Africa Makes TB Progress, But Global Spike Makes It Deadliest Disease in 2023

[ad_1] Monrovia — Tuberculosis was the leading killer among infectious diseases in 2023, the World Health Organization said. While the number of TB-related deaths decreased from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25 million in 2023, the UN agency says the total number of people falling ill with TB "rose slightly to an estimated 10.8 million in 2023", more than 8 million of which are newly affected. This is the highest number recorded since WHO began its global TB monitoring in 1995. […]

October 30, 2024 1

Africa

Africa: Food Security Is Key to Making ‘Peace With Nature’

[ad_1] Cali, Colombia — As countries are meeting in Cali, Colombia, for the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 16), the fate of biodiversity hangs in the balance, and with it, the sustainability of our food systems. Agriculture and food systems are often associated with biodiversity loss. Land-use change, climate change, pollution, overexploitation of wild species, and the spread of invasive species - the main drivers of biodiversity loss - can all be linked to unsustainable agricultural practices. Sustainable agriculture […]

October 30, 2024 1

Africa

The Rumble in the Jungle 50 years on, by those who witnessed it

[ad_1] Roy Foreman: Back then, being the heavyweight champion of the world was like being the president of the United States. Now George was the former president of the United States. Everyone from your girlfriend to your brothers and sisters don't look at you the same, now you've got 'ex' in front of your name. It took him eight to 10 years to get over the devastation. He'd made $5m, […]

October 30, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Companies Find Solutions to Power EVs in Energy-Challenged Africa

[ad_1] Nairobi, Kenya — Some companies are coming up with creative ways of making electric vehicles a more realistic option in power-challenged areas of Africa. Countries in Africa have been slow adopters of battery-powered vehicles because finding reliable sources of electricity is a challenge in many places. The Center for Strategic and International Studies described Africa as "the most energy-deficient continent in the world" and said that any progress made in electricity access in the last five years has been […]

October 30, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Scientific Research Can Play a Key Role in Unlocking Climate Finance

[ad_1] Climate finance will come under intense scrutiny during COP29, and its distribution aligned with scientific analysis of the impacts of climate change, but the methodology ignores the inequality in research networks of the Global South. CARACAS, Oct 29 2024 (IPS) - Climate finance will be at the epicenter of the discussion at the UN Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29). The focus will be on strengthening the fund and defining the conditions under which the countries of the Global South […]

October 30, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: At COP16, Guterres Urges World to ‘Choose Wisely…Make Peace With Nature’

[ad_1] UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for decisive action to restore harmony with nature, warning that environmental crises are pushing humanity toward tipping points that threaten ecosystems, livelihoods and global stability. Speaking at the opening of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), he emphasized that "making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century." "Nature is life. And yet we are waging a war against it - […]

October 30, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Autocrats and Cities – How Capitals Have Become a Battleground for Protest and Control

[ad_1] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the world's longest reigning female political leader, fled Bangladesh on 5 August 2024 for the safety of India. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of protesters descended on Bangladesh's capital city, Dhaka. The crowds ransacked her official residence, occupied the nation's parliament and burnt down her family home. Hasina, who had ruled the country for more than 20 years in total, had been widely accused of turning autocratic and clamping down severely on any opposition to her […]

October 30, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Climate Change Is Making It Harder for People to Get the Care They Need

[ad_1] The world is witnessing the consequences of climate change: long-lasting changes in temperature and rainfall, and more intense and frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, hurricanes, typhoons, flooding and drought. All make it harder for families and communities to meet their care needs. Climate change affects care systems in various ways. First, sudden illnesses and unexpected disabilities heighten the need for care. Second, it reduces access to important inputs for care such as water, food and safe […]

October 30, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: BRICS+ Could Shape a New World Order, but It Lacks Shared Values and a Unified Identity

[ad_1] The last two summits of Brics countries have raised questions about the coalition's identity and purpose. This began to come into focus at the summit hosted by South Africa in 2023, and more acutely at the recent 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia. At both events the alliance undertook to expand its membership. In 2023, the first five Brics members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - invited Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates […]

October 30, 2024 2

Africa