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July 16, 2024
 

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Cesar Chelala

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Cesar Chelala
Cesar Chelala, MD, PhD, is an international public health consultant for several UN agencies, and a writer on human rights, medical and foreign policy issues. He is a winner of an Overseas Press Club of America Award. His articles have been published in more than 70 countries worldwide.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2002
The truth can help set Afghanistan free
NEW YORK -- The coming meeting in June of a "loya jirga," or national council, that will name members of a transitional government to rule the country for the next 18 months, offers hope for a return to normalcy in beleagered Afghanistan. An essential component in this process should be the creation...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2002
Population-fund cuts come at deadly price
NEW YORK -- The Bush administration's recent decision to cut back funds appropriated by Congress to the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, will have serious repercussions in that agency's support for reproductive health in developing countries. The U.S. decision is aggravated by reduced contributions...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2002
Grim outlook for Asia's final frontier of biodiversity
NEW YORK -- Since brutally assuming direct power in 1988, the Myanmar military has been conducting a sustained assault on the environment in one of Asia's richest and least-developed lands. The country's ecosystem, which ranges from tropical reefs along the Bay of Bengal to the mountains of the Himalayas,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2002
Revolting state of affairs under Chavez
NEW YORK -- Recent developments in Venezuela -- work stoppages, increasing public dissatisfaction with government policies, deficiencies in essential services, a weak economy, the beginnings of military resistance -- seem to augur dif ficult times for President Hugo Chavez. He is becoming isolated from...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2002
Forget peace if the rules differ for Israel
NEW YORK -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to keep Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat under siege in the West Bank city of Ra- mallah shows an utter disrespect for the Palestinian leader and for the Palestinians. While Sharon insists that Arafat will not leave the city until...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2002
Poor politics brought on Argentine crisis
NEW YORK -- Argentina is a country under siege. The attackers, however, are not foreign armies. They are corrupt and incompetent politicians, who are responsible for the dire state the country is in. The resignation of four presidents -- three of them interim caretakers -- in less than two weeks is proof...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2001
Argentina has no choice but to default
NEW YORK -- Argentina is now experiencing one of its most severe economic and social crises in recent history. Riots are spreading through the country and the government seems increasingly unable to control the situation. The declaration of a state of siege for 30 days, although a necessary measure to...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2001
Mental health challenges remain unmet
NEW YORK -- One aspect not frequently considered of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center tragedy, the anthrax scare, and thousands of people fleeing in terror from Afghanistan is that these events may create or exacerbate mental health problems. Unless they are properly treated, many among those involved...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2001
Will New York ever be New York again?
NEW YORK -- I was one of many New Yorkers who had the sad experience of witnessing the destruction of the World Trade Center twin towers. The memories of those moments -- gigantic skyscrapers collapsing like castles made of sand -- have not disappeared from my mind. I wonder if they ever will? After...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2001
A Palestinian state is key to Mideast peace
NEW YORK -- As the son of a Lebanese immigrant to Argentina, I feel a strong connection to what is happening in the Middle East, and at the futile attempts at reaching a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in that region. To me, the way my father conducted his life -- and attempted to bridge...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2001
U.S. Congress is wrong to target the U.N.
NEW YORK -- The threat by the U.S. House of Representatives to withhold $582 million in funds for the United Nations is the wrong action against the world body.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2001
Malnutrition plagues Tibet's children
NEW YORK -- Recent studies on children's health in Tibet reveal that almost half of them suffer from malnutrition. As a result, they suffer from stunted growth and their mental development has potentially been damaged.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2001
Justice takes a step backward in Texas
NEW YORK -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision to veto legislation that would have banned the execution of mentally retarded criminals is a setback to the elimination of a barbaric policy that has almost universal repudiation. This decision comes at the same time as the release from prison -- where he...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 20, 2001
China's AIDS policy taking a deadly toll
NEW YORK -- China's decision to bar Dr. Gao Yaojie from attending an award ceremony in the United States is the latest example of the Chinese government's mistaken policy on AIDS. Taken together with other policies, it shows that by trying to avoid publicity about AIDS and ignoring the rapid spread of...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2001
AIDS in prisons: a spreading problem
NEW YORK -- Several investigations worldwide have shown that the human immunodeficiency virus responsible for AIDS is spreading rapidly in prisons, where the rate of infection has been found to be several times higher than in the general population. Prisons have become one of the most potentially dangerous...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2001
Deal with the Taliban by humanizing it
NEW YORK -- It is easy to feel antagonism toward Afghanistan's Taliban leadership. As if its assault on women's basic rights were not enough, it has turned its rage against historical monuments in actions that have been almost universally condemned. But this condemnation has not changed its policies...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2001
India wages an uphill battle against AIDS
NEW YORK -- India's population of 1 billion, greater than Africa, Australia and Latin America combined, is undergoing the threat of the unrelenting advance of HIV/AIDS. The infection is affecting all ages and social classes, and does not show any signs of abating. As things stand now, it is necessary...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2001
Torture continues to be big business
Recent events highlight the importance of the torture-weapons trade and the role that private companies in some countries, notably the United States and Britain, have in it. Their role was stressed in a recent Amnesty International document, "Stopping the Torture Trade," which calls for a stop to the...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2001
What women can do for the environment
The growing worldwide demand for resources is threatening the world's environmental health to an unprecedented extent. Unless new policies are set in place, this situation could have devastating implications for human develop- ment. Significant among the possible options are massive campaigns, both at...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2000
Surging arms sales exacerbate Third World poverty
NEW YORK -- In recent public statements, world leaders such as the pope, U.S. President Bill Clinton and World Bank President James Wolfensohn have called attention to the urgent need to end world poverty. Almost lost among their proposals to remedy the situation was any mention of the need to curb arms...
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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