Social Watch News

Source: The Star of Malaysia

Two rating agencies, Moody’s and Standard and Poor, warned they might downgrade United States debt from its AAA status if the political impasse over a possible default continues, wrote Martin Khor, Executive Director of South Centre, in his most recent column for The Star, one of the leading Malaysian newspapers. There are several reasons why the world, and especially the developing countries, should be alarmed at this situation.

Source: Ceské Noviny

The Social Watch 2010 report released on Thursday in Prague criticised the Czech Republic for cutting welfare benefits and the planned government reforms that it says threaten low-income families who may fall into poverty, reported the Ceské Noviny newspaper

Source: TunisiaLive.net

The Tunisian League for Human Rights, focal point of Social Watch, condemned the attempts by the European Union and the United States to deny the humanitarian Freedom Flotilla 2 from sealing toward Gaza, reported the news portal TunisiaLive.net.

Doreen Stabinsky. (Photo:
College of the Atlantic)

Source: Third World Network

The last two rainy seasons did not materialize over a major portion of the Horn of Africa. All of Somalia, and large swaths of Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and northern Uganda are now experiencing their worst drought in sixty years, warned Doreen Stabinsky, Professor of Global Environmental Politics at College of the Atlantic in Maine, United States.

Photo: Social Watch

Source: Social Watch

In its 5th Global Assembly held in Manila last week, Social Watch concluded that “the current growth-led economic model is economically inefficient, socially unjust, environmentally damaging and politically unsustainable”. Thus, it pledged to “challenge the prevailing economic paradigm based on GDP growth worldwide” and to further its contribution to “the development of alternative indicators”.

PROVEA/Rafael Uzcátegui (*)

Social Watch India launched its
latest report. (Photo: SWIndia)

Source: Social Watch India

Most of the 70,000 complaints filed every year at the National Human Rights Commission of India “are against police”, said Dr. K. S.Subramanian, former policeman and author of the report “Social Watch India Perspective Series Vol.:3”, launched last week.

ILO Director-General, Juan
Somavia. (Photo: ILO)

Source: Social Watch

“The current growth model that has evolved since the early 1980s has become economically inefficient, socially unstable, environmentally damaging and politically unsustainable. So it must be changed. But getting there will probably lead to increased social conflict,” said Juan Somavia, ILO Director General, in his message to the Social Watch Global Assembly in Manila.

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