insert_link World Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons At the United Nations, the 13th conference on facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Sept. 22, 2023. The essayist, the foreign minister of Japan, will preside over a UN Security Council session on March 18, concentrating on working toward a nuclear-free world by building on the momentum from the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023. UN PHOTO Prospects for a world without nuclear weapons are […] todayMarch 19, 2024 20
World Palestine Never Had a Chance for Statehood, Legally Speaking, an Expert Argues Ardi Imseis, a legal scholar and former United Nations expert, argues in a new book that the UN’s long history of managing the international legal status of Palestine has often reinforced its subjugation. Here, the territory’s flag in a battle between Palestine and Israel. WWW.STORYBOARDTHAT.COM By Darsen Hover Did Palestine ever have a chance to gain its full rights as a state? In his new book, “The United […] todayMarch 19, 2024 10
insert_link World Vladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed By Robert Huish, Dalhousie University There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 per cent in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russia’s gross domestic product goes towards military spending. At a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scrambling to acquire arms, funds and […] todayMarch 19, 2024 10
insert_link Business / Economics Donor-advised funds: US regulators are scrambling to catch up with the boom in these charitable giving accounts DAFs more or less operate as a mini foundation. Wong Yu Liang/Moment via Getty Images By Brian Mittendorf, The Ohio State University A revolution in charitable giving is underway due to the growth of donor-advised funds in the United States. Known widely as DAFs, these financial accounts are designated for charitable giving. Donors can get an immediate tax deduction by putting money or other assets into the accounts, […] todayMarch 19, 2024 4
insert_link Africa Press freedom in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda: what journalists have to say about doing their jobs By Karen McIntyre, Virginia Commonwealth University and Meghan Sobel Cohen, Regis University A majority of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in recent years, according to a UN report. In east Africa, the results are mixed and debatable. In Rwanda, both international press freedom rankings and journalists on the ground say press freedom has increased over the past 10 years. In neighbouring Uganda, both […] todayMarch 19, 2024 8
insert_link Uncategorized Malawi and maize: prices have spiked on the back of bad weather and trade bans By Simon Roberts, University of Johannesburg and Namhla Landani, University of Johannesburg Maize is the leading staple food in Malawi and crucial for food security. Typically, local production from smallholder farmers meets and exceeds annual requirements of around 3 million metric tonnes. The country, however, is currently facing a crisis with 4.4 million Malawians (22% of the population) being food insecure. This is due firstly to a […] todayMarch 19, 2024 6
insert_link Africa New ecoregion proposed for Southern Africa’s threatened ‘sky islands’ By Ryan Truscott There is an “inland archipelago” of mountains stretching across southern Malawi and northern Mozambique — a chain of hard granite inselbergs lifted high above the surrounding landscape as it weathered down over millions of years. These “sky islands”, as they’re also known, are topped with high-altitude grasslands and evergreen forests and watered by cool moist winds from the Indian Ocean to the east. A group […] todayMarch 18, 2024 41
insert_link Environment Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out By Petro Kotzé Toilet paper is so common in some countries it’s only noticed when it’s not there, as exemplified by the panic buying that prompted shortages when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Thought to be in use in China since the sixth century, inventor Joseph C. Gayetty patented the first U.S. commercial “medicated paper” in the 1850s. Since then, demand has soared in many places, bolstered by rising population, […] todayMarch 18, 2024 79
insert_link Africa IOC Young Leaders: Ouname Mhotsha is inspiring the next generation of sportswomen in Africa As one of the few girls growing up in the world of African golf, Ouname Mhotsha would have liked to have female peers and mentors through her early career. Now, thanks to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Young Leaders programme, Ouname is launching the Thanya Monana Projects, aiming to give young girls the opportunity and support needed to flourish in golf. Ouname grew up in Botswana in a sports-loving family who were […] todayMarch 18, 2024 10