Growing up in Ramallah in Palestine, Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach Division at the United Nations Department of Global Communications, never really liked running. “I only ran when I needed to: to catch a bus or to run from soldiers,” he tells IPS. But now with three marathons under his belt — which raised thousands for scholarships […]

The post Q&A: How to #BeActive during COVID-19 Lockdown appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Soon schools in Timor-Leste, Ukraine, and Kosovo, where some 6.5 million children are currently at home, will hopefully start teaching their children once again — albeit online.  A learning platform, originally designed to assist refugee and displaced children, was launched this week to address the current global crisis affecting children who are out of school […]

The post Children under Lockdown get a ‘Learning Passport’ appeared first on Inter Press Service.

While one-fourth of the world’s population is under home-quarantine to contain the spread of the novel Covid-19 pandemic, another crisis is brewing behind closed doors—domestic violence. Research shows that in emergencies be it conflicts, economic crisis or during disease outbreaks, there has been a repeat pattern of increase in domestic abuse, therefore abusers and their […]

The post Addressing the rise in domestic violence during lockdown appeared first on Inter Press Service.

A master locksmith continues his artistic work in a Turkish UNESCO World Heritage city during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In the first article of our blockchain series, we explained how the use of blockchain technology had the potential to offer s...

Educational institutions are having to navigate through unchartered territory with regards to their student accommodation, implementing the recent government guidance in relation to Covid-19 to ensure the safety of both staff and students. Although ...

Why is the visual depiction of this country in centre-left international online news publications so unrecognisable?

The post What is this place?: The visual simulacrum of South Africa in the Covid-19 lockdown appeared first on The Mail & Guardian.

AHMEDABAD, India: Drones hovered over this pandemic-stricken city on Saturday spraying disinfectant on the streets, hours after security forces clashed with residents who defied a toughened lockdown.

It’s always worth listening to smart people with ideas that go against the grain.

As celebrities reveal details about their charitable giving during the COVID-19 pandemic, some feel it could be the start of a new attitude to donating ...

In the coming weeks, media must begin to ask questions and help the public understand where exactly this money is going or should go. Since journalists are not necessarily experts in everything or some of the things, they can leverage their platforms to get experts to explain the issues

If these legal services are not essential, why does the police arrest violators of the lockdown and then wait on magistrates to open some of the closed courts only to remand the accused without an option of applying for bail, ironically because of the Covid-19?

On Thursday, this newspaper reported that an inter-ministerial committee was to table before Cabinet a framework paper on a strict post-lockdown transport sector plan where public transport vehicles will face 42 days of extended lockdown in a bid to decongest the city. When approved, the new rules will compel passenger vehicles to be taken for inspection every after six months, at the owner’s cost, and there will be compulsory registration of all boda boda cyclists.

Lemon help to ease and soothe throat congestion for someone suffering from the common cold. It is recommended as natural treatment, writes Lominda Afedraru.

Lockdown: Before the lockdown, Kiteetikka Mbuzi Market, commonly referred to as Kumbuzi, was a beehive of activities. Elizabeth Kamurungi visited the area and spoke to some of the few vendors still operating.

[News24Wire] As the Western Cape ramps up its screenings and testing for Covid-19 as confirmed cases rise, the ANC in the province is calling for the return to Level 5 lockdown to be considered.

[SudaNow] Sudan Ministry of Health announced on Friday 181 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths.

Spain's daily death toll due to Covid-19 today fell to its second lowest since mid-March, as half the country prepares to move to the next phase of its rolling back of lockdown measures.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, chess websites worldwide report a 50% increase in activity and amount of games being played online.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has called fears over the coronavirus a "psychosis" and variously suggested drinking vodka, visiting saunas or playing ice hockey to beat the disease.

The petition demanded that the funds be directly transferred to Palestinian workers and needy families.

In nationwide demonstrations over the last few days, Israeli women are demanding help with the spike violence against women during the COVID-19 crisis.

FAISALABAD: Despite the lockdown, the GDP of Faisalabad is expected to grow from 1.3 to 2.2 per cent. This was said by National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Chairman Faizullah Kamoka. He was addressing a virtual discussion on Local Economic Development of...

PESHAWAR: Adviser to Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Ajmal Wazir has stated that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has taken several decisions relaxing the ongoing lockdown in the province.According to an official handout, he was talking to the media and said the steps had been...

A surprise jump in Chinese exports in April will be short-lived, analysts said, with the world’s second largest economy unable to stay sheltered from the demand shock to come from the global economic downturn.A 3.5 per cent rise in shipments last month caught economists by surprise and left them scrambling for explanations as the consensus forecast was for an 11 per cent contraction.The rise was, in part, due to factories coming back online in China in March and April to fulfil orders that had…

British consumers have spent their six weeks of coronavirus lockdown sewing, drinking cocktails, carrying out home beauty treatments and eating large quantities of kimchi.That is according to a report from John Lewis Partnership Plc on the nation’s shopping behaviour since March 23, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson told everyone to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.The partnership, which owns the John Lewis department store and Waitrose grocery chains beloved by the British middle…

In the seven years that Guangzhou native Grace Hexiaoya has called Spain her home, she has mastered the language, become enamoured with the weather and developed a soft spot for all the friendly people that she has met. She likes it in Madrid, where she works behind the counter at the I Love Dulces corner shop and confectionery store. Hers is one of the many Asian faces that can be seen running the Spanish capital’s vital food shops, even as the country – one of Europe’s hardest-hit by the…

Forcing people in the US to shelter at home during the coronavirus outbreak may have resulted in less death from Covid-19 infections but also fewer victims of mass shootings.The number of mass shootings in the US plunged 24 per cent in April from a year earlier as churches, malls, restaurants, schools and parks were shuttered and most businesses closed, according to a Bloomberg analysis of data from an organisation that tracks information about firearm-related violence. The decline occurred…

Violence and chaos marred India’s first day of freedom from its stringent virus lockdown as migrant workers clashed with police in western India and brawls erupted outside liquor shops in the national capital.The country on Monday partially eased movement curbs across all but the worst infection-hit areas in an attempt to restart its stalled economy. Liquor shops, closed for 40 days under the strict stay-at-home orders, also reopened allowing state governments to earn some much-needed tax…

The Philippines’ decision to allow gaming firms to resume their operations ahead of other local businesses has been met with fierce criticism, but officials insist the move is necessary as the government needs the revenue to fund its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) – which cater to gamblers in China, where the activity is illegal – were ordered to close in March as part of lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19. They employ tens of thousands of…

Indian police are investigating an online chat group that made light of gang-rape and caused a backlash on social media over trivialising sexual assault, with one teenage boy questioned on Tuesday.An Instagram chat group called “bois locker room” was the top trending hashtag on Twitter in India, with many tweets using screenshots from the group to highlight derogatory comments made about women, sexism or victim blaming.Sexual violence against women has become a major issue in India since the…

Singapore Airlines’ shares surged the most in more than three decades on bets that ongoing fundraising will help the carrier survive as lockdown restrictions ease worldwide from Italy to the US.Its share price, adjusted for the planned rights issue, soared as much as 21 per cent, the most since October 1987. It pared its advance to 11 per cent this afternoon. The company unveiled in March plans to raise about S$8.8 billion (US$6.2 billion) by rights issue and convertible bonds to contend with…

Gourmet takeaway delivered by a butler in a black sedan – Thailand’s super-rich have not forgone luxury during a pandemic which has locked the country down, crushed the economy and left millions unemployed.Thailand is one of the most unequal nations in the world and the chasm between rich and poor is widening as the coronavirus eviscerates jobs, leaving 22 million registering for a government cash handout.Hundreds line up daily for food donations across Bangkok, a grim sign of an economic…

Under lockdown and far apart, Sushen Dang and Keerti Narang went online to say their marriage vows – and pulled off a spectacular Indian wedding complete with thousands of guests and raucous Bollywood dancing.In a country famous for lavish weddings that last for days, the young couple are among a growing number modifying their marriage ceremonies under a virus lockdown that has limited public gatherings.Eager to go ahead with the arranged marriage on the auspicious date selected for them by a…

Little mental challenges can also be both beneficial and fun.

Amoth warns those plotting to sneak out of the region, saying they will worsen the situation.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on governments and leaders around the world to ensure that their respective lockdown measurements don’t end up causing harm to people by those enforcing the lockdowns.   “Emergency powers should not be a weapon governments can wield to quash dissent, control the population, and even perpetuate […]

The post Governments Cautioned Not to Use COVID-19 Lockdown to Cause Harm appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Press freedom in Bangladesh has been in decline long before the coronavirus came to our shores. Over the last decade, thanks to increasingly repressive media laws and highhanded measures adopted by the authorities, the health of journalism has been deteriorating in such a way that even the stalwarts of the fourth estate began to worry […]

The post Blocking media access during Covid-19 appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The digital divide has become more pronounced than ever amid the global coronavirus lockdown, but experts are concerned that in the current circumstances this divide, where over 46 percent of the world’s population remain without technology or internet access, could grow wider — particularly among women.   “There were already deep divides in access to technologies […]

The post COVID-19: The Digital Divide Grows Wider Amid Global Lockdown appeared first on Inter Press Service.

A group of irate youths got their lives handed to them when they attempted to block Deputy President William Ruto’s bloackade.