Global Issues

KAKAMEGA, Kenya, April 1 (IPS) - They call this land Bushiangala. Gold has been mined here for nearly a century. In 1931, colonial prospectors arrived after traces were found in the nearby Yala River, setting off a rush that changed this quiet corner of western Kenya. Read the full story, “Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury”, on globalissues.org →

TANGIER, Morocco, April 1 (IPS) - Africa must move swiftly to harness data and frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive its economic growth and make the continent globally competitive in the digital economy, a senior official at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has told policymakers. Read the full story, “UNECA Warns Africa Risks Remaining Uncompetitive, Urges AI Adoption”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses the presidential election in the Republic of the Congo with Ivan Kibangou Ngoy, executive director of Global Participe, a civil society action-research organisation focused on democratic governance based in Pointe-Noire. Read the full story, “CONGO: ‘The Result Was Already Decided Before Polling Stations Opened’”, on globalissues.org →

AMMAN / NEW YORK , April 1 (IPS) - New estimates by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) suggest the military escalation in the Middle East, now into its fifth week, may cost economies in the region from 3.7 to 6.0 percent of their collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Read the full story, “Escalation in Middle East Reverses more than a Year of Economic Growth in the Region”, on globalissues.org →

The war in the Middle East and the near halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has amplified the energy crunch facing developing nations in Africa and South Asia that rely heavily on imported liquid gas, food and fertilizers. Read the full story, “Middle East war: Energy crunch hits vulnerable nations”, on globalissues.org →

From Iran to multiple nations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, around 3,000 people have reportedly been arrested in the first month of the ongoing war across the region, sparking alarm over free speech restrictions and state repression.Read the full story, “Middle East war: UN’s Türk decries ‘severe restrictions’ on free speech”, on globalissues.org →

The World Health Organization (WHO) has facilitated the delivery of some 106 metric tonnes of lifesaving nutrition supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a mechanism to deliver aid by sea, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Read the full story, “Breaking the Gaza aid bottleneck: 106-tonne delivery arrives via new sea route”, on globalissues.org →

Although the situation on the ground is challenging, investigations are underway into the killing of three UN peacekeepers over two consecutive days with an update expected “as soon as possible,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday. Read the full story, “World News in Brief: Lebanon peacekeeper deaths, Haiti mission support, drought and conflict in Somalia”, on globalissues.org →

The Secretary-General’s commitment towards women leadership in the United Nations was recognized at a pivotal moment marked by global uncertainty, economic volatility and increasing pressure on hard-won rights.Read the full story, “Women leaders unite to advance gender equality, defend multilateralism amid growing global pushback”, on globalissues.org →

SRINAGAR, India, March 31 (IPS) - For the past few weeks, residents living in and around Dal Lake in Indian Kashmir have witnessed “a different phenomenon” as a green sludge has accumulated on the once pristine water. Photos circulating widely on social media triggered a public outcry. Read the full story, “Once Evicted From This Kashmir Lake, People Now Seen as Its Saviours”, on globalissues.org →