News headlines in August 2020, page 9

NEW YORK, Aug 04 (IPS) - The United Nations came into existence at a time of great despair, when the penholders of its founding document dared to imagine a better world, one that would be defined by peace and equality. Visionary world leaders chose hope over cynicism, empathy over indifference and partnership over distrust when they came together in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 to sign the Charter of the United Nations. They embarked upon a new, rules-based world order, with an Organization of unrivalled legitimacy at its core.

MIAMI, Aug 04 (IPS) - Long ago, I was reviewing the offer of readings on the Internet, as a break from the search for academic sources for one of those articles with which to comply with professional rules, impress colleagues and students, and continue climbing steps in the university.

BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug 04 (IPS) - After decades of impressive growth, for the first time, Southeast Asia is experiencing a drop in measured human development. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will likely take months to reveal itself and years to put right. Yet, a legacy of mobilizing under constraints is leading Southeast Asia's pandemic response.

AMSTERDAM, Aug 04 (IPS) - The Sustainable Development goals on energy speak clear: universal access energy and clean cooking by 2030 (SDG7). But the current efforts are still lagging several steps behind the specific needs of the communities and are not enough to achieve energy access for all, especially clean cooking solutions.

I have never been interested in religion or spirituality before, but I found myself tuning in to all sorts of on-line religion and spirituality related forums "in search of something."

These are the words of a 30-something single young, middle class man (born into a Protestant-Catholic family background) in a European country. The latter is known more for turning several churches into museums or shopping centers, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. When people are afraid, lonely and alone - they tend to seek "something" beyond science.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug 04 (IPS) - The 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the Worldissued by the Food and Agriculture Organization and its United Nations partners in mid-July, reports that chronic hunger continued to increase to 690 million worldwide in 2019, 60 million more than in 2014.

Aug 03 (IPS) - Going against its own orders, the government in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered the fast-tracking of environmental clearances despite manifest evidence of illegal sand mining.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 03 (IPS) - Africa's demographic boom has been hailed as its biggest promise for transforming the continent's economic and social outcomes, but only if the right investments are made to prepare its youthful population for tomorrow's world.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 03 (IPS) - The theme of this year's High-Level Political Forumwhere governments reviewed progress on the Sustainable Development Goals was "Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development."

KATHMANDU, Aug 03 (IPS) - The coronavirus pandemic was a respite for nature everywhere. The air was cleanertrekking trails were pristine, the summit of Mt Everest was desertedand worldwide carbon emission dipped by -26%.