Land prices across many African cities are soaring. This is because land is a city’s key asset. As urbanisation progresses, demand for land will rise, and therefore so will land prices, because the supply of land in cities is limited. Investments in public infrastructure, and zoning regulations that convert land to alternative uses, will also boost land value. In fact, studies have shown that simply converting rural land to urban can increase its value by 400%. All these changes are driven by the government and collective action, rather than by private individuals. But the beneficiaries of higher land prices will…
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Leonardo Santos Simão, who heads the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told the Security Council that by “renouncing ECOWAS”, the three military-led governments would be “relinquishing key benefits” including regional integration, freedom of movement, security cooperation and an integrated regional economy, hurting both themselves and remaining ECOWAS members. The three transitional governments severed ties with ECOWAS after senior officers staged military takeovers in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Military leaders have consequently “postponed the return to constitutional rule and sparked fear of prolonged uncertainty”, as civic space “continues to shrink” said the UN Special Representative. Instability…
Many were trying to flee the fighting in towns of Maungdaw in Rakhine state and Lashio in Shan state, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists at the daily briefing in New York. “These incidents are part of a deeply concerning trend in the intensifying conflict, with civilians bearing the brunt of a conflict that has upended millions of lives,” he said. Fierce fighting broke out in early July in several parts of the country, ending a ceasefire between the military and a coalition of three ethnic armed groups that had banded together in October last year against the junta,…
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission also urged the authorities to thoroughly investigate a spate of grave rights violations that are currently occurring in the South American country. Venezuelans went to the polls on 28 July and President Nicolás Maduro was formally declared the winner the following day, securing a third term in office. Fierce repression, climate of fear The UN Fact-Finding Mission noted that in the weeks since the vote, street protests and criticism on social media have been met with fierce repression by the State, as directed by its highest authorities, inducing a climate of widespread fear. The independent…
Defendants pay $171K in back wages still owed to 156 workers, $50K in department attorney fees SOUTH BEND, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a permanent injunction and order forbidding the owner and operator of 61 Mega Liquor & Smoke stores in Indiana and Michigan from retaliating against workers who cooperate with U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigations and otherwise exercise their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.The action by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in South Bend on Aug. 1, 2024, restrains Bhola Singh, owner of Vishav…
Before the summer of 1948, Mr. Al-Said’s life was like any other child’s in historical Palestine. Belonging to one of the poorer families in the community, he remembers working to gather olives, climbing trees, and playing in the courtyard with his friends. His father used to ride his bicycle to work at a major supermarket chain called Spinney’s in Acre. “We would run to welcome him after work, and drag the bicycle for him,” he said. He recounted his story to UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri during a visit to his humble home in Al-Bidawi, a large and crowded town in…
Many casual readers of the financial press will have learned a new term in the past few days: the “carry trade”. This is the culprit for the rollercoaster state of markets, many market commentators and journalists have opined. Indeed it also played a role in kicking off the credit crunch and resulting global financial crisis in 2007-08. Should we fear a repeat? The answer this time is both yes and no. The current rumpus started on Friday August 2 when markets in America dropped in response to worse-than-expected data on the number of new jobs created in July. Then Japanese…
Thousands of people across the Southeast Asian country were reportedly killed during the so-called war on drugs which was promoted by the last Filipino administration. But now a more compassionate and less punitive approach is being taken from the local level up. Michael John Maestro shows drug-abuse prevention illustrations by local students. UN News’ Daniel Dickinson travelled to Antipolo – close to the capital Manlia – to meet Michael John Maestro, a registered nurse who works on drug-abuse prevention and treatment at the Antipolo City Anti-Drug Abuse Office and whose work has been supported by the UN Office on Drugs…
ALBANY, NY – After receiving citations requiring it to correct existing fall hazards at its Chester warehouse, and paying $17,403 in penalties, Adidas America Inc. – maker of one of the world’s best-selling sneakers – now faces an additional $396,377 in penalties for continuing to ignore U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety standards.The action comes after a January 2024 follow-up inspection at the facility prompted by Adidas’ failure to submit required proof to the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the company had installed required guardrails or equivalent protection for employees accessing and working atop a mezzanine, and made certain a ladder used to…
“Children in many countries in the Middle East are facing a harsh reality today more than ever before: life shrouded by uncertainty and violence,” UNICEF Regional Director Adele Khodr said in a statement. Almost every report of an attack includes news that children were among those killed, she said, noting that in less than a year, thousands have been killed across the State of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and the occupied Golan Heights. At the same time, many more children suffer “injuries that have forever marked their bodies and caused immeasurable damage to their mental health”. Many of these youngsters are…