Nation Jan 08 Is U.S. foreign aid for health care being used effectively? The vast majority of foreign aid administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development goes through middlemen, international aid agencies or U.S.-based private companies that then distribute the assistance. Critics say the system leaves out many deserving locally-led startups and…
World Jan 07 Where does U.S. foreign aid go and does it make an impact? The U.S. has long been one of the world’s largest donors of foreign aid. But in recent years, its effectiveness has been called into question by a chorus of critics who say the impact of assistance programs falls well short…
World Nov 18 Ghana becomes dumping ground for the world’s unwanted used clothes An estimated 20 million people are thought to earn their livelihoods in the global waste industry by collecting, disposing, repairing or repurposing a wide range of materials and products. However, the cost and consequences of handling waste are borne far…
World Nov 15 How ‘donations’ from the West are inundating Ghana with toxic waste When Americans no longer want a car, laptop or clothes, where do some of those goods go? Most end up in the Global South, where millions of people depend on repairing, dismantling or selling them for a livelihood. Environmental groups…
World Jul 02 Scottish oil town hopes to be Europe’s green energy capital with transition to renewables A major issue in Britain’s general election is the cost of living crisis, caused by spiking inflation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That has put pressure on the country’s pledge, written into law, to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Nation Jun 20 How Scotch whisky producers are aiming to go carbon neutral The UK became the first country to set a deadline to become a carbon-neutral economy with zero emissions of greenhouse gasses. Britain’s target is 2050. Scotland’s is even earlier, by 2045. Fred de Sam Lazaro looks at the effort of…
World Apr 30 How an African university is connecting doctors to patients in remote communities Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 25 percent of all disease in the world, yet it has just three percent of the healthcare workforce. There are not enough medical and nursing schools and many of the continent’s graduates are recruited to…
World Apr 09 Rwanda marks 30 years of reconciliation after genocide, but major challenges remain Rwanda is holding observances to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide in that East African nation that took one million lives. Rwanda has won praise for rebuilding efforts, but democratic backsliding and conflict just outside its borders have raised…
Arts Jan 29 Minneapolis chamber group performs music written by Polish prisoners at Auschwitz Observances were held across the world over the weekend for the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Fred de Sam Lazaro has the story of one effort to preserve and honor the music performed by prisoners in orchestras that were a…
Nation Jan 01 Doctors unionize as healthcare services are consolidated into corporate systems As recently as the early 80s, about three of every four doctors in the U.S. worked for themselves, owning small clinics. Today, some 75 percent of physicians are employees of hospital systems or large corporate entities. Some worry the trend…