By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – South-East Asia is expected to experience a future of many dry years and the hardest hit will be the poor, especially farming communities that rely on regular rainfall for their annual crops and have few resources to fall back on during periods of rain shortfall. This is the prospect […]
Infrastructure Development Key to Africa’s Growth
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – Over the years, African Union officials have repeatedly urged African leaders to prioritise Africa’s Agenda 2063 – a strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development – and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 15-member UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a […]
Zambian Villagers Win Landmark Ruling in Water Poisoning Case
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Zambian villagers whose livelihoods were turned upside down by a toxic spill from a copper mine will finally have their day in court. They succeeded against the odds in a case pitting their claims against a worldwide mining company which denied responsibility for the spill […]
Huge Risks Accompany the Desire for Fair Skin in Africa
By Pavithra Rao* NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – “I’ve been dark skinned for many years and I wanted to experience the other side. I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and I’m happy,” says South African singer Mshoza, whose real name is Nomasonto Mnisi. Mshoza is famous for her music – […]
New Attempt to Tackle Nuclear Proliferation Threat in the Middle East
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – A conference on the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone (WMDFZ) and a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East appeared to have been consigned to oblivion until the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided in December 2018 “to entrust […]
Women in Politics: Miles to Go Before Parity Is Achieved
By Zipporah Musau NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – In the fight for gender equality, women around the world have advanced in small and large ways. Yet for women in Africa, progress is measured in micro steps, and the struggle has a long way to go. The good news is that women’s representation in political decision making […]
Ensuring the Future of Coconut, the ‘Tree of Life’
By Josephine Latu-Sanft For the eminent American actor and director Dustin Hoffman sunshine and coconut milk are “the two basic items necessary to sustain life”. The German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht compared love to a coconut “which is good while it is fresh”. In the Pacific, coconut is king, writes Josephine Latu-Sanft. LONDON | […]
Young Botswana Minister Is Opening Doors for Women and Girls
By Baboki Kayawe* GABORONE (IDN-INPS) – Bogolo Kenewendo describes herself as having been “an ordinary Botswana child with an ordinary upbringing”. Kenewendo, poised and focused beyond her years, is being modest. At 32 she is Botswana’s youngest minister, in charge of investment, trade and industry. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, specializing in […]
Sudanese Demands for a Civilian Government Remain Firm
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Protests that began over the skyrocketing price of bread and shortages of food and fuel have accomplished what few people believed was possible in a country ruled by a leader with an iron fist. A Sudanese people’s movement was born on the streets of Khartoum. […]
FAO Starts Giving Much-Needed Seeds to Cyclone Hit Mozambique
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK | ROME (IDN) – While clock is ticking to reboot agriculture as secondary growing season is .already underway, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has started distribution of much-needed seeds and tools in cyclone-ravaged Mozambique. Nearly three weeks after the Tropical Cyclone Idai, which was […]