Today marks the beginning of an important two-day forum on Women and Children’s health taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) will be co-hosting, along with the Government of South Africa, the 2014 Partners’ Forum. This forum is helping bring much needed attention and focus to
Technology is changing the world, including the agriculture sector. According to a report released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in April 2014, agricultural technologies have tripled worldwide food production over the past 50 years. But we still see pictures of people in Asia and Africa farming with their bare hands, still struggling to
What is going to happen when the Federal Reserve has completely stopped purchasing asset backed securities through its quantitative easing program? That is the $2 trillion dollar question! As the Financial Times reported this past weekend “central banks are planning to cut their exposure to longer-term debt to protect themselves from losses when the
In the Middle East, Jordan has become one of the biggest reservoirs for refugees escaping violence in their respective homelands. The influx of refugees has since increased with the violence in Sudan and Iraq, forcing their refugees to migrate to Jordan. Now in light of the crisis in Syria, refugees from Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia, and
Africa celebrated the Day of the African Child this past Monday, a day marked by the African Union (AU) every June 16th to commemorate the schoolchildren protests in 1976 against apartheid in South Africa. It is important to consider the progress and the future work necessary to ensure quality, free, and compulsory education for all
Conflicts between China and Japan over the tiny islands of Diaoyu and Senkaku in the East China Sea have continued for over a century. On May 24th, armed Chinese fighter planes buzzed Japan Self-Defense Forces aircraft; on June 11, two Japanese planes flew dangerously close to a Chinese plane over the Sea, with both countries
On June 8th, 2014 the Financial Times reported, “Russian companies prepare to pay for trade in renminbi”. Due to increasing political tensions between the US, EU and Russia over the situation in Ukraine, newly imposed sanctions “are pushing Russian companies to reduce their dependence on western financial markets.” Does this represent the beginning of the
Last week, the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague and actress Angeline Jolie hosted the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London. The four-day event that began on June 10 brought together 100 international delegates including Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (via video link) and numerous
The fourth alleged rape and murder of a woman in the Uttar Pradesh state has erupted fears over the enforcement of women’s safety throughout India. The death of the 19-year-old marks the fourth female hanging in two weeks in Uttar Pradesh, with the previous three linked to rape as well. News of this tragedy
Mobile phone services are a big business in Africa. CNN reports that there will be a billion mobile phones in 2015. But rather than be locked into contracts, users there opt to pay as they go, and top off with minutes as they need them. This has created stiff competition among providers. Some carriers are
With only two days before the opening match of the World Cup, the eyes of the world are on Brazil. Since FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in Brazil in 2007, there was a hope for Brazilian government that the megaproject would boost the economy. However, doubts on the World Cup’s benefits keep
On Sunday, it was reported that China’s exports grew 7% in May from the same month last year while imports were much weaker declining 1.6%. For China’s economy to mature, the domestic consumption needs to increase. China’s current level of savings is approximated to be over 30% of disposable income. This over saving for retirement
On May 13th, Cyclone Tamara hit southeastern Europe and, over a few days, pummeled it with three months’ worth of rainfall exceeding 4 inches (100 mm). The region’s most severe flooding in more than a century has killed over 60 people and displaced half a million, predominantly in Bosnia, Serbia and eastern Croatia. Officials in
Abha Parekh I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2010 at Pomona College, California, in International Relations. After I graduated, I moved to New York to work at Freedom House for one year, where I researched internet and press freedom around the world. In the summer of
The rise of Cesarean rates in Brazil has been brought into question after the story of Mrs. Adelir Carmen lemos De Goés broke in April of 2014. Authorities detained Mrs. De Goés after checking herself out of Torres hospital where earlier she opted not to have a Cesarean section, rather return when her contractions were
The race is heating up between Indonesian presidential frontrunners Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto with a month left before 185 million voters go to the polls. This is the third time Indonesians will directly chose their president since former autocrat Suharto stepped down in 1998, but it’s the first time they will choose between only
Investment by the US in Africa has fallen while China and other emerging countries have built close trading relationships with Africa over the last decade. According to the IMF, sub-Saharan African will be the second-fastest growing region in the world with a growth rate of 5.4%, which makes investment on the continent promising. Though
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) concluded its annual meeting last week in Kigali, Rwanda. The event took place from 19 to 23 May and was attended by Heads of State, Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors and attracted more then 2,500 delegates. The event paid respects to Africa’s achievements but the theme of the event
India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come to office on the heels of an historic electoral victory. His party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swept the first absolute majority in India’s parliament in thirty years. Modi’s promise of renewed growth comes at a time of sluggish economic activity and rampant corruption. While India’s
