Collective punishment: General sanctions are worsening humanitarian crisis in post-coup Niger

Collective punishment: General sanctions are worsening humanitarian crisis in post-coup Niger

The World Food Programme (WFP) has estimated that 7.3 million people may be driven from moderate to severe food insecurity as a result of the latest post-coup restrictions, which hit as the country was in its traditional “lean season” between harvests.

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Biden’s top National Security Council advisor accused of serious misconduct at NSA and White House

Biden’s top National Security Council advisor accused of serious misconduct at NSA and White House

In the first of a series of letters to the inspector general in advance of the 2015 report, Neuberger denied the allegations against her. “I strongly disagree with the tentative conclusions of the OIG inquiry (that I sometimes failed to exercise courtesy and respect in dealing with fellow workers),” she wrote. “I firmly believe that I treated everyone with the respect and courtesy they deserved.”

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Ecuadorian cocaine barons exploit poorly policed banana export routes to traffic dugs to Europe

Ecuadorian cocaine barons exploit poorly policed banana export routes to traffic dugs to Europe

Drug traffickers’ infiltration of the industry that is responsible for about 30% of the world’s bananas has contributed to unprecedented violence across this once-peaceful nation. Shootings, homicides, kidnappings and extortions have become part of daily life, particularly in the Pacific port city and banana-shipping hub of Guayaquil.

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Philanthropist Alycia Barnard shares experiences on how Ukraine war opened her eyes to plight of women, children in Africa

Philanthropist Alycia Barnard shares experiences on how Ukraine war opened her eyes to plight of women, children in Africa

To make good her promise for humanitarian support Alycia, through Worldwide Inc, disbursed cucumbers seeds in first week of September to support agriculture in Uganda. “We’re sending 50 packs of [cucumber] seeds to Uganda.” Ordinarily, one packet contains 1,000 seeds – roughly enough to cover two acres of farmland.

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Retracing how Zimbabwe’s president nicknamed The Crocodile ‘won’ an election he’d already stolen

Retracing how Zimbabwe’s president nicknamed The Crocodile ‘won’ an election he’d already stolen

Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), capitalised on that discontent. In the run-up to the elections, it made the cost of living crisis a central plank in its campaign, blaming the ruling ZANU-PF – in power for more than four decades – for running down a once-thriving, agriculture-driven economy.

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Amhara insurgency tests Ethiopian government’s mettle even before embers of Tigray rebellion die

Amhara insurgency tests Ethiopian government’s mettle even before embers of Tigray rebellion die

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had set his sights on welcoming back foreign investors and kickstarting the economy. Instead, earlier this month, he found himself putting down yet another regional rebellion. Across Amhara, the Fano – a historical term in Amhara for “freedom fighter” – ambushed federal military units and took control of government buildings as civilian protesters blocked roads and hurled rocks.

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Beware, the red meat allergy caused by lone star tick is a serious health concern that has no cure

Beware, the red meat allergy caused by lone star tick is a serious health concern that has no cure

It’s common for health reports of “new” health risks to go viral, which has been true of late for tick-induced meat allergies. An internet news search returned more than 13,000 page hits for “alpha-gal syndrome” in the 30 days prior to this writing — nearly as many as a search on “breast cancer.

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Post-Covid in-person school attendance in US tanks, over 6.5 million students listed as chronic absentees

Post-Covid in-person school attendance in US tanks, over 6.5 million students listed as chronic absentees

All told, an estimated 6.5 million additional students became chronically absent, according to the data, which was compiled by Stanford University education professor Thomas Dee in partnership with The Associated Press. Taken together, the data from 40 states and Washington DC, provides the most comprehensive accounting of absenteeism nationwide.

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Inside Moon’s drug empire: Unification Church founder built global empire from fishing and gun manufacturing

Inside Moon’s drug empire: Unification Church founder built global empire from fishing and gun manufacturing

Dora Irrazábal, a prosecutor who led the probe into the blaze, said the townspeople and church management were “at war” when she arrived in Puerto Casado. She said Lorenzo Myung, whom she recalled as an “aggressive” man, accused locals of stealing church property but provided no evidence. Locals, meanwhile, accused Irrazábal of being a church stooge after she flew in on a church plane.

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FBI arrest of Paraguayan TV queen and politician exposed extent of Unification Church’s role in drug trafficking, money laundering

FBI arrest of Paraguayan TV queen and politician exposed extent of Unification Church’s role in drug trafficking, money laundering

Last November, Alvarenga, Tarrago’s accomplice, was sentenced to two years of US probation for running an unlicensed money transmitting business. Months later, on March 29, he was arrested in Asunción, accused by Brazilian law enforcement of leading an outfit that shipped at least 17 tonnes of cocaine to Europe over two years. He is in jail awaiting extradition to Brazil.

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