Social Issues
Bulldozers won't end India's slums
IPN Opinion article
Far from the red carpet of the Oscars, the child stars of the hit-film "Slumdog Millionaire" have had their dwellings destroyed by the Indian authorities. But slums are nothing that Danny Boyle's charity, bulldozers, large wads of cash or big schemes can solve.
What's wrong in the Mekong?
IPN Opinion article
Resistance to the latest anti-malarial drugs is building up in the Mekong Delta and will threaten much of Asia and Africa: the WHO has just put out a warning that catches up with years of research saying the same thing. Mutation plays a part but so do counterfeits, accounting for a quarter of all medicines in developing countries and a third in Africa.
India: Urgent steps are needed to ensure quality medicines
IPN Opinion article
The WHO is trying to fight the huge international trade in counterfeits but faces opposition from India and others, driven by a strange coalition ranging from the far Left to business organisations: this author blows away some of the straw men these people have built up. Barun Mitra says robust trademark protection will give Indian companies a stake in quality and give Indian, and worldwide, patients the guarantees that they need.
Campaign against water privatization just doesn't add up
IPN Opinion article
Activists at the World Water Forum in Istanbul claim water is a human right and must never be privatised (although they didn't mention food, clothing, shelter or physical security): this stridency blurs policy while two million people a year still die from bad water and sanitation - and a billion lack clean drinking water. Corrupt privatization in Cochabamba created a headline story of the evils of private supply: knowing what went wrong helps deflect the stridency and create sensible policies.
