Despite a statistical decrease in global poverty, the numbers aren’t as positive when China is removed from the picture. [CNN] Sexual violence in Syria is widespread, but international aid for the survivors of rape is non-existent. [Huffington Post] As the UK’s climate warms, health experts urge the British government to take immediate public health precautions [...]
Tag Archives: poverty
Press Review: Arctic Ocean rapidly acidifying & Fighting desertification in the Sahel
Combating desertification in the Sahel is seen as a solution to the eradication poverty, hunger, and terrorism. [BBC] An Israeli airstrike near Damascus heightens fears that Syria’s civil war will expand outside its borders. [Washington Post] A former garment factory worker turn labor rights lawyer talks about the positive influence that multinational corporations and retailers [...]
Press Review: Deadliest month of fighting in Syria & Pakistan’s first female canditate for Parliament
Six-thousand people were killed last month in Syria, making it the deadliest month of fighting since the conflict began two years ago. [BBC] Badam Zari becomes the first woman to run for parliament in Pakistan’s conservative tribal region. [Huffington Post] A new reforestation project in Haiti aims to counter the devastating deforestation of the country. [...]
Signs of the NY Times: Inequality in Peru. Ivory horror. Education in Pakistan. Abuse in Sri Lanka. Obama in Israel.
Op-Ed Guest Columnist Marie Arana reminds us that there’s a dark side to the economic boom in Peru, perhaps the country least affected by the global financial crisis. Peru’s skyrocketing wealth is based around its gold mining industry; yet, as seems to be a recurring historical theme, the profits earned from this industry are concentrated [...]
Press Review: Fighting indoor air pollution in developing countries & Syria’s children lost to war
Aiming to eliminate the indoor air pollution that kills 4 million people each year, an India-based company produces clean cooking stoves for developing countries,. [The Guardian] Creating social programs that help transform gender roles and empower women are the key to tackling issues like food security, education, and health care in the developing world. [The [...]
Signs of the NY Times: Ivory prices soar. Good riddance, Pope Benedict. Class castes in Nigeria. Homophobia in Ghana.
As African elephant populations began to severely dwindle in the 1980s, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, pushed through and implemented an ivory ban that worked wonderfully. Elephant populations increased continent-wide and ivory prices dropped. But then, inexplicably (although unfortunately I can imagine a few possible reasons), CITES permitted Zimbabwe, Botswana and [...]
Press Review: Youth militia leader charged with war crimes & Australia hits record high temps
The former leader of the Ivory Coast’s youth militia has been arrested and charged with war crimes that resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people. [Reuters] Four examples of mobile phones making a difference in the lives of the urban poor in developing countries. [Huffington Post] Australia feels the effects of global warming after [...]
Press Review: Deadly air pollution in Iran & China to reform labor camps
In its first steps towards changes to the legal system under new leader Xi Jinping, China plans to reform its controversial forced labor camp system. [Reuters] The longterm effects of global warming and its effects on poverty, inequality, and the global economy. [The Guardian] Air pollution in Iran is blamed for thousands of deaths over [...]
Press Review: Cancer in the developing world & Syrian refugee camps lack funding
Cancer is the most deadly disease in the developing world, but it receives the least amount of funding. Groups like the Uganda Cancer Institute are working to change the perception of cancer as a low priority in poor countries. [BBC] Resources are strained in Lebanon, where Syrian refugees are seeking safety from fighting but funding [...]
Press Review: Lead poisoning crisis in Nigeria & 25,000 missing in Mexico
Extreme poverty pushes 4 million African children into human trafficking rings each year. But social acceptance of the practice in Benin are adding to the problem, which groups like UNICEF are desperately trying to fix. [The Guardian] An impoverish region of northern Nigeria is experiencing the “worst lead poisoning crisis in recorded history” after its [...]
Press Review: Climate change and social justice & Syrian refugees facing winter conditions
The World Bank names climate change as one of the “single biggest challenges to social justice today” and calls for bolder moves towards sustainability. [The Guardian] Despite a greater presence in the workforce and politics, women are the targets of increasingly violent crimes in Latin America. [Christian Science Monitor] Save the Children is asking for [...]
Press Review: Groups warn of Darfur genocide repeat & Nigeria corruption costs billions
Humanitarian groups hope that a recent video of atrocities committed by Sudanese forces will draw the world’s attention to what they call a repeat of the Darfur genocide. [The Guardian] Unrest in Mali has worsened already dire conditions for its 800,000 citizens of “slave descent” whose lack of rights have left them vulnerable to abuses [...]
