Fighting between community militias in South Sudan creates high levels of food insecurity
South Sudan is also one of the most dangerous countries in the world for those trying to help – 17 aid workers have been killed since January, according to the Aid Worker Security Database. “Life this year is worse ,” Abuk Kat, a mother of six from the conflict-affected...
Unpacking South Sudan’s food crisis as war, flooding and donor weariness persist
South Sudan is experiencing its worst food crisis since independence as seasonal flooding sets in amid an economic downturn and renewed conflict that has spiked despite a peace agreement and the formation of a unity government. Efforts to distribute food have been complicated by funding gaps in the humanitarian response,...
Food securityGene-edited wheat cleared for first field trial in the United Kingdom
Scientists have been given the greenlight to grow the UK’s first field trial of gene-edited wheat. According to Farmers Review, UK gave the go-ahead on August 24 following an application by Rothamsted Research, which announced that it had run a series of field trials that had consequently been approved by...
Endangered tongues: Why it is difficult to preserve contact languages
The fact that contact languages are not written, but passed down orally, means they can fade as younger generations move away to seek economic opportunity elsewhere, leaving traditions to elders. On the US Virgin Islands, English gradually became the language of choice and Negerhollands – a creole that originated around...
Contact languages have been with us for centuries, but it’s only recently that their fragile state has attracted interest
When groups of people who speak different languages come together, they sometimes inadvertently create a new one, combining bits of each into something everyone can use to communicate easily. Linguists call such impromptu tongues “contact languages” – and they can extend well beyond the pidgin and creole that many of...
It’s hurray and gunfire celebration for Taliban Islamists as last American soldiers leave Afghanistan
Celebratory gunfire resounded across the Afghan capital on Tuesday as the Taliban took control of the airport following the withdrawal of the last US troops, marking the end of a 20-year war that left the Islamist group stronger than it was in 2001. Shaky video footage distributed by the Taliban...
Egypt frees comedian, journalist and political activist to clean image of being among world’s top jailers
Egypt has released an online comedian, a journalist and a political activist after they spent months in pre-trial detention, two lawyers say. It was the latest in a series of recent releases amid concerns by the United States and international rights groups over the arrest and harassment of rights advocates...
Transfer deadline dash sees Arsenal rope in Takehiro Tomiyasu to replace departing right-back Bellarin
Arsenal are moving closer to securing a deal for defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after agreeing an initial £17 million ($23.5 million) fee with Bologna and he will now undergo a medical. The Gunners have been in the market for defensive cover throughout the summer and have been looking to offload Hector...
Inside Latin America’s $500b loot: We’re not suffering from just one pandemic, we’ve others within Covid context
Transparency International estimates that an average of more than $500 billion a year is lost to corruption in the public health sector globally. Ravages wrought by coronavirus has made it even worse. Jonathan Cushing, head of global health at Transparency International said reports of corruption have increased around the world...
Latin America’s Covid millionaires: How narcotics and corruption feed the pandemic in the region
After coming down with Covid-19 in December, Vinicio Sánchez visited three health centres in a single day. At the first, a clinic in the south of Ecuadorian capital, Quito, he was told he needed oxygen but they had none left to give him. He was referred to a specialist Covid-19...
