insert_link World Development aid cuts will hit fragile countries hard, could fuel violent conflict Patricia Justino, United Nations University and Laura Saavedra-Lux, United Nations University Fragile and least developed countries have had their development assistance cut drastically, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. For instance, net official development assistance to sub-Saharan African countries has shrunk by 7.8% compared to 2021. And development aid for peace and conflict prevention has declined to its lowest in 15 years. These cuts will hit fragile […] todayNovember 17, 2023 9
insert_link Africa India to Africa to the UK: Diasporas don’t influence politics in predictable ways Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman (left) with prime minister Rishi Sunak. Both are of Indian-African descent. WPA Pool/Pool Melissa Tandiwe Myambo, University of the Witwatersrand Leading politicians in the UK, including the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, are of African Indian descent. Other high profile examples include the country’s two most recent home secretaries – Priti Patel, who served from 2019 to 2022, and her successor Suella Braverman, whose tenure […] todayNovember 14, 2023 1
insert_link Health / Medical Bad food choices: clearer labels aim to help South Africans pick healthier options South Africans have a hard time figuring out which foods are unhealthy when they go shopping. But this is about to change. South African supermarkets currently sell large amounts of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods. Packaged foods in particular have high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat – all things that are bad for our health. Research shows that the consumption of these foods is linked to increasing rates of obesity […] todayNovember 14, 2023 4
insert_link Health / Medical What I Learned From the World’s Last Smallpox Patient By Céline Gounder via kffhealthnews Rahima Banu, a toddler in rural Bangladesh, was the last person in the world known to contract variola major, the deadly form of smallpox, through natural infection. In October 1975, after World Health Organization epidemiologists learned of her infection, health workers vaccinated those around her, putting an end to variola major transmission around the world. The WHO officially declared smallpox eradicated in 1980, and it […] todayNovember 9, 2023 5
insert_link Health / Medical Bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens – our study shows how By Alewo Idoko-Akoh, University of Bristol Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. In a recent gene editing study, my colleagues and I showcased the potential of gene editing to protect chickens from the threat of bird flu. This disease is caused by an ever-evolving virus that gets around numerous […] todayNovember 3, 2023 9
insert_link World Italian Prime Minister describes “fatigue” amongst Ukraine’s allies during prank phone call Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni admitted there's "a lot of fatigue" over the war in Ukraine in a prank phone call with two Russian comedians. Giles Gibson reports from Rome that Vovan and Lexus have previously tricked multiple western leaders and celebrities, including Elton John. todayNovember 2, 2023 5
insert_link World Human Rights Declined in 3 out of 4 Countries since a Global Rule of Law Recession Began in 2016 The rule of law has once again eroded in a majority of countries this year, according to the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2023. More than 6 billion people live in a country where the rule of law weakened between 2022 and 2023. Since authoritarian trends pushed the world into a rule of law recession in 2016, the global downturn has affected 78% of countries, the latest Index shows. […] todayOctober 25, 2023 29
insert_link World People experiencing news fatigue are less likely to be voters Paul Whiteley, University of Essex In a comprehensive analysis of news consumption across the globe, a recent report by Reuters concluded that “interest in news continues to decline, fuelling disengagement and selective news avoidance”. In the 46 countries surveyed in the report, public interest in news has dropped significantly in the UK, France, the US and Spain over the eight year period from 2015 to 2023. The study was commissioned […] todayOctober 23, 2023 5
insert_link World World Food Programme (WFP) Calls for Sustained Access to Gaza as Humanitarian Convoy Brings First Food Supplies Across Border The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed today’s opening of the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which enabled a first convoy of trucks to bring in urgently needed food, water and other supplies provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent and the United Nations for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been struggling amid desperate conditions. The convoy, which moved through the Rafah crossing Saturday brought with it […] todayOctober 23, 2023
