Articles
Italy: unrest in the south
02 Apr 2020
Lockdown is the only solution to ending the pandemic, and Italy’s government has extended it beyond 3 April with no new deadline. In the south, hunger and hardship threaten to be even bigger problems than the…
European shortage of fruit and veg
02 Apr 2020
Suppliers say fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe could dwindle as the coronavirus pandemic hampers the global movement of produce and people across borders. Governments are looking at ways to ease shortages, including ‘green lanes’ to…
Nazanin under consideration for clemency
02 Apr 2020
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, currently on temporary release from a five-year jail sentence, is, for the first time, under formal consideration for clemency. A decision will be made by the highest level of Iran’s multi-layered government. There is…
Brazil: Bolsonaro's ‘deny and defy’ policy
02 Apr 2020
President Bolsonaro's coronavirus strategy of ‘putting economy first' is putting thousands of lives at risk. He calculates that the number of deaths will be less costly than the inevitable recession caused by an economic shutdown. Brazil's…
India: lockdown improves air quality
02 Apr 2020
Lockdown has reduced vehicle traffic across India, leading to a drop in air pollution in over 90 cities, including Delhi. Welcoming the reduced pollution, environmentalists are now urging the government to treat it as a ‘wake-up…
China: watching Wuhan
02 Apr 2020
As coronavirus ravages the world, many are now watching Wuhan slowly emerging from two months’ complete lockdown - the population cautiously (with masks and gloves) moving about. The world is now in an extraordinary and precarious…