By CIVICUSJul 25 2024 –   CIVICUS discusses the recent US Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and its potential impact on the 5 November presidential election with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law. On 1 July, the US Supreme Court ruled that presidents have absolute immunity for the exercise of their core constitutional powers and...

Credit: China Daily 2017-08-09 By Jan LundiusSTOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jul 25 2024 – Habits can change extremely fast, particularly within so-called “developed” nations, where children, even more than grownups are affected by life changing events. Gone are the times when kids could move around freely and invent games and adventures together with their friends. Far away from the scrutinizing control...

Senior citizens are exercising at a park in Bangkok. Out of 67 million Thais, 12 million are elderly. Credit: UNFPA Asia and the Pacific By Michał PodolskiBANGKOK, Thailand, Jul 25 2024 – Several Asia-Pacific countries are ageing fast. This transition is neither unique nor limited to the region — it is a global megatrend. However, this time it is different. Why? Because ageing proceeds...

Hepatitis remains a deadly disease, causing over 800,000 deaths globally each year. Credit: Shutterstock. By Danjuma AddaJul 25 2024 – July 28th is World Hepatitis Day, created to celebrate the life and work of Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg. Blumberg’s work contributed to the discovery of hepatitis B, and the development of a vaccine that could prevent infection with this...

The acute shortage of qualified mental health specialists in West Africa is a major obstacle to tackling mental health issues in the region. Credit Credit: Unsplash /Melanie Wasser By Sylvia MuyingoNAIROBI, Jul 24 2024 – Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 116 million people in the African region were living with mental health conditions. A large proportion of mental disorders is...

Credit: Equality Now By Deborah NyokabiNAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 2024 – Thandi*, a 14-year-old girl from Malawi, is both a child and a mother. After she and her siblings were orphaned, they were left in the care of their grandmother, who struggled to provide for them. Thandi recalls with sorrow how two years ago, her grandmother ‘sold’ her to a much older man for a bride price of 15,000 Malawian...

By Jomo Kwame SundaramKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jul 24 2024 – Many low-income countries (LICs) continue to slip further behind the rest of the world. Meanwhile, people in extreme poverty have been increasing again after decades of decline. Jomo Kwame Sundaram Falling further behind World output more than doubled from $36 trillion in 1990 to $87 trillion by 2021 (in constant US dollars), but...

People queue outside a bank where they access diaspora remittances in Bulawayo. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPS By Ignatius Banda BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe , Jul 24 2024 – As the African diaspora continues its growth, agencies are seeking ways to tap into this vast demographic to help with the continent’s development. Remittances from millions of Africans scattered across the globe have been hailed...