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Saturday, July 25, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
International Cooperation - More than Just Aid
CORRUPTION-KENYA: A Ray of Hope in the Fight Against Graft
Kenya pulled off what some might view as an unexpected feat this week by improving its standing in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index.ECONOMY-BENIN: Cotton Firm Treads a Tortuous Path to Privatisation
The privatisation of state-owned enterprises is often fraught with difficulties – witness developments at Benin’s National Society for Agricultural Advancement (Société nationale pour la promotion agricole, SONAPRA), a cotton-processing firm.POLITICS-SOMALIA: A Herculean Task Faces New President
Political observers have welcomed the election of a new president for Somalia - but warned that stiff challenges lie ahead for the war-torn East African country.POLITICS-SUDAN: Persistent Insecurity in Darfur, Despite Global Pressure
Saleh Mahmood Osman chooses his words carefully. The human rights lawyer makes it clear that, although he comes from strife-torn Darfur, he does not bear ill will towards the Sudanese diplomats who have come to listen to his address in the South African capital, Pretoria.DEVELOPMENT: Debt, and Hope, Remain
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wrapped up weekend meetings here with no major results for developing nations, but the gathering might have moved the issue of poor nations' debt onto rich nations' permanent agenda.CULTURE-SUDAN: The Fall and Rise of English
Crumbling masonry, peeling paint and dusty patches where once were manicured lawns...The University of Khartoum has worn poorly under the searing Sudanese sun – as much as the language that the buttoned-up colonialists who built it came to spread.FINANCE: No Relief for the Poor
Finance ministers from the world's richest nations have delayed a plan to write off 100 percent of debts owed by the planet's poorest countries, quashing hopes those nations could start spending more on services like health and education and work toward ending their extreme poverty.FINANCE: Debt Forgiveness Only First Step
Poor countries might need increased grants and an end to lending conditions imposed by public lenders like the World Bank and IMF if a proposal to cancel their debts is to really work towards ending poverty, say analysts.CORRUPTION-MALAWI: Mutharika Bites the Hand That Fed Him
It was not something expected of a president who was roundly denounced as being a front man for his predecessor, when he took office.DEVELOPMENT: Richest Nations May Drop Debt of 33 Poorest
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have been campaigning for years to write off tens of billions of dollars in debt owed by poor countries to international financial institutions (IFIs) say their dream may soon be realised, perhaps as soon as just nine days from now.CARIBBEAN: Islands Dig Deep to Help Hurricane Victims
âÇ Even cash-strapped Dominica felt obligated to contribute to the nascent rebuilding efforts now underway in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.POPULATION: Rising Growth Still an Issue, Says UNFPA
The U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) is dispelling a widespread notion - prevalent mostly in Western countries - that population growth has ceased to be a serious socio-economic problem primarily because of declining numbers.DEVELOPMENT: Battling Poverty or Fighting Wars?
World Bank President James Wolfensohn, a longstanding critic of excessive global military spending, says he cannot comprehend why the world spends only 50 billion dollars on development aid annually while it squanders a whopping 950 billion dollars on its armed forces.ECONOMY-AFRICA: IMF Chief Sees a Glimmer of Hope
For Africa to outgrow its economic woes, it will need a heavy dose of financial assistance from the world’s richest countries, says Rodrigo de Rato – managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).SUDAN: Hepatitis Threatens Hard-hit Darfur Refugees – Doctor
A physician working for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) has returned from Sudan's troubled Darfur region with harrowing tales of women and children battling an outbreak of hepatitis in makeshift refugee camps with little or no clean water, health care and nutritious food.ECONOMY-SIERRA LEONE: Another Round of Mining Difficulties?
Say the word "mining" in the context of Sierra Leone, and thoughts instantly turn to the country's ruinous trade in conflict diamonds. However, the mining of another mineral - rutile - is also the source of some controversy in this West African state.DEVELOPMENT-NIGER: Fight Against Poverty Gets Mixed Reviews
The year 1980 proved to be a turning point for Niger, marked as it was by a slump in the sale of uranium, the country’s main export commodity. Since then, Niger has experienced a series of economic crises aggravated by drought – causing poverty in rural and urban areas to deepen.DEVELOPMENT: 2015 Goals Eclipse Today’s Successes – Report
Instead of speculation about which countries will fail to achieve which of the world's development goals by 2015, Michael Clemens would like to hear more talk about the nations that are developing faster than any others in history.DEVELOPMENT: Millennium Goals Need Partners, Plans – Sachs
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will require more cooperation between developed and developing nations, targeted plans and less moralising about the failures of poor countries and their governments, says United Nations special adviser Jeffrey Sachs.DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: A Preventable Disaster?
Should Kenyan authorities have been better prepared for the drought that has ravaged most of the country, prompting widespread food shortages? It's a question that elicits a mixed response from analysts.
DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEPAD Highlights Infrastructure Needs
"If you see a set of bright, shining lights at night, it's not a vehicle but a giraffe that got stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road. So, watch out," Zambians used to joke about the state of their roads a few years ago.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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