By Chau Ngo UNITED NATIONS (IPS) —As the ambulance stopped in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk, people rushed in to help. They unloaded six children, from several months to 11 years old, all injured allegedly by an air attack in the neighboring town of Tuz Khurmatu.“The situation in Iraq is grave,” said Tirana Hassan, senior […]

By Analysis by Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — As the civil war in Syria continues into its fourth year, the Western nations sitting on the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) have unsuccessfully tried to condemn the killings of civilians, impose punitive sanctions and accuse the Syrian government of war crimes — in four vetoed and […]

By Marianela Jarroud  SANTIAGO (IPS) —In Latin America, young people are the main link in the chain of poverty leading from one generation to the next. Civil society groups, academics and young people themselves say it is imperative to strengthen the connection between education today and decent employment tomorrow.“The region’s youth is a subject in […]

By Nqabomzi Bikitsha  JOHANNESBURG  (IPS) — Every year, three million newborn babies and almost 6.6 million children under five die globally, but if the rest of the world looked towards the examples of two of Africa’s least-developed countries (LDCs), Rwanda and Ethiopia, they would perhaps be able to save these children.At the 2014 Partners’ Forum […]

By Fabiola Ortiz RIO DE JANEIRO (IPS) — The FIFA World Cup being played in Brazil has sounded a warning for organizations fighting exploitation of children and adolescents, during an event that has attracted 3.7 million tourists to the 12 host cities.As well as revenue, business and employment opportunities, the football World Cup also increases […]

By Analysis by Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO (IPS) — The seven-year-old got bored after running here and there for five minutes, amidst a group of a dozen classmates. He eventually stomped off the field because he hadn’t managed to kick the ball even once.“Football is like that, you have to be patient,” he was […]

By Ignacio Ramonet PARIS  (IPS) — It is unlikely that Brazilians will listen to the audacious call made by Michel Platini – a great player in his time and now the politicking president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – on Apr. 26: “Brazil, make an effort for a month, calm down!”The FIFA […]

By Jill Richardson BOSTON (IPS) — In the past 15 years, China has gone from being a relatively insignificant economic partner in Latin America to the number-one trading partner of some of the largest economies in the region.In many cases, China has unseated the United States in its own backyard. As a whole, Latin American […]

By Muhyadin Ahmed Roble NAIROBI (IPS) – Somalia’s State Minister for Interior and Federalism Affairs Mohamud Moalim Yahye has told IPS that the hasty repatriation and mass deportation of its citizens by Kenya could compromise recent, critical security improvements made by regional governments against the Islamic extremist group, Al-Shabaab.“The unplanned and uncoordinated deportation of people, […]

By Ashfaq Yusufzai PESHAWAR, Pakistan  (IPS) — Minority communities in Pakistan have long had a raw deal. Accounting for just 10 percent of this country’s population of 180 million, they are no strangers to marginalization, discrimination or even violence.But persistent reports that Christian and Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to Islam might just take […]