As 2014 comes to a close it is important to look back and reflect on the events, accomplishments and downfalls that occurred throughout the year. While 2014 experienced great triumphs and failures throughout all communities worldwide, many women made great strides in helping increase the voice for women and girls and their universal human
Whether you see the glass half full or half empty, Africa has experienced its fair share of booms and busts in 2014. Today’s blog highlights several stories that made 2014 memorable for African development and tragedy. We’ll start with the more hopeful stories first. Nigeria 2014 was the year that Nigeria finally lived up to
After admitting to breaching security protocols and travelling unauthorised to a remote jungle area in the Choco region, General Ruben Dario Alzate was kidnapped by the FARC along with his two companions on the 16th November 2014. This event lead to the suspension of peace talks between the Colombian government and the leftist guerrilla movement
Africa needs $288 billion of investment in energy to fuel development. To radically transform Africa’s energy outlook and reach the goal of universal access to electricity by 2030 $288 billion is needed. Until now though, progress towards that goal has been slow. A recent report on Addressing Africa’s infrastructure challenges encouraged investors
Difficulty on reaching a consensus to further agricultural trade liberalization has been one of the key factors that impede the multilateral negotiation of the Doha Development Round, which is the latest and largest round of trade negotiations among the World Trade Organization (WTO) members with the aim to achieve major reform of the international trading
Neglecting the health of Africa’s soil will lock the continent into a cycle of food insecurity for generations to come, a report has warned. The problem needs to be given a higher priority by aid donors. The report added that soil degradation was also hampering economic development, costing the continent’s farmers billions of dollars
On the 30th November 2014, Uruguayans chose to continue supporting the Broad Front coalition that has governed their country over the last decade by re-electing Tabare Vazquez in the presidential election. Even though during his first presidential campaign he promised to ‘’shake the roots of the trees’’ he has governed cautiously, avoiding polarisation and constitutional
Most of the world’s jade supply – as well as the best – comes from Myanmar (also known as Burma), where thousands of poor workers mine jade in hazardous conditions, many of which have turned to using heroin, creating, in the process, the world’s highest HIV infection rates. The value of Myanmar’s jade trade is
