News Rounds: Algeria ‘rescues’ hostages taken by Malian nationalists, war criminal Charles Taylor demands a pension, organic farming small but growing worldwide and more |
Algeria Intervenes in Hostage Crisis as Mali’s War Spreads Regional Chaos (Time) – Reports suggest that at least 24 foreign hostages were killed when Algerian soldiers mounted a raid on the natural-gas compound in the south-east of the country to free them Thursday. The hostages had been taken by Malian nationalists in retaliation for France’s invasion of the country to repel Islamist (or nationalist) rebel groups.
Liberia’s Charles Taylor wants presidential pension (BBC) – Liberia’s jailed ex-President and war criminal Charles Taylor appears to have written to MPs demanding an annual state pension of $25,000 (£15,600).
Organic Farming Movement Marginal but Growing Worldwide (Inter Press) – Despite the growing worldwide demand for organic food, clothing and other products, the area of land certified as organic still makes up just 0.9 percent of global agricultural land, with 37 million hectares being farmed organically.
Will there be a global food crisis in 2013? (IRIN) – Drought last year devastated much of the maize crop in the US, the world’s biggest maize exporter, driving prices of the staple cereal to record levels.
TB Control: A Tale of Two Infections (PSI) — Efforts to control TB have split into two very different stories. One narrative tells of a disease that is relatively easy to treat with proper medication and patients who adhere to the treatment plan. The other story is of an infection that is becoming increasingly resistant to available treatments and is beating back efforts to control its growth. A related story on the TB drug shortage at Science Speaks.
US to recognize Somalia after 20 year hiatus (Guardian) — Secretary of state Hillary Clinton set to announce move as Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visits Washington.