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U.N. OCHA report examines how technology is affecting delivery of humanitarian aid

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday released a new report, titled "Humanitarianism in the Network Age (including World Humanitarian Data and Trends 2012)," which examines how the accelerated use of mobile technology in the developing world is changing how private corporations, governments and humanitarian aid agencies are doing business, a press release from the agency reports.

10 Apr 2013

Podcast addresses food security in Ethiopia

In the third Humanosphere podcast, development blogger Tom Paulson interviews Roger Thurow, a former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and senior fellow on global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs.

9 Apr 2013

Scientists reveal mystery of how arsenic levels in beer sold in Germany

The mystery of how arsenic levels in beer sold in Germany could be higher than in the water or other ingredients used to brew the beer has been solved, scientists announced here today at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

8 Apr 2013

GlaxoSmithKline opens new facility in Philadelphia's Navy Yard Corporate Center

GlaxoSmithKline officially opened its new double LEED® platinum certified facility in Philadelphia's Navy Yard Corporate Center today, ushering in a new era of how people work in Philadelphia.

8 Apr 2013

Study: High rates of gun ownership and political conservatism are at greater risk of suicide

Residents of states with the highest rates of gun ownership and political conservatism are at greater risk of suicide than those in states with less gun ownership and less politically conservative leanings, according to a study by University of California, Riverside sociology professor Augustine J. Kposowa.

7 Apr 2013

New York Times describes opposition to, support of Obama administration plan to reform food aid

"An Obama administration plan to change the way the United States distributes its international food aid has touched off an intense lobbying campaign by a coalition of shipping companies, agribusiness and charitable groups who say the change will harm the nation's economy and hamper efforts to fight global hunger," the New York Times reports.

6 Apr 2013

NPR examines debate over rumors of changes to U.S. food aid operations

"[R]umors ... that the White House is planning major changes in the way that the U.S. donates food to fight hunger in some of the world's poorest countries" have "set off an emotional debate" in Washington, D.C., NPR's "Morning Edition" reports.

5 Apr 2013

Some OECD nations' development aid spending down 4% in 2012, report says

"Government spending on development aid plunged by four percent in 2012, after dropping two percent the year before, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a statement on Wednesday," Devex reports (Santamaria/Jones, 4/3).

5 Apr 2013

Guardian's development podcast focuses on access to water

The Guardian's Global Development Podcast this month examined the issue of access to water and how it relates to development, human rights, and health, according to the transcript.

4 Apr 2013

More flexible food aid plan would allow better use of taxpayer dollars

"When it comes to providing hunger relief to needy people around the world, the United States has been a leader since World War II. And if early reports about the Obama administration's 2014 budget are true, then the U.S. will have a golden opportunity to provide even more food to the hungry while spending less taxpayer dollars in the years ahead," Catherine Bertini and Dan Glickman, co-chairs of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Global Agricultural Development Initiative, write in a Politico opinion piece.

4 Apr 2013

Ending extreme poverty by 2030 is possible, World Bank President says

"World Bank President Jim Kim has unveiled a series of new institutional goals aimed at ending extreme poverty by 2030 and focusing on the promotion of 'shared prosperity' -- increasing the incomes of the poorest 40 percent in each country while placing increased focus on dealing with climate change," Inter Press Service reports.

4 Apr 2013

President Obama meets with 4 African leaders to discuss range of development issues

"President Obama met on Thursday with the leaders of four small countries in sub-Saharan Africa that the White House sees as models for the region," including "Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone; Macky Sall, president of Senegal; Joyce Banda, president of Malawi; and Jose Maria Pereira Neves, prime minister of Cape Verde," the Washington Post reports (Goldfarb, 3/28).

3 Apr 2013

Policymakers should help improve food security in urban areas, report says

"Tackling hunger is not only a question of producing more food in rural areas, but requires looking at why poor urban populations struggle to eat enough -- a problem aggravated by climate change, a report from the International Institute for Environment and Development said on Thursday," AlertNet reports.

3 Apr 2013

More concrete data would improve development investment results

Victoria Vrana, senior program officer on the Charitable Sector Support team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog that "comprehensive sources of hard data on the issues, the solutions, and the organizations working to meet the tough challenges of our time" would assist donors, "non-profits and [non-governmental organizations (NGOs)], media, policymakers, and most importantly, beneficiaries of services" to make decisions that would improve investment results.

3 Apr 2013

Global consortium aims to use surplus food to tackle hunger in developing world

"A consortium of donors, NGOs, supermarkets and agro-businesses are working on plans to [send] surplus food, currently wasted in industrialized countries, to the developing world to tackle hunger," Owen Barder, senior fellow and director for Europe at the Center for Global Development, writes in the center's "Global Development: Views from the Center" blog.

3 Apr 2013

Article examines efforts by Water.org to ensure universal access to water, sanitation for women

"Since 1990, Water.org has been working in partnership with women around the world, empowering them to take control of their own water and sanitation solutions," Water.org's Nicole Wickenhauser writes in a news update on the Women Deliver webpage.

3 Apr 2013

Researchers examine effects of meditation on compassion, virtuous behavior

Scientists have mostly focused on the benefits of meditation for the brain and the body, but a recent study by Northeastern University's David DeSteno, published in Psychological Science, takes a look at what impacts meditation has on interpersonal harmony and compassion.

2 Apr 2013

WFP director says food security crisis in Sahel is not over

The World Food Programme (WFP) "is helping feed more than 10 million people in eight countries" in the Sahel, but WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin "stressed the crisis was not over," AlertNet reports.

30 Mar 2013

U.N. forced to delay urgent food aid to Guinea Bissau due to lack of donor support

"The United Nations said Tuesday that it had been forced to delay desperately needed food aid to nearly 300,000 people in Guinea Bissau since it so far had received no donations to support the operation," Agence France-Presse reports.

30 Mar 2013

Kerry announces $51M in additional humanitarian aid for Sahel region

"[T]he United States has announced an additional $51 million in humanitarian aid to the people of the Sahel -- a belt up to 1,000 kilometers wide that spans Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea -- bringing its total aid to $520 million" in FY 2012, Devex's "Pennsylvania Ave." blog reports.

30 Mar 2013