Monthly Archives: November 2014
Kenya moves to rein in solar cowboys
By MAINA WARURU
In Summary
According to Pavel Oimeke, the ERC’s director for renewable energy, by mid-2015 the country should have around 580 certified technicians, including those trained by the government and others who have gotten qualified on their own. That number should grow to about 1,000 by 2016, he said. Continue reading Kenya moves to rein in solar cowboys
Kenyan Police arrest 109 in new raids on Mombasa mosques
By TEA CORRESPONDENT
Police in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa raided two mosques and arrested more than 100 people about a day after taking 251 people into custody during a swoop on two other mosques in the port city.
Continue reading Kenyan Police arrest 109 in new raids on Mombasa mosques
South Sudan’s first female mayor murdered, bishops plead for peace
Ellen Teague, Fredrick Nzwili
South Sudan armed pastoralism Yei Diocese in South Sudan has condemned the brutal murder of the first female mayor of Yei City. Fr Zachariah Angutuwa Sebit, Vicar General of Yei Diocese, said it was an act against the people. Cecilia Oba Tito, who was killed on 9 November near Juba, participated in drafting the Constitution of South Sudan and in 2013 was elected mayor of Yei, a post she stepped down from in September. She was an active Christian, especially championing women’s access to education. Continue reading South Sudan’s first female mayor murdered, bishops plead for peace
DR Congo: Police Operation Kills 51 Youth Suspend Commander of Anti-Crime Campaign
The Congolese government launched Operation Likofi on November 15, 2013, following a public commitment by President Joseph Kabila to end gang crime in Kinshasa.
Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo summarily killed at least 51 youth and forcibly disappeared 33 others during an anti-crime campaign that began a year ago, Human Rights Watch said in a report released November 18. Continue reading DR Congo: Police Operation Kills 51 Youth Suspend Commander of Anti-Crime Campaign
A Game-Changing Week on Climate Change
By Joel Jaeger
WASHINGTON, Nov 19 2014 (IPS) – – In recent days, two major developments have injected new life into international action on climate change.
“While the figures might sound big, they pale in comparison to the actual needs on the ground and to what developed countries spend in other areas – for instance, the U.S. spends tens of billions of dollars every year on fossil fuel subsidies.” — Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA Continue reading A Game-Changing Week on Climate Change
Nuns on the Bus – Trailer of Coming Movie
Inequality in South Africa
Gavin Keeton
In this article, Keeton discusses inequality, its possible causes and factors that contribute to increasing inequality worldwide
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. It is often said to be the most unequal, but that is incorrect. A number of countries, for example Namibia and Seychelles, have higher gini coefficients (the measure most often used to measure income distribution) than does South Africa1. There are a number of other countries that are clearly very unequal – some major oil producers for example – but, for obvious reasons, choose not to measure the extent of their inequality. Continue reading
Rural women working toward empowerment
Carmen Herrera
Campesino women’s organizations demand economic autonomy in public and productive sectors.
Of the 1.1 million women who live in rural Nicaragua, only 23.2 percent own their land, in parcels ranging from (0.9 to 8.7 acres), according to the 4th National Agricultural Census (2011).
Nevertheless, according to the leaders of campesino women’s organizations who gathered for the International Day of Rural Women on October 15, as the land parcel size increases, the number of women-owners decreases. Continue reading Rural women working toward empowerment
Rousseff faces obstacles in new term
José Pedro Martins
President proposes political reform to broaden citizen representation, which would affect rural and business interests in the legislature.
With 51.6 percent of valid ballots, President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers´ Party (PT) was reelected in a run-off election on Oct. 26. And in the week after, the leader already got an idea of how difficult governance will be in the coming four years, considering that the next National Congress will have a much more conservative composition.
Rousseff garnered 54.5 million votes against 51 million (48.3 percent) cast for Aécio Neves, a senator with the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). It was the most contested presidential election in Brazilian history, in a campaign marked by many changes in voter preferences. Continue reading Rousseff faces obstacles in new term
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