What We’re Reading 3/3/09

Mar 3rd, 2009 11:56 AM UTC
By Steve Wilson

Reuters—U.S. warns “imbalance” in Doha talks needs fixing
The Obama administration said on Monday there would be no agreement in long-running world trade talks aimed at cutting rich country farm subsidies and promoting global development until other countries make better offers to open their markets to U.S. goods. The warning came in the first U.S. annual trade agenda report prepared since President Barack Obama took office.

Guardian—From Congo to Kathmandu, how mobiles have transformed the world
More than half the global population now pay to use a mobile phone, and with this surge in users has come a huge expansion in the mobile services available, from instant money transfers to public health advice to internet access. The fastest growth in mobile phone use has been in Africa, and the Guardian looks at how mobile phones have become economic tools on continent—for example, farmers sending produce to local markets now use their phones to check prices, text quotes and arrange deliveries.

New Vision (Uganda)—African Countries to Carry Out Digital Soil Mapping
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa are conducting a project that will produce the first-ever, detailed digital soil map for all 42 African countries. It will combine the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery plus on-the-ground efforts in order to analyze thousands of soil samples from remote areas across the continent to help provide solutions for poor farmers, who suffer from chronically low-yielding crops largely because of degraded soils. This New Vision article looks at how the project will benefit Uganda’s farmers and food production efforts.

New York Times—Desmond Tutu: Will Africa Let Sudan Off the Hook? (opinion)
Desmond Tutu writes in the New York Times that the expected issuance of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan by the International Criminal Court tomorrow will be an extraordinary moment for the people of Sudan — and for those around the world who have come to doubt that powerful people and governments can be called to account for inhumane acts. Tutu warns that African leaders should support this historic occasion, not work to subvert it, which Tutu fears many are already doing.

-Steve Wilson

TAGS: Policy News, What We're Reading