News headlines in 2020, page 26

BANGKOK, Thailand, Oct 06 (IPS) - Participation in global and regional supply chains has been one of the most reliable economic growth strategies, especially for developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. Smooth and efficient connectivity in both trade and transport has been indispensable to the region's pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 06 (IPS) - COVID-19 has shifted our world. Over the last six months, no matter where we live, our lives, assumptions, and relationships have changed. Now, more than ever, we have witnessed people from all backgrounds and all ages rise to assist each other.

BERLIN and KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 06 (IPS) - Industrial policy – or the promotion of particular investments, technologies, industries, regions and enterprises – has been practiced by a variety of governments to try to accelerate economic growth and transformation.

AMSTERDAM/ROME, Oct 05 (IPS) - Lockdowns, social distancing, face-masks and other restrictions on personal and social behaviour have helped slow the progress of the COVID-19 virus. Enough to allow health systems to start catching their breath, for doctors to work out treatment protocols, and for work to start on a vaccine. There is now a need to take stock of the many other impacts the pandemic is likely to have, particularly at the economic and political level.

PUNE, India, Oct 05 (IPS) - One day, while the rest of his family were out at work, Kamlesh Pravasi from Jigarsandih village in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh was "abducted when I returned home one day from school, by a contractor's goons," he told IPS. The then 12-year-old Pravasi, who was in the sixth grade, was forced to work in bonded labour in a brick kiln because his father could not return a Rs 5,000 ($68) loan he had taken out from the contractor in order to pay for medical treatment for Pravasi's sick brother.

NEW YORK, Oct 05 (IPS) - Teachers are at the heart of children and young peoples' educational experiences. Teachers play multiple roles in their students' lives by supporting their learning, providing them with inclusive and safe environments to grow and develop, and helping them become more confident as they make their way in the world.

As we commemorate World Teachers' Day on Monday, 5 October and its theme--Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future--we must recognize the inspiring and transformative role that teachers working in armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate change induced disasters and protracted crises play in their students' lives.

KATHMANDU. Nepal, Oct 05 (IPS) - After a prolonged lobbying campaign, the Government of Nepal recently took some important actions against perpetrators of acid attacks while offering better provisions to support the process of rehabilitation of their victims.

MEXICO CITY, Oct 02 (IPS) - The way forward for energy transition and its link to an economic recovery after the depression caused by the covid-19 pandemic is focusing attention in Latin America and Europe, according to the 2nd Madrid Energy Conference (MEC), which concluded this Friday 2.

NAWALPARASI, Lumbiniī, Nepal, Oct 02 (IPS) - Vultures get a lot of bad press. Unlike other birds which are praised for their melodious song or bright plumage, vultures have been traditionally reviled for feeding greedily on carcasses, and what many see is as a repulsive look. In many cultures, they are considered an ill omen and the Nepali language has many derogatory phrases.

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Oct 02 (IPS) - Sarudzai Moyo, a former teacher, has begun a new career as a fishmonger. Once a week she makes the 450km journey from Bulawayo to Binga, on the shores of Lake Kariba, where she buys between 100 and 150 kilograms of fish for resale as the demand for cheaper dietary options increase in Zimbabwe.