News headlines in 2020, page 41

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 21 (IPS) - >Nearly three quarters of respondents in a survey across 18 African countries have claimed that their countries' COVID-19 responses are gravely lacking in addressing the ageing population.

STOCKHOLM / ROME, Aug 21 (IPS) - It is becoming increasingly common to be transfixed by the idea that character is reflected by appearances and thus many individuals become obsessed with obtaining, or maintaining, an aesthetically pleasing appearance. An entire business has developed around our cult of bodily beauty, as well as the youth, glamour and success assumed to be connected to it. Beauty contests, fashion shows, cosmetic surgery, fitness studios, make-up products and a host of other phenomena profit from this craving for human beauty.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 21 (IPS) - As it continues to vociferously preach the virtues of equality—advocating equal rights for all, irrespective of race, sex, language or religion-- the United Nations has been quick to condemn racism and racial discrimination worldwide.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 21 (IPS) - There is an intimate connection between corruption and COVID-19. This pandemic is making everyday life more desperate, especially in poorer communities, and that means more opportunities for those preying on vulnerable people.

Aug 21 (IPS) - What appears to have started as a mutiny, and resulted in a coup, came on the heels of renewed civilian protests in Bamako, the Malian capital. Tensions have been high since president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta's 2018 re-election which was marred by irregularities. All the while, he has continued to face allegations of corruption and fraud.

GENEVA, Aug 20 (IPS) - The pandemic is disproportionately affecting women workers. Governments should prioritize policies that offset the effects the COVID-19 crisis is having on their jobs.

Aug 20 (IPS) - "The xapiri have defended the forest since it first came into being. Our ancestors have never devastated it because they kept the spirits by their side," declares Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, who belongs to the 27,000-strong Yanomami people living in the very north of Brazil.

DOHA, Aug 19 (IPS) - Like thousands of migrant workers from Africa and Asia, I am finally in the land of my dreams, Qatar. I knew working here would be tough, but I thought I would be able to regularly send money home to my family and live decently.

Aug 19 (IPS) - President Aliaksandr Lukashenka's government is teetering after he declared victory in a rigged 9 August vote. Protests have exploded. Moscow, Brussels and other stakeholders should avoid transforming the Belarus crisis into a European one, cooperate to warn against repression and insist on new, fair elections.

MBABANE, Aug 19 (IPS) - The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the escalation of violence against women and children in Sri Lanka.