.com | Niger drought leaves schools closed

More than half of schoolchildren have quit class in some parts of Niger due to drought which is forcing entire families of farmers to move to seek better pastures, the UN said Friday. At least 33 000 farmers’ children have abandoned class to follow their parents, with the worst hit areas including the central regions of Maradi and Zinder, Agadez in the north and Tahoua in the west.

a A nightmare:a UN chief urges help for Somalia hunger crisis

Visibly shocked by the suffering of malnourished Somalis and cholera victims during an emergency visit, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged international support to alleviate Somalia’s worsening hunger crisis. “Every single person we have seen is a personal story of tremendous suffering.

Politics a Risk to South African Recovery

Continued political instability that hurt investor confidence and saw South Africa’s economy expand at the slowest rate since 2009 last year could threaten a recovery in 2017, economists said. Gross domestic product expanded 0.3 percent last year, the statistics office said in a report released on Tuesday in the capital, Pretoria.

The solidarity regardless of differences

The 6th founding anniversary of GERD will be colorfully celebrated accompanied with various activities such as fund raising and other mobilization forums throughout the country. The Great Run is one of these activities that took place on the 5th of March 2017 in Addis Ababa and other major cities of the country.

Deadly floods hit southern Zimbabwe, destroying many homes

From kitchen items to livestock and even her house, Assa Mkwananzi says she has “lost it all” to floods that have hit southern Zimbabwe. “We lost all our blankets, pots and cooking utensils, our goats and chickens as well because of the heavy rains,” Mkwananzi told The Associated Press in the southern district of Tsholotsho, about 200 kilometers north of Bulawayo.

Bundaberg receives official drought declaration

The Bundaberg region has been officially drought-declared.The declaration, effective from March 1, brings the area of Queensland that is drought-declared to 84.29 per cent. SHARE Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Link Farmer Kelvin Griffins on his sugarcane farm in Bundaberg, which has received drought status.

Bundaberg receives official drought declaration

The Bundaberg region has been officially drought-declared.The declaration, effective from March 1, brings the area of Queensland that is drought-declared to 84.29 per cent. SHARE Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Link Farmer Kelvin Griffins on his sugarcane farm in Bundaberg, which has received drought status.

Some 100 million at risk of hunger and the number is rising

The number of people facing severe hunger worldwide has surpassed 100 million and will grow if humanitarian aid is not paired with more support for farmers, a senior United Nations official said. Dominique Burgeon, director of the emergency division at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said latest studies showed 102 million people faced acute malnutrition – meaning they were on the brink of starvation – in 2016, up almost 30 per cent from 80 million in 2015.

Ex-CIA agent freed in Portugal, avoids extradition to Italy

President Donald Trump’s new immigration order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary U.S. travel ban, U.S. officials say, citing the latest draft in circulation. President Donald Trump’s new immigration order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary U.S. travel ban, U.S. officials say, citing the latest draft in circulation.

South Sudan and Somalia to receive 100 million UK aid packages

International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced the new packages of UK aid for 2017/18 and called on the global community to step up their support in helping those in need. The Department for International Development said parts of South Sudan were now in famine, adding that in 2017 there was a credible risk of another three famines in Yemen, North East Nigeria and Somalia.

Drought drives food price spike in East Africa, UN warns

East Africa’s ongoing drought has sharply curbed harvests and drive up the prices of cereals and other staple foods to unusually high levels, posing a heavy burden to households and special risks for pastoralists in the region, the United Nations Agricultural Agency said today. “Sharply increasing prices are severely constraining food access for large numbers of households with alarming consequences in terms of food insecurity,” said Mario Zappacosta, a senior economist for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization , in a news release.

Somalia’s New President meets with Diplomats In mogadishu

The newly elected President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, held meetings on Thursday for the first time with representatives from the International community in Mogadishu. During the meeting, the international partners have congratulated Farmajo on his election as the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia on Wednesday in Mogadishu by the Federal Parliament.

1,000 S. Sudan herders enter Uganda

About 1,000 Toposa pastoralists from South Sudan have crossed to Kaabong District in search of water and pasture for their animals. The pastoralists entered into Uganda last Friday with 10,000 livestock, including camels, donkeys, sheep and goats.

‘Hit by drought, Kashmir nomads shifting closer to urban centres’

Jammu, Dec 25 : Hit by unprecedented dry spell in the higher reaches, nomad tribals in Jammu and Kashmir have started shifting to plain areas close to cities and towns in the Jammu region, a tribal rights body said on Sunday. [NK Business] “Facing extreme deficit of fodder for their animals due to insufficient rainfall, the drought-hit families of Gujjars living in hills of Jammu and Kashmir have started shifting along with their cattle towards the plain areas, nearer to cities and towns, in search of cattle feed and water,” the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, representing nomadic tribals, said in a statement.