechnya has raised fears about the durability of that accord.RUSSIA: Nuclear Plant Crisis Deepens As Staff Walk Out On Strike
Workers at two of Russia's nuclear power plants went on strike Monday to protest at unpaid wages, with the threat of staff at other plants following suit.RUSSIA-POLITICS: The Now and Future General
Russia has taken in stride the dramatic events that culminated in the dismissal last week of Gen. Alexander Lebed as head of the security council. But the beacon of public anxiety has merely shifted -- from Kremlin intrigue and back- biting to the state of the President's health.RUSSIA: Struggle To Split Oil-Rich Tyumen Could ‘Divide’ Nation Too
Far away from Moscow and Thursday's dramatic events, the Tyumen regional parliament in the country's far north began discussing postponement of regional elections in a row that could have a equally fundamental effect on the Russian Federation.RUSSIA: Lebed’s ‘Dismissal’ Could Boost His Political Career
Ailing Russian president Boris Yeltsin finally bowed to months of pressure from the Kremlin political establishment Thursday and fired his popular national security adviser Alexander Lebed.UKRAINE: Defying The West, Chernobyl Now Unlikely to Close in 2000
Unless Western money to help with the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is soon forthcoming, Ukraine may decide to defy the stated wishes of the West and continue its operation beyond 2000.RUSSIA: Plans To Evacuate Fuel-Starved Arctic Russia If Ice Bites
Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations is preparing contingency plans for a possible evacuation of some of the population from the country's Arctic Far North if a shortage of fuel stocks puts lives at risk this winter.RUSSIA-CHECHNYA: Two Strands To A Strategy Of Peace In Chechnya
Real perspectives for peace in the northern Caucasus are linked to two main factors: the political manoeuvring in the Kremlin and the inevitable factional shakedown in Chechnya.CHINA-RUSSIA: Moscow Nuclear Energy Minister Meets Li Peng
The head of Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy Viktor Mikhailov met Chinese premier Li Peng Friday to further his efforts to consolidate Russian cooperation in the peaceful application of nuclear energy in his country.CHINA-RUSSIA: Moscow Nuclear Energy Minister Meets Li Peng
The head of Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy Viktor Mikhailov met Chinese premier Li Peng Friday to further his efforts to consolidate Russian cooperation in the peaceful application of nuclear energy in his country.CENTRAL ASIA: Anatoli ‘The Menace’ Vyborov Crosses Drug ‘Silk Road’
She was either very naive or lying through her teeth: Apparently, she told police later, three 'polite young men' stopped her at Alma Ata's main railway station and asked her to carry bags of toys back to her home town of Petropavlovsk.RUSSIA: Scientists on Strike for Funds
Russian science is facing extinction, says Vladimir Khlebodarov, chairman of the Russian Academy of Sciences' trade union, currently holding protests across the country and which intends to stage a general strike on Nov. 5.RUSSIA: Opposition Vexed By Constitutional Shortcomings /REPEAT/
Most ordinary Russians long ago stopped caring about the state of ailing president Boris Yeltsin's health, but the opposition shouts on anyway, demanding that he stand down before the country sinks into limitless chaos.RUSSIA: Opposition Vexed By Constitutional Shortcomings
Most ordinary Russians long ago stopped caring about the state of ailing president Boris Yeltsin's health, but the opposition shouts on anyway, demanding that he stand down before the country sinks into limitless chaos.UKRAINE: Controversy Deepens Over Chernobyl ‘Incident’
Ukraine's environment and nuclear safety Minister Yuri Kostenko has been severely rapped by president Leonid Kuchma for his "alarmist" statements about the state of the sarcophagus encasing the shattered hulk of Chernobyl's Reactor IV.RUSSIA: Environmentalist Indicted for Treason
The Russian federal security service (FSB), has formally indicted former Soviet submarine captain turned environmental activist Alexandr Nikitin of treason -- a charge that carries a maximum sentence of death.EASTERN EUROPE-TRADE: Eyes West
Leaders of five Central European countries in transition are coming to terms with the fact that there is little prospect for a dramatic improvement in regional trade liberalisation.AFGHANISTAN-ASIA: What’s in Store for Region After Taleban Win?
The unexpectedly swift victory of the radical fundamentalist Taleban militia in the Afghan capital Kabul over the regime of President Borhan al Din Rabbani will lead to a major realignment of forces in the region.IRAN: Rail Link With Central Asia to Help End Isolation
By hooking up the Central Asian republics for the first time by rail to warm water ports, Iran has opened up new economic and diplomatic opportunities for itself.AFGHANISTAN-POLITICS: Region Stunned by Taliban Victory
The fall of the Afghan capital to the Islamic Taliban students militia early Friday is sending shock waves across the volatile Central and South Asian regions, say analysts here.BULGARIA-FOOD: Preserving for a Hard Winter
Bulgarians desperate to stave off the pangs of hunger this winter are resorting to traditional methods of keeping fruits and vegetables in edible form to withstand the long, cold months.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Global Citizen Festival in New York. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Active citizens are committed to social change because they know that it is achievable. However, major political challenges face active citizens across the world. For example, in authoritarian regimes in Latin America where the hegemonic party has been in power for decades on end, protestors and human rights activists face enormous repression and struggle to materialize their advocacy into concrete results. The same can be said for Africans, where a shift towards elected government in recent decades has yet to translate into an effective voice in decision-making. Now, the Strengthening Citizen Demand for Good Governance, which uses evidence-based approaches – funded by DFID's Governance and Transparency Fund – seeks to raise their voices.
In 2025, the CIVICUS Monitor’s People Power Under Attack report revealed that civic freedoms are severely limited in 122 of 198 countries and territories, and only 7.2% of the global population now lives in countries where civic space is open. Through partnership with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and CIVICUS, IPS reporters across the continent will seek to define the extent and limits of state capability, government accountability and the responsiveness of leaders to the needs of citizens.
The Week with IPS
NEXT STOP - SDGs
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
