By Rafiqul Islam Montu SHYAMNAGAR (SATKHIRA), Bangladesh | 11 February 2024 (IDN) — The new variety of paddy is ‘Charulata’. This paddy is salinity tolerant, can withstand normal winds, and yields well without fertilisers and pesticides. It is effortless to save seeds from this paddy. Due to these reasons, ‘Charulata’ paddy spreads quickly from one […]
The Magic of Mali’s Digital Pharmaceutical Registry
By UNCTAD GENEVA | 10 February 2024 (IDN) — A digital transformation supported by UNCTAD in the West African nation’s pharmaceutical industry is paving the way for quicker import and distribution of life-saving medicines—all online. Imagine living in a country where urgent medical supplies take 18 months to be imported and distributed, putting people’s lives […]
Senegal’s President Sall Taking ECOWAS from Frying Pan to Fire
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 10 February 2024 (IDN) — As the troubled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened its Ministerial Council meeting in Abuja on February 8 to discuss the quit notice served by three of its members—Mali, Burkina […]
Diplomacy and Neutrality—Not More Killing—Is the Answer to Ukraine’s Security
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 9 February 2024 (IDN) — President Joe Biden is refusing to fold a losing hand as he bets with Ukrainian lives and U.S. taxpayer money. Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer […]
Poultry and Livestock Production Helps Communities Build Climate Resilience in Zimbabwe
By Farai Shawn Matiashe HARARE | 9 February 2024 (IDN) — When Peter Mangana’s crops were hit by drought over a decade ago, he felt depressed. He struggled to feed his family in Bhasikiti village in Mwenezi, southern Zimbabwe. The 49-year-old later realised that he was experiencing the effects of climate change and that he […]
UN Chief Urges Reform of IMF, World Bank, Stresses BRICS’s Role
By Arul Louis UNITED NATIONS | 8 February 2024 (IDN) — The international financial and development institutions should be reformed to reflect the interests of the Global South, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. While the BRICS can play an important and complementary role for developing nations, he stressed that it should not contribute to a […]
WHO Urges Provision of Life-Saving Health Services for the Most Vulnerable in Sudan
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 8 February 2024 (IDN) — Nearly ten months since the escalation of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated, resulting in the world’s largest displacement crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on the international community to meet 100% of the […]
The Anatomy of Default and the IMF in Sri Lanka: Of Elections, Bond Scams, and Money Politics
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — With the wisdom of hindsight, the Root Causes of Sri Lanka’s first-ever Sovereign Default, staged three years ago on the eve of 75 years of ‘Independence’ from the British Raj are clear. When the Default happened in March 2021, there was too much […]
MYANMAR: Three Years After the Coup, Hope Remains
By Jan Servaes BANGKOk | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — Myanmar’s military junta has increasingly carried out unlawful airstrikes killing civilians in its military operations against a coalition of the People Defense Force (PDF) and ethnic armed groups (EAOs), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on January 30, 2024, on the eve of the anniversary of […]
Russia Refuses Talks Though New START Expires in Two Years
By Libby Flatoff and Shizuka Kuramitsu The writers are program and research assistants at the Arms Control Association (ACA). This article first appeared in ‘Arms Control Now’ of the ACA and is being reproduced with their permission. WASHIGNTON, D.C. | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — With less than two years to go before the expiration […]