News headlines in October 2020, page 2

JAKARTA, Oct 28 (IPS) - In West Jakarta, Indonesia, teachers at the private Santo Kristoforus High School are so environmentally conscious they make other schools seem a little bit green when it comes to environmental education.

"We integrate environmental issues into science, especially natural science subjects. At school we teach them to conserve water and electricity. And since we don't have a designated area for students to grow and learn about plants, we organise field trips to botanical gardens in the capital Jakarta and surrounding towns," teacher Senobius Santi told IPS.

LONDON, Oct 28 (IPS) - US Christian right groups, many with close links to the Trump administration, have spent at least $280m in ‘dark money' fuelling campaigns against the rights of women and LGBTIQ people across five continents, openDemocracy can reveal today.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 (IPS) - The world is currently counting more than 42 million confirmed cases of the COVID-19 and over 1 million deaths since the start of the pandemic.¹

ABUJA, Oct 28 (IPS) - On October 20, 2020, young Nigerians who were protesting against police brutality were shot by men in Nigerian military uniforms. Unarmed, peaceful citizens were massacred at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

URBANA, Illinois, Oct 27 (IPS) - This year, the Nobel Peace Prize recognised the inextricable link between hunger and conflict. With climate change as a further complicating factor, research, investment, and coordination with local farmers are critical for ensuring food security for all.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (IPS) - In July, the UN Secretary-General warned that a "series of countries in insolvency might trigger a global depression". Earlier, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had called for a US$2.5 trillion coronavirus crisis package for developing countries.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Oct 27 (IPS) - For Zimbabwean farmer Sinikiwe Sibanda, planting more sorghum and millet than maize has paid off.

As the coronavirus pandemic has led to decreased incomes and increased food prices across the southern African nation -- it is estimated that more than 8 million Zimbabweans will need food aid until the next harvest season in March -- Sibanda's utilisation of traditional and indigenous food resources could provide a solution to food security here.

BANGKOK, Thailand, Oct 26 (IPS) - This year, the United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary – a milestone of extraordinary economic and social progress in Asia and the Pacific. While the Organization enjoys a lifespan almost equal to the world's improved average life expectancy, the future lies with those who have recently embarked on theirs: our young people.

NEW YORK, Oct 26 (IPS) - The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the way people value working from home, career building, and their overall approach to utilising downtime.

It has blurred out the lines between hobby, casual reading, and how time is spent away from work.

NEW YORK, Oct 26 (IPS) - As the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb said on October 20: As a Muslim and being the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, I declare before Almighty God that I disassociate myself, the rulings of the religion of Islam, and the teachings of the Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), from such heinous terrorist act and from whoever would embrace such deviant, false thought.