News headlines in 2019, page 23

BONO EAST REGION, Ghana, Oct 16 (IPS) - Adwoa Frimpomaah, a smallholder farmer from Dandwa, a farming community in Nkoranza, in Ghana's Bono East Region, and her two children have been consuming insect-infested and discoloured grains produced from their three-acre farm.

GENEVA / LAGOS, Oct 16 (IPS) - In Geneva this week, a treaty process is underway that promises to usher in a new era for human rights around the globe.

The process—the intergovernmental working group on the binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights—could mean that for the first time, human rights would be prioritized above corporate profits.

ILLINOIS, United States / ABUJA, Oct 16 (IPS) - United Nations World Food Day is celebrated around the world on October 16 under the theme: "Our Actions ARE Our Future. Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World". This theme is timely, especially, because across Africa and around the world, there has been a gradual rise in malnutrition and diet-related non communicable diseases, as highlighted in The Lancet study and a United Nations Report published earlier this year.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 16 (IPS) - A wave of bloody Taliban attacks aimed at derailing Afghanistan's recent elections killed and maimed hundreds of people, including children, the United Nations mission to the country said on Tuesday.

MELBOURNE, Oct 15 (IPS) - Success has many parents – so the saying goes. In the case of the massive successes of international agricultural research, no one person can claim parentage.

There are heroes along the way such as Norman Borlaug and his early cereal breeding, and the team that eliminated the cattle disease Rinderpest from the world – smallpox is the only other disease that has been totally eradicated. Another is the founder of The Crawford Fund, Derek Tribe, who was also instrumental in the creation of what is now the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), which I chair.

However, it would be more correct to highlight the thousands of scientists who have contributed to the world's greatest feat of feeding an extra three billion people when pundits said it was impossible.

ROME, Oct 15 (IPS) - A new FAO report launched today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization provides insights into how much food is lost - as well as where and why - at different stages of the food supply chain, calls for informed decisions for an effective reduction and offers new ways to measure progress.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (IPS) - The OECD Secretariat published its proposed ‘unified approach' to reform international tax rules to address tax challenges posed by digitalization on 9 October 2019.

Under current rules, there is little chance of a company being taxed without its physical presence in the country concerned. But digitalization enables many businesses to remotely conduct economic activities affecting a national economy without a direct physical presence.

JOHANNESBURG / AMSTERDAM, Oct 15 (IPS) - 2019 has not been a good year for Iranian human rights activists. At a time where civic space had completely closed, many watched in disbelief as the regime mounted even more restrictions on civil society. Over recent months, many activists have been arrested, like Noushin Javari (a photographer), Marzieh Amiri (a journalist), and Javad Lal Mohammadi (teacher).

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15 (IPS) - With one-third of food produced for human consumption lost or wasted, and millions still going hungry, the UN's food-related agencies are shining a spotlight on the issue: on Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published its annual State of Food and Agriculture report with findings that could lead to a reduction in food loss and waste, and, earlier in October, the World Food Programme (WFP) launched its awareness-raising #StopTheWaste campaign.

Oct 15 (IPS) - The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate highlights the urgency of prioritising ambitious and coordinated actions to address the unprecedented and continuing changes that are taking place in the ocean and cryosphere (Earth's frozen lands).