Inequality

Musical Toilets for a Few While 2.5 Billion Lack Basics

By Thalif Deen
Even as the United Nations laments the fact that more than 2.5 billion people in the developing world are still without adequate sanitation, both Japan and South Korea have gone upscale: offering automated toilets and piped-in classical music.

Water Dispute Pits Communities Against Brewing Giant

By Edgardo Ayala
Josefina Escamilla was in the Salvadoran capital to protest against UK brewing giant SABMiller, whose local subsidiary plans to drill a new water well on land alongside her community that, she says, will cause water scarcity for local residents.

Swazi Chiefs Shut Women Out of Parliament

By Mantoe Phakathi
Archaic and chauvinistic practices are being used to prevent Swazi women from taking part in the upcoming primary elections, despite the country having a constitution that guarantees their rights, says political analyst Dr. Sikelela Dlamini.

Poor and Disabled When Disaster Strikes

By Lucy Westcott
Upon first glance, the emergency checklist distributed in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake looks like any other. Organised into key categories like water, sanitation and hygiene, and psychosocial support, the information is typical of the kind circulated for emergency response.

Norway Sets Example in Audit of Poor Countries’ Debts

By Carey L. Biron
Anti-poverty campaigners are celebrating the Norwegian government’s release of an external audit of all outstanding public debts it is owed by developing countries, the first time any country has undertaken such a process.

Mental Health an Overlooked Casualty of Disaster

By Lucy Westcott
Although Hurricane Sandy made her final sweep through the Northeastern United States nearly 10 months ago, for many people the stress caused by the storm lingers.

Tanzanian Traders Seek Rescue From Chinese

By Kizito Makoye
The Chinese characters boldly painted on a supermarket poster in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam say a lot about the growing influence of China on this east African nation. 

When Disaster and Disability Converge

By Lucy Westcott
Like many people living in the path of Hurricane Sandy last fall, Lauren Scrivo needed more battery power. Despite a call offering help from the mayor of Fairfield, New Jersey, where Scrivo lives with her family, her concerns went far beyond extra water bottles and flashlights.

Where Banks Need Less Regulation

By John Fraser
Leading bankers are concerned that the regulatory environment in some southern African states is preventing them from offering a full range of services to individuals and companies across the region.

Ivory Course Runs From Africa to Malaysia to China

By Baradan Kuppusamy
A distance of nearly 9,000 kilometres separates Malaysia from Africa, but that hasn’t stopped the Southeast Asian nation from becoming a key staging post in the illegal trade of ivory from Africa to China.

Underage Girls Are Egypt’s Summer Rentals

By Cam McGrath
Each summer, wealthy male tourists from Gulf Arab states flock to Egypt to escape the oppressive heat of the Arabian Peninsula, taking residence at upscale hotels and rented flats in Cairo and Alexandria. Many come with their families and housekeeping staff, spending their days by the pool, shopping, and frequenting cafes and nightclubs. Others come for a more sinister purpose.

World’s Poorest Nations Slowly Mending

By Thalif Deen
The number of "least developed countries" (LDCs), which rose from the original 24 back in 1971 to the current 49, is beginning to shrink - haltingly.

Hunger Persists in Latin America’s Bread Basket

By Julio Godoy
Judging by the accolades and diplomas handed out to 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries by FAO, it would be easy to conclude that the region has taken a giant leap towards eradicating hunger.
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