News headlines in October 2020, page 8

NAIROBI, Oct 09 (IPS) - "We need to build back better."  This has been the rallying call on the COVID-19 response by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to leaders and communities around the world. It has been echoed in conference rooms and in the numerous Zoom meetings organized to discuss the pandemic. It will be especially important to apply the idea to women working in the agriculture and food sector. 

GENEVA/ PARIS/ NEW YORK, Oct 09 (IPS) - The International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October is a call for us to reflect on our responsibilities. Twenty-five years ago, governments adopted the historic Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action.

DAKAR, Oct 09 (IPS) - Ismaila Badji could not bring himself to leave his house for weeks after returning to Senegal. "I failed twice; at school and on the road," he said. "What's wrong with me? I'm still looking for the answer." After spending time in a Libyan detention centre, Badji returned to where he came from. He did not feel like himself, he lacked motivation and he suffered from stigma from the local community.

AMSTERDAM/ROME, Oct 08 (IPS) - Around the 16th century there was a radical shift in the way humans perceived nature.  New thinking in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics heralded a deeper understanding of the world around us.  Between the 17th and 18th century this new thinking had resulted in spate of technological inventions such as the steam engine, railways, electricity and the telephone.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 08 (IPS) - The coronavirus  pandemic has the potential to bring about positive changes for cities, and give leaders the opportunity to make long-term, transformative changes as a result, according to renowned architect Norman Foster, who was speaking at the first ever Forum of Mayors 2020.

NEW YORK, Oct 08 (IPS) - Like many Americans, I have been observing Trump's rise to power with some perplexity, often asking myself how and why a man of his character became the President of the United States, which is viewed as the most powerful political office in the world.

Oct 07 (IPS) - The recent refusal by five international auditing firms to inspect for labor abuses in Xinjiang was the right response to the severe human rights violations there. But this is a moment for the auditing and certifications industry, which assesses the compliance of work sites with human rights and labor rights standards, to rethink its approach to "social audits"—periodic workplace inspections—everywhere.

CANBERRA, Australia, Oct 07 (IPS) - Can a state built upon the "taking of another people's lands, lives and power" ever really be just?  Colonialism can't be reversed, so at a simple level the answer is no.

STOCKHOLM / ROME, Oct 07 (IPS) - The 26th of September, the Lebanese prime minister Mustapha Adib stepped down after less than a month on his post. The president, Michael Auon, stated: "Lebanon will be going to Hell if a new government is not formed soon." The question is if his nation is not there already. A horrifying image of the state of the nation was provided on the 4th of August when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored in a dockside hangar, blew up in an explosion killing more than 190 people, injuring 6,500 and damaging thousands of buildings.

NEW YORK, Oct 07 (IPS) - As governments worldwide struggle to contain COVID-19, recent reports suggesting armed groups like Islamic State are resurging offer a sobering account of the many challenges that the global community now faces.