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US advocates Global Water security pact
Merkel now German party leader
ENERGY
The solution to global warming is not in nuclear power
WWF recommends more efficient and safer use of existing energy sources
rather than investing in potentially dangerous nuclear power
Greenpeace wins battle to block nuclear waste shipment
A court order has stalled attempts to repatriate reprocessed nuclear
waste to Belgium from France
FOOD
Corn found to repel damaging pest
Specie of corn has been discovered to repel the much dreaded corn
borer
Super rice discovered
Recent developments in genetic engineering may help fight world hunger
Aid needed for famine victims
As more people face starvation in Ethiopia, the call for aid from the
international community intensifies
HUMAN RIGHTS
Algeria opens doors to human rights groups
A much sought after invitation to Algeria gladdens the hearts of
human rights groups
ECONOMY
Germany pushes for Mozambican debt cancellation
Floods and the loss of human lives have prompted a move to cancel
debts incurred by Mozambique
Debt relief for Tanzania
Tanzania's economic recovery gets a boo
Development Time Page
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Gene increases the risk of heart disease in smokers
More research confirms the Surgeon General's warning about
tobacco
Bill Gates gives $57m to fight AIDS
The world's richest man gives the largest donation to date to fight
against the killer disease
ENVIRONMENT
Conservation
Network reduces desertification in China
China is determined to win the war against encroaching
desertification
Egypt seizes ivory haul
A recent raid on ivory traders in Egypt proves the illegal trade is
still flourishing – unfortunate for the African elephant
Pollution
Pollution blamed for massive arctic ozone loss
Man made pollution is having devastating effects on the ozone
layer in the arctic
Arctic warming poses threat to birds
Birds could be the most threatened by the recently recorded arctic
warming
Environmentalists move to challenge dolphin – safe label
Environmentalists kick against a law that might further endanger
the lives of dolphins
Focus Change Radio looks at the recent developments
in the search for
the blueprint of life in the human genome
Focus on the Origins of Life Insight into the human genome might
change the world 2
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Count down to June for the human genome The time for the world to
read the "book of life" is coming
sooner than ever
Celera aims at winning the genome goal
A privately funded company believes that its information on the
human genome is more complete. Time will tell…
Clinton and Blair agree on easy access to genes pool
The two world leaders give a joint statement on the
revolutionary discovery
In Brief Nigerian cocoa may become unexportable soon
Taiwan to highlight killer quake in WHO bid
UNDP to float poverty alleviation fund in Nigeria
Cholera outbreak in eastern Nigeria
Spanish women make history
Ready or not: Nigerian Youths have a voice on radio
Democracy gets a boost in Senegal
Human rights in Africa
Children's Section
How the zebra got his stripes
Parting shots Unforgettable quotes on environment and development
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Turning back the clock on development 4mins. 29secs 8 AIDS is not
having a positive effect on a continent still largely
underdeveloped
Creating a continent of orphans 3mins. 18secs 9 Children are fast
becoming the hardest hit by the epidemic
No money, no drugs, no hope. 1min. 41secs 9 While treatment for
AIDS is available Africa is still largely in the dark
A ray of light 1min. 4secs 10 Possible AIDS treatment discovered
in Argentina
Threat to livelihoods of woodcarvers in Ghana 1min. 22secs 11 Water Conservation
in Central America 1min. 49secs 12
Quick Tips on water conservation 1min. 59secs 12
Children's section How cheetah got his speed 1min. 58secs
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The giraffes in the sky 1min. 12secs 10 How Nguluve Got his Tail 2mins. 28secs
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Parting shots Unforgettable quotes on environment and development
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News
US advocates global water security pact 1 min.
The United States Secretary of State, Madeleine Allbright has proposed the
creation of a global water security alliance. This is in response to the potential
military and political crises stemming from a shortage of potable
water.
Allbright, in an address marking Earth Day in Washington, said water related
difficulties posed serious foreign policy concerns in critical areas of the
planet. She added that the US would take a leading role in developing the
new alliance.
"I have in mind not alliances such as NATO that is limited to certain countries…
but rather a less formal alliance open to all who comprehend the urgency of
working together to conserve transboundry water, manage it
wisely and use it well", she said. The Guardian
Merkel now German party leader 1 min.
Former East German politician has been voted in as the new leader of Germany's
Christian Democrats. She
replaces the former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and making her one of the few women
that are in the highest level of government in Europe. Her appointment is seen
as a positive development in the ongoing emancipation of
women all over the world.
The 45 year old Merkel is also the first politician from the former East Germany
to head the party which is
Germany's main post war party. "I thank you for your support and hope that it
will last a long time " she said as she received flowers after the vote.
The Guardian
The solution to global warming is not in nuclear power 1min. 53secs Effective
strategies to reduce global warming gases from electricity generation should
not be based on nuclear
power. This was contained in a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF,
which was commissioned
by the World Information Service in Energy in Paris.
The report states that more nuclear power does not necessarily mean lower
carbon dioxide emissions – the main global warming gas. This is partly because
reliance on large scale power plants tend to boost electricity
consumption rather than promote improvements in efficient supply and use of
energy.
The report observes that nuclear energy generates only electricity whereas most
energy is required in the form of heat. This means that additional fossil fuels
have to be burned, thus increasing carbon dioxide emissions to the
same level as in combined heat and power systems using natural gas.
The shipment was to be the first of 15 to repartriate waste from Belgian nuclear
power stations which had been sent to northern France for reprocessing. Belgium
plans to take back 75 cubic meters of "vitrified" waste, that
is, used reprocessed fuel stored in cans for long term storage. The waste will
continue to be highly radioactive for hundreds of years.
CNN. com 5
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Pollution blamed for massive arctic ozone loss 1min. 27secs
A long arctic cold winter spawned one of the most massive ozone losses on
record. And according to scientists from NASA and the European Union, human
made pollution is to blame.
Measurements taken by researchers show that ozone in the arctic region has
decreased by about 60 percent between January and mid March. Other data collected
by satellite back this up. The arctic ozone depletion
recorded this year show that chlorine compounds contained in some pollution
are lingering in the far north. Some of these chlorine compounds can destroy
the protective ozone layer in the earth's stratosphere but only
if they are present in extremely cold and a bit sunny condition – as was the
case this winter.
While the production of these pollutants is now limited thereby reducing the
amount of chlorine in the stratosphere, there will be no full recovery of the
arctic zone for decades.
The report also noted that the drop in the ozone over the arctic has caused
a slight depletion of the ozone in the
northern hemisphere, stretching through northern Europe and the northern United
States. CNN. com
Arctic warming poses threat to birds 2mins. 20secs Meanwhile the World
Wildlife Fund has warned that climate change could cut Arctic bird populations
by half.
Using climate models, scientists from the World Conservation Monitoring Center
(WCMC) assessed the effects of temperature and shrinking habitat on water birds
in the arctic zone.
The researchers found that during the past century, global mean temperature
increased by 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nowhere on the planet has the warming been more striking than in the arctic
zone where average temperatures have risen as much as 2.7F per decade since
the 1960s. In the next 70 to 100 years, scientists predict that the
concentration of carbondioxide in the environment could double. Arctic habitats
are expected to be among the first biomes to show the direct impact of the climate
change.
The report warns that higher temperatures will cause wooded forests to advance
northward, replacing the arctic tundra, which is an essential breeding area
for millions of birds.
Arctic water birds most threatened by the global warming include the critically
endangered red breasted goose, tundra bean goose, spoon – billed goose and the
emperor goose.
With a global temperature increase of only 1.7 degrees by 2070, all of these
birds could lose more than 50 percent of their habitat. More than two-thirds
of all geese and nearly 95percent of all calidrid waders breed in
the arctic. The study forecasts that 40 percent to 57 percent loss of tundra
in the next 100 years may mean a loss of habitat for 5 million geese and 7.5
calidrid waders.
"The study once more underlines the urgent need to reduce the emissions of
global warming gases to slow the rate of climate change" the researchers write.
" in order to facilitate adaptation to a changed climate, we need
to seriously consider changes in habitat management" 6
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ENN
Corn found to repel damaging pest 1min. 12secs
While the B-96 strain of corn might be scrawny, with weak stalks and under-developed
roots, it has something
that other corn lines covet. The strain from Argentina has been found to posses
a chemical which deters female European corn borers from laying eggs.
"The struggle against the European corn borer has been tough for farmers,
especially those who grow with little or no chemical pesticides" says Bradley
F Binder, an entomologist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
The European corn borer cost the nation's corn producers $350 million annually
to the nation's corn crop. Without chemical or alternative treatments, losses
could exceed $1 billion.
Currently growers have to use corn genetically engineered corn to contain
larvae killing chemicals, however the B-96 corn contains a chemical protectant
that interferes with borer moth – laying. Meanwhile, the genetically
engineered corn – known as Bt strain – controls larvae hatching from any eggs
that might be laid. CNN. com
Environmentalists move to challenge dolphin – safe label 1min. 52secs
Environmentalists have asked a United States Judge to stop the Clinton administration
from watering down the nation's
"dolphin-safe" label to allow tuna caught with dolphins that are netted and
released. This is the latest in a long running legal
and political battle. For over a decade, tuna fleets that want a dolphin safe
label have been prohibited from using large
encircling nets that trap both tuna and dolphins, which swim with the yellow
fin tuna in the eastern tropical pacific.
Congress first restricted kills by US tuna boats in 1972 and imposed similar
requirements later on foreign fleets that exported tuna to the United States.
Past rulings have strengthened provisions requiring embargos on nations
that fail to meet the standards.
The labeling practice is scheduled to change in April when the Commerce Department
plans to allow tuna caught by Mexican boats to carry a dolphin safe label as
long as observers on the boats see no dolphins killed
or injured in the encircling nets.
The issue has split the environmental movement. Groups such as Greenpeace and
the World Wildlife Fund supported a 1997 law which lifted an embargo on tuna
caught with dolphins. This law allowed the dolphin safe
label to apply to those catches that the National Marines Fishing Service did
not see to significantly harm dolphins. The plaintiffs include the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane
Society. CNN. com
Algeria opens doors to human rights groups 1min. 16secs
In a dramatic change in policy, Algerian president, Abdeaziz Bouteflika
has invited four human rights groups to visit his country. This marks a change
in the policy adopted in 1992, which prevented foreign groups from
entering the country to investigate rights abuses during the Islamic insurgency.
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In 1999, the country refused entry to United States rapporteurs who wanted to
investigate allegations of torture and summary executions by government forces.
So far, some 10 000 people have died in the violence that erupted since 1991.
The government has blamed the violence on armed Islamic militants. However there
have been reports implicating the army in acts of violence in
which civilians have died.
In Paris, the president of the International Federation of Human Rights has
welcomed the new development
which allows human rights groups into Algeria.
The invitations were issued on Wednesday in the name of President Bouteflika
at the Algerian Mission to the UN in New York.
Times
Aid needed for famine victims 1min.
International aid agencies are struggling to get more aid to the Horn of
Africa, where ten million people are threatened by famine caused by prolonged
drought.
In one of the worst affected areas, the Ogaden region in South Ethiopia, a
local aid agency reports that six children below the age of five die each day.
The area of Gode and the surrounding parts are also littered with
dead livestock.
The UN World Food Programme and other aid agencies are trying to supply food
to those in need but reports say their efforts are hampered by poor roads. Reports
further indicate that rebels and bandits are moving into
the areas affected by the famine. CNN. com
Germany pushes for Mozambican debt cancellation 1 min. The German foreign
minister, Joschka Fischer, says his country is advocating for the cancellation
of Mozambique's
external debt which amounts to nearly one and a half billion dollars.
The foreign minister says the issue needed to be dealt with immediately in the
wake of the floods that have gutted the African nation in the last month.
In February some of Mozambique's creditors approved a year long debt payment
moratorium but the
Mozambican government said a cancellation would have been more appropriate.
Meanwhile troops sent by the US, Britain and Germany to help with rescue efforts
in Mozambique have begun to leave.
BBCNEWS 8
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Egypt seizes ivory haul 46secs.
Egyptian police have seized a record haul of ivory with a street value of
over $200 000. On March 29, the Egyptian Environment Ministry announced that
78 pieces of elephant tusks have been seized from a warehouse
in the town of Aswan.
International trade in Ivory has been banned since 1990. Egypt's Environment
Ministry, which enforces the ban in the country, said that the elephant ivory
had been smuggled in from Central Africa. The ministry said the tusks
had been collected by a warehouse owner in Aswan for distribution to ivory traders
around the country. BBCNEWS
Super rice discovered 1min. 56secs A genetically engineered strain
of rice, which can boost yields by up to 35 percent has been discovered by US
scientists. The new crop was unveiled in the Philippines at an international
conference in rice technology.
Rice is part of the staple diet of up to one third of the world's population.
The new product is thus expected to
play a major role in the battle against hunger. The plant was produced by scientists
in Washington State University and agricultural researchers in Japan. The lead
scientist on the project, Professor Maurice Ku, explained that
genetic material from maize was inserted into the rice plant including the
gene for pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase. This increased the rate of photosynthesis-the
process plants use to make their life. Field experiments
saw yields jump dramatically although Professor Ku cautioned that results are
still preliminary.
"To perfect it, we need to do more tests not only on the field but also more
transformation with additional traits to improve it," he said. He further added
that it might take up to three to five years before the new rice can be
introduced to farmers.
In the meantime, experts of the International Rice Research Institute say that
rapid population growth has caught up with advances in cereal yields made over
the past 34 years. Farmers must now consistently produce
an extra 6.7 million tonnes of unmilled rice every year. This they must do using
less land and less water to maintain current nutrition levels
BBCNEWS
Focus
Scientists give clues to the origins of life 1min. 44secs For
the first time scientists can pore over the entire genetic code of a human chromosome,
searching for clues
on how to detect and treat diseases. This achievement might be considered to
have the same long lasting effect as the invention of the wheel.
Chromosome 22, decoded by an international team of scientists, is one of the
24 distinct bundles of DNA within human cells that contain enough information
as to what makes up the human being. It took the team most
of the past decade to decipher all the 33 million letters that make up the chromosome
22. The work has revealed hundreds of new genes. Over 30 medical disorders are
now known to be influenced by the chromosome, 9
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including heart defects, cancers and schizophrenia.
The first step in the exploration of the chromosome will be the use of information
gathered to detect diseases in
people. As more is known about the meaning of the code, new drugs and therapies
are expected to emerge. Eventually, treatments will be tailored to each individual's
precise genetic make up.
This is the first time that we've had a complete chapter in the human instruction
book and that is pretty amazing", said Dr Francis Collins, from the US National
Institute Of Health and the chairman of the Human Genome
Project. BBCNEWS
Countdown to June for the human genome 1min. 18secs The first draft
of the genetic code for human life will be available on the Internet by June.
The announcement by
the publicly funded Human Genome Project (HGP) has significantly narrowed down
the date when the international consortium will publish 90 percent of the human
genome.
The announcement follows the recent controversy on whether all decoded human
genes should be freely available or whether companies should be able to patent
the information.
HGP has now sequenced over 2 billion of the 3 billion individual letters in
the human genome. It is only four months since it passed its first billion.
Indeed, 20 years ago, it would take over a year to assemble 12 000
bases. Today it will take only a minute.
"It is good news that we are moving so fast, but it is even better news that
researchers throughout the world are using this data to investigate the genetic
underpinnings of health" said Dr Francis Collins, director of the HGP.
BBCNews
Celera aims at winning the genome goal 1min. 22secs Leading US gene
sequencing company, Celera, aims to win the race to be the first to have a complete
sequence
of the human genome. It is competing with the Human Genome Project (HPG), which
has promised a working draft of the "book of life" by June.
Celera plans to survey the genes of five different people, who will remain
anonymous, to complete a final genome sequence. The company intends to copy
this sequence several times over to make sure it is correct. So
far, Celera claims to have 99 percent of a person's genetic sequence in its
database.
Meanwhile, some publicly funded scientists have accused Celera of failing to
keep its promise to make the human genome information available to all. But
Celera insists that it will release the data.
Celera used an approach much different from that of HGP, called the whole
genome shotgun sequencing. Their success is also based on the use of the largest
and most powerful computer in the world in civilian hands.
Commenting on the diversity of the five people Celera has chosen to sequence
their genes, Mark Adams, the Vice President for genome programmes said "they
are not five white guys". 10
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In March, Celera published the genome of the fruitfly, the most complex animal
yet sequenced. BBCNews
Clinton and Blair agree on easy access to genes pool 45 secs.
Scientists around the world should have free access to research on the mapping
of human genes the United States and Britain said in a joint communiqué last
week.
Agreeing that the search into the human genetic blueprint was one of the most
significant of all time, the two countries went on say that to realize the full
promise of the research, "raw fundamental data on the human
genome including the human DNA sequencing and its variation should be made freely
available to scientists everywhere"
The Financial Standard
Lightning is striking twice in Ethiopia 2mins. 39secs 15 years ago,
famine claimed the lives of over one million people in Ethiopia. Now, history
is repeating itself .
Today, aid workers estimate that eight million people are at risk from starvation.
This has prompted a call on the west to react immediately with food and aid,
to avoid the same massive death toll.
And just as Ethiopia was involved in a war 15 years ago, it is involved in
another. Only this time it is a border war with Eritrea. Indeed, authorities
of the two countries have been asked to put aside their differences to
faclitate the delivery of aid to famine affected areas in Ethiopia.
An official of the United States Agency for International Development spoke
to reporters after a two week visit
to some of the famine stricken areas. "I would hope that the two sides could
figure out some way, in the midst of their conflict over other things, to consider
the humanitarian needs that are so severe, particularly in the
southern part of Ethiopia". The official, Hugh Parmer, said that the response
to the request to transport aid through the more effective route of the Eritrean
port of Assab has not been encouraging.
Earlier in the first week of April, Eritrea had offered the services of the
port for the distribution of food aid. This was dismissed by Ethiopia as a public
relations gimmick. Ethiopia also accused Eritrea of stealing tones of food
aid from Assab in the past.
The UN World Food Programme Director, Judith Lewis, told the BBC that they were
doing their best to make
good use of the available but barely adequate ports in Djibouti and Somaliland.
Meanwhile, in towns like Gode, an estimated 400 people died in March. Many
of them were children.
A woman with a sick child said that two months ago, she had three children.
She lost two of them within a
couple of months. This is the scale of the problem and relief is needed to avert
the human disaster of 15 years ago.
BBCNEWS 11
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Gene implicated as increasing the risk of heart disease in smokers 1min.
Smokers who carry the gene already linked to smoking related diseases face
roughly twice the risk of heart
disease than smokers that do not carry it. This is according to recent research
which appeared in the April issue
of Atherosclerosis.
Individuals without the gene GSTT1 had about a 60 percent risk of heart problems
if they smoked while those with the gene had about a 180 percent greater risk.
The research found the gene present in four-fifths of the 1 290 subjects.
The GSTT1 gene is considered to be an integral link in understanding how the
body processes the chemicals found in tobacco smoke. The gene has
already been linked to other smoking related diseases such as bladder cancer.
CNN. com
Debt relief for Tanzania 31 secs.
The international monetary fund and the World Bank have announced a debt
relief package for Tanzania. The package is
worth 2 billion dollars.
The World Bank will be financing over 1 billion dollars of the debt through
its International Development Agency. The rest will be borne by multilateral
and bilateral creditors.
The total value of Tanzania's debt is more than 4.5 billion dollars. BBCNEWS
Bill gates gives $57m to fight AIDS 1min. 11secs Microsoft Chief Executive,
Bill Gates has pledged $57million over the next five years to help protect young
people in Africa against the threat of AIDS. The donation from the Bill and
Melissa Gates Foundation is the
biggest by a private foundation to support AIDS prevention among young people.
Young people account for more than half of the new HIV infections worldwide.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) will spend the money on youth clinics, AIDS education
in schools and advertising campaigns directed
at young people. The UN has also selected Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania
because of the willingness
of the political leaders of these countries to tackle the issue of AIDS.
Tanzania will receive $16.5m, Uganda $15.3m, Ghana $14m and Botswana $7.9m.
The remaining funds will cover costs for the UNFPA and two non – governmental
organizations – the Programme
for Appropriate Technology in Health and Pathfinder International. BBCNEWS
Nigerian cocoa may become unexportable soon 33 secs. Cocoa producers in Nigeria
may soon be unable to sell their product in the international market. This is
because
Nigeria has till date, failed to change over to the use of hydro – carbon free
bags. The bags are now the internationally accepted means of bagging cocoa beans
for export. Nigerian cocoa exporters still use jute bags,
which the International Cocoa Association banned last year. 12
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The Punch
Japan chooses new Prime Minister 36 secs. 62 year old Yoshiro Mori has been
chosen as the new Prime Minister of Japan. His predecessor, Keizo
Obuchi suffered a stroke earlier on the month and as a result, the Japanese
lower house voted an overwhelming majority for the new Prime Minister. The upper
house confirmed the decision in a largely symbolic ballot.
Yoshiro Mori pledged to continue Obuchi's economic policies designed to entrench
recovery after a decade – long slump.
The Punch
Taiwan to highlight killer quake in WHO bid 1min. 11secs Taiwan is
set to highlight last September's devastating earthquake when it tries once
more to join the World
Health Organization (WHO). An official told Agence France Presse that preparations
are underway to use the 7.6 richer scale earthquake as a platform to be included
in the membership of the WHO. The earthquake,
which is the strongest to hit the island this century left 2 400 people dead,
11 000 injured and more than 100
000 homeless.
"The United Nations did not reach out its helping hand within 24 hours after
the quake …shutting Taiwan out of the WHO, a UN – related organisation, is not
humanitarian to the 22million people on the Island', the official
said.
Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province awaiting reunification ,
was forced out of the WHO in 1972, a year after Beijing took over Taipei's seat
in the United Nations.
AFP
Cyclone leaves 20 dead in Madagascar 1min. 41secs.
Cyclone Hudah killed 20 people and adversely affected 300 000 in north east
Madgascar, according to the National Rescue Council (CNS). The figures were
based on a visit by the government and official of the UN to
areas affected by the cyclone which occurred on the 2 nd of April, 2000.
"There is not a building or house that is not damaged by this catastrophe" said
Adama Guido of the United
Nations Development Programme when he visited Antalaha, the world's vanilla
capital in Madagascar.
UNDP to float poverty alleviation fund in Nigeria The United Nations
is to establish a Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund( PACTF) in an effort to eradicate
poverty in
Nigeria. This was disclosed by the resident representative in Nigeria, Professor
Mkaya Kankuenda at the
Nigeria – British Chamber of Commerce business forum held in Lagos.
The fund is aimed at complementing the existing poverty reduction modalities
by the mobilization of additional donor reserves for community livelihoods of
the poor.
The fund will also provide opportunity for interested individuals, corporate
bodies and organizations to realize their community
development agenda through qualified and professional services designed to their
various needs. This is also expected to
enhance the role of the UNDP as a trusted and effective agency in poverty alleviation
and human development. 13
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The Guardian
Cholera outbreak in Eastern Nigeria 1min. 31secs.
About 100 people have so far lost their lives to an outbreak of measles
and cholera in Aguleri – Otu and Akwusigo local government areas of Anambra
state in the eastern part of Nigeria.
In a statement released by the traditional ruler of Aguleri – Otu, it was
reported that over 60 persons including adults and children had been killed
by cholera which started on March 19, last year. Over 25 people have
already died from the measles epidemic, according to the statement. The traditional
ruler went on to appeal to the State and the Federal governments and the medical
community " to save my people from extinction".
Vanguard
Spanish women make history 39 secs. Luisa Fernanda Budi and Esperanza
Aguirre were officially named speakers of Spain's lower and upper houses
of parliament on April 4, 2000. This makes Spain the fifth country in the world
where women preside over both chambers. The others are South Africa, Barbuda,
Belize, and Jamaica according to the Interparliamentary
Union.
In Spain, it was the first time a woman was elected speaker of the 349 – member
Congress of Deputies,
although Aguirre has led the senate since February 1999. The Punch
Ready or not: Nigerian Youths have a voice on radio 2mins.
9secs. Communicating for Change, the publishers of Change Radio, has launched
a new youth radio drama series
called "Ready or not". The drama series began airing on the 1 st of April, 2000
on radio stations across the country.
"Ready or not" creatively showcases Nigerian youths (aged 14years to 29years)
and their unique perception of the nation's development needs. The series focuses
on conflict resolution, unemployment, education, environment,
health, as well as democracy and good governance. These issues are presented
against a background of the challenges Nigeria's youth face on a daily basis.
"The essence of Ready or not is to be an important platform for youths
to dialogue with each other, be heard, and have their ideas seen as positively
contributing to Nigeria's road to recovery", said Sandra Obiago, CFC's
Executive Director. She went on to state that what makes the series unique is
that "it is produced by youth for youth". Many of the cast and crew of the production
were made of creative people under the age of 28 years.
Ready or not is the result of in-depth formative research including
twenty two focus group discussions held across the country. The project also
organized a forum with the assistance of eleven youth organizations where
many youths from different walks of life dialogued on their views on Nigeria's
present situation and future prospects.
Already the series is receiving commendable reviews as a powerful and incisive
drama that reflects the society and its many contradictions. But more than these,
the series leaves the audience with a sense of hope and points
the way forward in a nation that earnestly seeks development. 14
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CFC
Democracy gets a boost in Senegal 1 min.
Almost 60 percent of voters chose Abdoulaye Wade in the election for
the presidency of Senegal in March. This is a major
triumph for democracy in the continent of Africa. Although Senegal is officially
a multiparty state, the country has often
been described as a quasi democracy because no election since 1960 had ever
resulted in a change in government.
On March 20 th , when the incumbent president , Abdou Diouf, gracefully
conceded defeat to Wade, he became the third
elected African head of government to do so in four decades.
Since his victory, Abdou Wade has promised to fully democratize Senegal
by cutting presidential terms from seven to five
years and fixing a maximum term of two.
The Economist
Human rights in Africa 1min. 18secs.
According to the African Research Bulletin, NGOs are becoming increasingly
anxious that a firm action should be taken about
the situation regarding human rights in Africa.
Last November, in Kigali, Rwanda, the 26 th ACHPR( African Commission of Human
and Peoples Rights) working session
ended with a 26 point statement denouncing the abuses in countries under armed
conflict. These abuses include summary
justice, inhuman prison conditions, mass movement of people and violations of
human rights, particularly for women, children
and the elderly.
Fact finding missions will be sent to Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Sierra
Leone. A draft ACHPR protocol on women's rights
will be sent to the secretariat of the OAU with a request for further action.
The 27 th Session of the ACHPR was held in Algeria from 27 April -11 May 2000.
A surprise bid to host the planned African
court on Human rights has been made by the Prime Minister of Rwanda – where
the highest order of violations was witnessed
in 1994.
The Courier
Children's Section
How The Zebra Got His Stripes 2mins. 46secs
One day long ago, a very big, very fierce baboon came down from the trees
to live on the banks of the great Umfolozi River.
Here he made his home and declared to all the other animals that the land
all around belonged to him, and they were not to use
the water in the river. He alone was to be allowed to drink.
There was one among the animals who decided to stand up to fearful Baboon.
This was a proud young zebra stallion, Dube.
In those days, zebras were pure white, like the fabled unicorn. Now Dube was
brave, and he challenged Baboon to a fight. Baboon, a fierce veteran of many
battles, agreed. He knew all about fighting.
'The loser of the fight," he said, "will be banished forever to the barren kopje
across the river." And he told the zebra to come to his kraal the next morning.
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The fight was long and terrible. Both animals fought with all their strength,
using the weapons the Creator had given them. Dube used his sharp hooves and
teeth. Baboon used his long fangs and his agility.
Eventually, Baboon gained the upper hand, and poor Dube was thrown backwards
into the blazing logs of the
kraal fire. The cruel flames licked all over his body, searing his fine white
coat. The dreadful pain gave Dube a surge of new strength, and with a mighty
kick he sent Baboon flying. Over the river sailed Baboon, right onto
the rocks of the kopje on the other side. Baboon landed with such force that
a bald patch remains on his behind to this very day.
But Dube too was marked for life. The burns from the blazing logs in Baboon's
fire left black stripes all over his snow-white coat. But at least he had won
and from that day on, the water was free to all the animals.
Since then, zebra wear their stripes with pride, and while baboons are banished
to stony kopjes, the zebras dwell on the open plains, coming and going to the
river just as they please.
When the hippo was hairy
Parting shots
Unforgettable Quotes on environment and development
"Man cannot seem to leave anything alone which is wild and natural."
Olwen Frost, Fifteen-year-old from Barbados.
"Let us, while waiting the new monuments, preserve the ancient monuments." Victor
Hugo,
French dramatist and novelist, 1802-1885
"All the flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass."
The Bible,
Peter, 1: 24-25.
"If you try to pluck out one thing by itself, you find that it is attached to
everything else."
John Muir. American conservationist who started the US national park
system, 1838-1914
"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it
on?"
Henry David Thoreau Writer and social critic, 1817-1862
"It is up to science to spread the understanding that the choice is not between
wild places or people, but rather it is between
a rich or an impoverished future for man." 16
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Tom Lovejoy.
Former WWF-US Vice President for Science.
"The degree to which we are all involved in the control of the earth's life
is just beginning to dawn on most of us, and it means another revolution in
human thoughts."
Lewis Thomas, Writer, The Lives of a Cell. 17
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