How negligent regimes turned Uruguay into a narcotics paradise ruled by ruthless gangs

How negligent regimes turned Uruguay into a narcotics paradise ruled by ruthless gangs

European nations, which receive the bulk of the cocaine passing through Uruguay, also have a limited counter-narcotics presence here. Spain is the only European country with a permanent police attaché in Montevideo.

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With wheat-based diets blamed for rising lifestyle diseases in Africa, scientists are resorting to indigenous crops to solve food insecurity

With wheat-based diets blamed for rising lifestyle diseases in Africa, scientists are resorting to indigenous crops to solve food insecurity

The benefits of fonio are so marked that academics and policymakers are now calling for the grain – alongside other indigenous foods, such as Ethiopia’s teff, as well as cassava and various millets and legumes – to be embraced more widely across Africa to improve food security.

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Why modern farmers and scientists are keen on growing more crops for cows and cars, not food for humans

Why modern farmers and scientists are keen on growing more crops for cows and cars, not food for humans

To see the yield gap in action, compare two important corn producers: the US and Kenya. In the US, the average yield is around 10.8 tonnes per hectare, while in Kenya it’s 1.5 tonnes. While the US is very close to its maximum theoretical corn yields, Kenya – taking into account its different climate – is way below its theoretical maximum. In other words, the US barely has a corn yield gap at all, while Kenya has a yield gap of about 2.7 tonnes per hectare below its theoretical maximum.

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Long orphaned, sorghum farming makes grand return to western Kenya as indigenous crops reclaim niche

Long orphaned, sorghum farming makes grand return to western Kenya as indigenous crops reclaim niche

Sorghum is Africa’s second most important cereal because it is the primary source of daily calories for approximately 300 million people. However, the crop had vanished from Kenyan farms as a result of large-scale maize farming in areas that traditionally grew sorghum and its ‘sister’ crop, millet.

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Commecial fish farming becomes key investment area as blue economy takes root in rural Kenya

Commecial fish farming becomes key investment area as blue economy takes root in rural Kenya

County industrialisation and trade executive Kassim Were says successful implementation of the programme that targets 7,000 fish ponds that will supply five tonnes of fish per day will further diversify the local economy that hitherto depends on sugarcane, maize and dairy farming. However, continued subdivision of agricultural land into smallholdings has rendered available land for farming uneconomical for commercial production of the two crops and livestock keeping, hence the steep decline in output.

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Depression in men: In many families, the only acceptable emotion for men is expression of anger

Depression in men: In many families, the only acceptable emotion for men is expression of anger

As we reflect on men’s health, let us reflect on how our families, communities and our healthcare systems can take better care of our grandfathers, fathers, brothers, husbands and sons, friends and colleagues.

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While digital money apps are now a lifeline for war-affected Sudanese, rural areas are still on leeside

While digital money apps are now a lifeline for war-affected Sudanese, rural areas are still on leeside

Bankak, developed by the Bank of Khartoum in 2014, is one of Sudan’s largest fintech services. It allows bill payments and money transfers at a daily limit of three million Sudanese pounds ($5,000) per customer.

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Lifestyle: US beef industry woos 2.4 million teachers in drive to paint eating meat as socially and environmentally cool

Lifestyle: US beef industry woos 2.4 million teachers in drive to paint eating meat as socially and environmentally cool

The beef industry “knows it has a trust issue,” says Jennifer Jacquet, a professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami. The industry is attempting to influence public opinion by starting with children, says Jan Dutkiewicz at the Pratt Institute’s Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies.

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Non-monogamy? Relationships texture from monogamy, polygamy, polyandry to polyamory

Non-monogamy? Relationships texture from monogamy, polygamy, polyandry to polyamory

The dating climate is not what it was yesterday and who knows exactly what tomorrow will bring. Today, though, couples are exploring new dimensions with more of a liberated mindset, using social media to freely talk about what does and doesn’t work for them, and there is no shortage of apps that cater to their desires.

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Why Kenyan President Ruto’s copy-and-paste Singaporean low-cost housing model faces resistance from taxpayers, courts

Why Kenyan President Ruto’s copy-and-paste Singaporean low-cost housing model faces resistance from taxpayers, courts

The history of affordable housing in Singapore is – too – replete with instances of colonial government involvement. However, the policies were modified to align with the programme with rapid economic growth that resulted in a rapidly rising housing demand powered by booming economy and sharp rise in labour-force from foreign countries.

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