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Thursday, August 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Transport
NIGERIA-TRANSPORT: Chinese to Put Railway Back on Track
Businesswoman Alice Olabisi nostalgically recalls the heydays of Nigeria's railway network, when trains ran on schedule and were affordable.NIGERIA-TRANSPORT: Ex-President’s Death Helps Roads Get Attention
The death of Nigeria's first president saddened people in the eastern part of the country, his home area, but they are benefitting from one of its effects -- the rehabilitation of roads long neglected by the government.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.DEVELOPMENT: U.S. Aid Cuts Prompt UNDP Restructuring
The United Nations' largest development assistance agency is restructuring its operations to cope with falling incomes and rising demands.CAMEROON-TRANSPORT: Building Roads To Boost The Economy
Seventy-year-old Pierre Engoulou of Oveng, a village deep in the South Province, could not contain his joy as he extended his feeble hand to greet the European Union(EU) representative to Cameroon.ASIA-TRANSPORT: Vietnam Making Tracks Toward Regional Rail System
A newly revived Vietnam-China rail link has got off to a slow start, but Hanoi authorities are not about to give up hope on what may be the first step toward a regional goal of a trans-Asian rail network.NIGERIA-TRANSPORT: Two-Wheeled Taxis Take Over
About two decades ago, the chaotic state of public transport in Nigeria provided musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti with material for one of his many hits.NIGERIA-TRANSPORT: It Takes Courage to Travel by Plane
It takes a good measure of courage, fatalism or faith in God to travel by plane in Nigeria, where an average of almost two air mishaps occur each year.LIBERIA-TRANSPORT: Fuel Shortage Keeps Vehicles off the Streets
Fighting has stopped in Liberia's capital with the deployment there of peacekeepers, but the situation is far from normal with just a few vehicles on the road because of a serious shortage of fuel.TANZANIA-ZAMBIA: Many Lives Depend on Troubled Railway
Few Tanzanian or Zambian officials are likely to have heard of Chozi, Idiga or Vwawa.HABITAT-TRANSPORT: Cities Choked By Dependence On Cars
Overdependence on the automobile is a disease fast spreading to developing countries, which often view motorisation as a symbol of modern living, say urban transport activists.HABITAT-BRAZIL: A Tale of Transport in Two Cities
Sao Paulo and Curitiba, two of the biggest cities in Brazil, are only 350 kms apart but they might as well be in different countries when comparing their policies on public transport policies and the effects on quality of life.TRADE: Bolivia-Brazil Square-off Over New Ports
Southern Cone trade harmony is under threat through a dispute between Bolivia and Brazil over a new waterway that could rob the Bolivians of traditional markets and cause a hefty hiccup in the South American integration process.ASIA-TRANSPORT: Railway Network Plan May Get on Track – This Time
Thirty years after it was initially mooted, the idea of linking the region through an extensive railway network is back on the agenda of Asian leaders seeking to boost inter- and intra-regional trade and tourism.SLOVAKIA: Bratislava Races Prague For Key Trans-Europe Highway
The Slovak government is stepping up work on a north-south express highway through its territory, whih it offers as part of a key trans-Europe traffic corridor linking the Baltic and Adriatic coasts.JAPAN: Tokyo Remains on Edge One Year After Subway Sarin Attack
Life has never been the same for Japanese office worker Yuki Hateyama since she watched fellow passengers collapse during last year's deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway system.KENYA-TRANSPORT: Matatus Meet Their Match
The local saying covers it all. Once passengers board a Matatu bus only two choices exist -- they either go to heaven or, if lucky, get safely to their destination.CHINA-TRANSPORT: New Year Begins, Commuters Face Same Old Problem
Exhausted, Liu Yueping half-dozed amid her baggage outside the massive Beijing West Railway Station.AFRICA-TRANSPORT: Mind The Potholes
If you see a pair of eyes shining in the middle of the road while driving at night in Zambia, you'd better brake hard because they could belong to a giraffe trapped in a pothole.THAILAND-TRANSPORT: Motorcycle Taxis Prove a ‘Necessary Evil’
No sooner than a gap emerges in Bangkok's almost perennial bumper to bumper traffic and they are through, the pinion rider holding on for dear life as the motorcyclist zips between cars and trucks.THAILAND-TRANSPORT: Bid to Clean up Traffic Mess Falls Flat
Making outrageous promises is routine work for most politicians but even sceptical Bangkok citizens had high hopes when Deputy Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra vowed last July to solve the city's notorious traffic problem in six months.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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