News headlines in April 2019, page 3

LONDON, Apr 23 (IPS) - When former footballer George Weah became president of Liberia in 2018, media practitioners felt they had in him a democrat who would champion media freedoms. "But we were mistaken," journalist Henry Costa told IPS.

DUBAI, Apr 23 (IPS) - Karishma Asarpot* is an urban planner, blogger and researcher who holds a Master of Science degree in Urbanism from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Though climate policies aim to reduce GHG emissions, they miss out on emphasizing the importance of urban planning policies

Cities that have ratified the Paris Agreement and pledged to reduce carbon emissions are adopting climate action plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 23 (IPS) - Privatization is expected by many to promote competition and eliminate corruption. In practice, the converse has been true as privatization beneficiaries have successfully colluded and engaged in new types of corruption to maximize their own gains.

At the risk of reiterating what should be obvious, the question of private or public ownership is distinct from the issue of competition or market forces. Despite the misleading claim that privatization promotes competition, it is competition policy, not privatization, that promotes competition.

STOCKHOLM / ROME, Apr 23 (IPS) - Trump´s electoral success was preceded by a rise of chauvinistic politics in most of Europe, paired with electoral triumphs of far-right candidates in several other countries. A development accompanied by revelations of corrupt leaders laundering and transferring illegally obtained money, aided by financial institutions finding the means to do so. The world seems to move away from a rule-based order to a state of affairs dominated by might and wealth. World leaders´ private business dealings thrive within a global environment where laws intended to protect human rights are becoming increasingly ineffective. Foreign policies appear to be adapted to private gains and personal vendettas. Global financial systems seem to be crafted to facilitate kleptocracy and money laundering, while repression and violence smite whistle-blowers and daring journalists. Endeavours supported by propaganda and smear campaigns orchestrated by political/financial consultants and private investigation firms. All this is made possible through complicated schemes using the internet.

NEW YORK, Apr 22 (IPS) - Dr. Purnaka L. ("PL") de Silva is Director, Institute for Strategic Studies and Democracy (ISSD) Malta

"If we believe in absurdities we shall commit atrocities" - Voltaire

I returned from attending a three-hour Easter Sunday mass at the Fordham University Church around midnight New York time on May 20, 2019, when my phone rang and a colleague asked me what's going on in Sri Lanka? I said what is going on?

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 22 (IPS) - Kingsley Ighobor is a writer at Africa Renewal,* published by the United Nations

Government staffer Souhayata Haidara enjoys talking about her life in a patriarchal society. Her career is a triumph of patience and perseverance, she tells Africa Renewal with a smile and a wink.

NEW DELHI, Apr 22 (IPS) - Sunita Narain is Editor, Down To Earth based in New Delhi

Our acceptance of climate change doesn't keep pace with our energy consumption reduction. However, the latest International Energy Agency's (IEA'S) Global Energy and CO2 Status Report for 2018 has some good news.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 19 (IPS) - Journalists around the world are increasingly seeing threats of violence, detention, and even death simply for doing their job, a new press index found.

BELGRADE, Apr 19 (IPS) - This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which was the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW), sponsored by CIVICUS, and which took place in Belgrade, April 8-12.

Bridge 47, a Finland-based organisation created "to bring people together to share and learn from each other", put global citizenship education (GCED) centre-stage at a recent annual meeting of civil society.

ADDIS ABABA, Apr 19 (IPS) - Bethlehem Mengistu is WaterAid Country Director in Ethiopia

Following 2018 elections in Ethiopia, a record-breaking number of women now hold leadership positions in the country's government. But women still struggle to rise up the ranks in other sectors.