Africa: As Africans Enter Busy Political Year, Scepticism Marks Weakening Support for Elections

[ad_1] Trust in national electoral commissions continues to decline. Key findings Three-fourths (75%) of Africans support fair, open, and honest elections as the best way to choose their leaders, including 50% who "strongly agree" with this view (Figure 1). o More than six in 10 citizens support elections in all surveyed countries except Lesotho, where a majority (54%) favour other methods for choosing leaders. Support for elections ranges up to about nine out of 10 citizens in Liberia (92%) and […]

February 2, 2024

Africa

Africa: Climate-Smart Farming Gets Funding Boost at COP28, But Small Farmers Still Struggle

[ad_1] Despite not securing a phase-out of fossil fuels, COP28 witnessed a historic focus on food. The summit saw over $7 billion in funding commitments, as well as a pledge by 152 countries to include food and agriculture in their climate plans. There is no doubt that commercial agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Greenpeace. This includes emissions from land use change, on-farm production, processing, transport, packaging, and retail. […]

January 30, 2024

Africa

Africa: WHO Director-General’s Remarks At the Trans Fat Elimination Validation Ceremony – 29 January 2024

[ad_1] My brother, Dr Tom Frieden, Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends, Today, we celebrate the great progress we have made together towards our shared goal of eliminating trans fat from the global food supply. Five years ago, WHO called on countries and the food sector to eliminate industrially-produced trans fat from the food supply. The response has been incredible. So far, 53 countries have implemented best-practice policies including bans or limits on trans fat, with three more countries on the […]

January 30, 2024

Africa

Africa: Law Enforcers or Law Breakers?

[ad_1] [Afrobarometer] Beyond corruption, Africans cite brutality and lack of professionalism among police failings. [ad_2] Source link

January 30, 2024

Africa

Africa: Certain Indoor Air Pollutants Can Be Absorbed Through the Skin – Here’s What You Need to Know

[ad_1] Even though most of us will spend a majority of our lives indoors, that doesn't mean we aren't still exposed to air pollution. Indoor air contains a wide array of pollutants including chemicals found in many common household items, building materials and cleaning products. These chemicals (known as volatile organic compounds) can occur in gaseous form, which means we can inhale them. But there's a sub-group of volatile organic compounds, called semi-volatile organic compounds. These can occur both in […]

January 30, 2024

Africa

Africa: How New Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills in Africa Expand Crackdown On Rights

[ad_1] LONDON, Jan 29 (Openly) - Despite the decriminalisation of same-sex relations in Mauritius in 2023, rights groups warn that new laws being considered in several African countries risk eroding LGBTQ+ rights by creating new offences and targeting new groups. Many of the new bills resemble Uganda's draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was signed into law last May and which includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality". Sexual minorities in the east African nation say they have faced a wave of […]

January 29, 2024

Africa

Africa: European Demand Driving $1 Trillion Spending On Gas Production Worldwide This Decade

[ad_1] $223 billion of this to be spent on new gas production to supply Europe *** Brussels, January 29 - The fossil fuel industry is forecast to spend more than one trillion dollars globally over the next decade on producing gas for European markets, according to Global Witness analysis of Rystad Energy data. Despite climate and energy experts' warnings that any new fossil fuel production will push the world beyond 1.5°C heating, $223 billion of this trillion dollar sum is […]

January 29, 2024

Africa

Africa: One in Twenty People Has No Sense of Smell – Here’s How They Might Get It Back

[ad_1] During the pandemic, a lost sense of smell was quickly identified as one of the key symptoms of COVID. Nearly four years later, one in five people in the UK is living with a decreased or distorted sense of smell, and one in twenty have anosmia - the total loss of the ability to perceive any odours at all. Smell training is one of the few treatment options for recovering a lost sense of smell - but can we […]

January 26, 2024

Africa

Africa: Ban or Restrict? Quandary Facing Governments As Vaping Entices Teens Worldwide

[ad_1] Bangkok, Thailand — A hot debate on electronic smoking devices is expected to engage governments, scheduled to meet in Panama from 5-10 February for the tenth session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The WHO FCTC, the first health treaty, was developed to address the global tobacco epidemic and to ensure that governments are supported in implementing comprehensive and effective tobacco control strategies. Earlier in 2016, the governments during […]

January 26, 2024

Sustainable Development