Health & Well Being

Image: Journalists attacked since 1992. CInredit: CPJ

COVID-19: Call for Freeing All Journalists Jailed Globally

By CPJ

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has launched the #FreeThePress campaign to call for the unconditional release of all jailed journalists to ensure their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the past four years, CPJ’s annual census has found a record high number of journalists in jail because of their work – at least 250. Those journalists now face a potential death sentence. The World Health Organization has said prisoners are particularly vulnerable to the virus, as self-isolation in jail is impossible, and prisoners are routinely denied medical treatment.

: UN Bureau; COVID-19; 03 April 2020

Photo: Family members who have fled conflict sit inside their tent at the Pissila camp for displaced people in Burkina Faso. WFP/Marwa Awad

Military Intervention Alone Will Fail to Resolve the Sahel Crisis

Viewpoint by Jan Egeland and Jean-François Riffaud

Jan Egeland is Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Jean-François Riffaud is Chief Executive Officer of Action Against Hunger-France.

OSLO (IDN) — President Emmanuel Macron invited the five G5 West African leaders to the French city of Pau in January 2020 to shore up support for international engagement in restive Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. All agreed that more European security support was needed to counter violent extremism in the Central Sahel.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 03 April 2020

A Nobel Peace Laureate Calls for Slashing Military Spending and Investing in Healthcare

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – The world's oldest peace NGO, the 1910 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Peace Bureau (IPB), is calling for a "dramatic reduction" of military spending in favour of healthcare and meeting social needs. A petition launched on March 27 and signed by all interested will be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly on the first day of the next session opening on September 15, 2020.

"The world spends 1.8 trillion dollars on military expenditure every year and is scheduled to spend 1 trillion dollars on new nuclear weapons in the next 20 years," notes the IPB in the petition and a statement earlier from its headquarters in Germany's capital city, Berlin.

: Jutta Wolf; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 02 April 2020

Photo: When UK prime minister Boris Johnson argued to "get Brexit done", he was making the case against parliamentary politics. Credit: Houses of Parliament.

There's Nothing So Political as a Pandemic – Part 2

Viewpoint by Adam Ramsay*

This is the second of a two-part article originally published on openDemocracy. Click here for the first part. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

LONDON (IDN) – Given that people feel deeply alienated from our political institutions, it's not surprising that the many will rally behind the idea that we shouldn't politicise crises. Politics, as people experience it, is utterly awful.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 01 April 2020

Photo: Responding to Opposition Labour Party's Jeremy Corbyn's demands of the UK government in light of the coronavirus outbreak, Tory MP Jonathan Gullis accused him of try to "play party politics with a health crisis". Credit: eremycorbyn.org.uk

There's Nothing So Political as a Pandemic – Part 1

Viewpoint by Adam Ramsay*

This is the first of a two-part article originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

LONDON (IDN) – The technocrats are on the rampage.

When [British Labour Party leader] Jeremy Corbyn produced a list of fairly moderate demands of the UK government in light of the coronavirus outbreak, ITV's Paul Brand argued that if such proposals were 'too political', they would look opportunistic. Tory [Conservative Party] MP Jonathan Gullis branded Corbyn "the biggest disgrace to British politics I have known in my lifetime. To try to play party politics with a health crisis", he raved, "is disgusting."

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 01 April 2020

Women Peace and Security in the Time of Corona

Viewpoint by Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE*

With over 70% of the global healthcare workforce made up of women and many more shouldering caregiving roles, women are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, but the consequences and new realities of our world have gendered implications that need to be understood. Sanam Naraghi Anderlini MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), calls our attention to these impacts, the realities of women living this pandemic, and the relevance of the women, peace and security agenda now more than ever.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 31 March 2020

Ugandan Singer Bobi Wine Sings of Handwashing and More in New Pop Song

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Ugandan pop star and opposition leader Bobi Wine, who describes himself "a singer, an activist and a member of parliament" is known for his "must plays" – and his latest tune "Corona Virus Alert!," is definitely one of them.

The lyrics remind listeners to wash their hands to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. But there's another message – namely that time has come for Africa's leaders to put more resources into building health care systems that serve both the rich and the poor.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 31 March 2020

Photo: A woman has her samples taken for COVID-19 testing upon arriving at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, March 18, 2020. Credit: VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Vietnam Readies 90,000 Doctors for Combating Coronavirus

By Le Nga and Le Phuong, VNExoress International

HANOI (IDN) – Vietnam has readied as many as 90,000 doctors and 125,000 nurses as also turned many facilities into zones for quarantining and treating COVID-19 patients.

On March 18, 90,000 doctors and 125,000 nurses nationwide had been positioned to be deployed in case Vietnam sees a spike in COVID-19 patients.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 March 2020

Mexicontagion: Coronavirus & Mexico's Economic Vulnerability

Viewpoint by Bill Dahl

The writer is a former Senior Vice President for Bank of America in Los Angeles, CA. He currently resides in Queretaro, MX. His insightful analysis of global economic affairs have been published widely. He is a contributing columnist for Mexico News Daily, IDN-InDepthNews and Wall Street International Magazine.

REDMOND, Oregon, USA (IDN) – The Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic has revealed that there are certain human beings more susceptible to heightened risks of infection, serious illness and death.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 29 March 2020

COVID-19: The Indian State of Kerala is a Beacon to the World

By Vijay Prashad and Subin Dennis *

This article is taken from Countercurrents which published it on March 27. The article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

KOLKATA (IDN) – K.K. Shailaja is the health minister in the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, the state in the southwest of India that has a population of 35 million people. On January 25, 2020, she convened a high-level meeting to discuss the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. What had particularly worried her is that there were many students from Kerala studying in that province of China.