Severe
drought taking heavy toll in northern Namibia
OPUWO,
12 August 2013 (IRIN) - The arid hills of Namibia's northwestern Kunene Region
make for a harsh environment at the best of times. With agriculture limited by
the region's dry, sandy soil, most of the local population rely on livestock
farming, leading a semi-nomadic existence dictated by the search for fresh
pasture for their cattle and goats. But following two years of failed rains,
pasture is almost non-existent; where there used to be grass, there is now
little more than dust. Read
report online
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Should
the UN be doing more to fight organized crime?
NEW
YORK, 12 August 2013 (IRIN) - The globalization of organized crime poses a
growing threat to fragile states that lack the ability to resist it, putting
pressure on the UN to find solutions. Read
report online
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Drought
response lags behind need in southern Angola
ONDJIVA,
14 August 2013 (IRIN) - At a traditional homestead in Chiede commune, in
southern Angola's drought-stricken Cunene Province, four tired, dusty children
rest in the shade of a thatched hut. They have just returned from a journey to
fetch water that has taken them most of the morning; the task will have to be
repeated in the afternoon if the family of 20 is to have a few litres of muddy
brown water to cook, drink and wash with. Read
report online
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Eating
locusts no substitute for Madagascar's lost rice harvests
SAKARAHA,
14 August 2013 (IRIN) - Madagascar locust swarms are devastating rice fields and
leading to hunger in some areas but locals are trying to make the best out of a
bad situation, catching as many of the insects as they can to supplement their
meagre diet. Read
report online
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Dry
winter spells bad news for Lesotho's farmers
MASERU,
15 August 2013 (IRIN) - On a windy day in Thaba-Bosiu, 40km from Lesotho's
capital, Maseru, Nkoliopa Mosotho is inspecting his parched fields. Like many
other rural farmers in Lesotho, he was banking on winter snowfall to soften the
iron-hard ground and allow him to plough, but none fell. Read
report online
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Why
South Africa's land reform agenda is stuck
DURBAN,
15 August 2013 (IRIN) - This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of
the South African Land Act, which restricted black people from buying or
occupying land except as employees of white people. The Act gave white people
ownership of 87 percent of land, leaving the black majority to settle in the
remaining 13 percent. Read
report online
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Analysis: Abacus of death - and why it matters for the
living
BANGKOK,
16 August 2013 (IRIN) - Varied death tolls emerging from Egypt's latest clashes
are a reminder that obtaining mortality statistics in emergencies is still a
disputed, complicated and, at times, politicized task. But tallied correctly,
researchers say mortality data can boost aid efficacy and improve funding
decisions. Read
report online
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How
technology is transforming emergency preparedness
DAKAR,
16 August 2013 (IRIN) - Mobile phone, geographic information systems (GIS),
Twitter and other technologies are increasingly being used to warn communities
of potential crises and inform them how to prepare, and to help governments and
aid agencies predict how emergencies may unfold. Read
report online
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Malawians brace for another year of hunger
MZIMBA,
16 August 2013 (IRIN) - The phrase on the lips of many Malawians these days,
particularly in the north of the country is: "There will be hunger this
year." Read
report online
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