South African officials will inspect workplaces to see if firms are employing undocumented foreigners, the home affairs minister says. Malusi Gigaba added that more than 60 employees of retail chain Spar “without documentation” had been arrested. Gigaba warned that firms would be “penalized” if they breached the law, and said they should not fuel tensions by “playing locals against foreigners.” His comments come amid concern that xenophobia is rising in South Africa. Many unemployed South Africans accuse foreigners of taking their jobs. (BBC http://bbc.in/2lefwb8)
Corruption is expensive, Gambia edition…”The former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh stole far more money from the state than previously thought, the new government has alleged, leaving the country with a “monstrous debt” of more than $1 billion. The autocratic former leader of the small west African country siphoned off at least $50m from social security, the country’s ports, and the national telecoms company, according to two senior ministers in new president Adama Barrow’s government. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2luX54x)
New UN Report on depression…Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, the United Nations health agency today reported, estimating that it affects more than 300 million people worldwide – the majority of them women, young people and the elderly. An estimated 4.4 per cent of the global population suffers from depression, according to a report released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), which shows an 18 percent increase in the number of people living with depression between 2005 and 2015. (UN News Center http://bit.ly/2leuPjM)
Top Stories
Hundreds of people marched through the capital of Guinea Bissau on Thursday demanding the departure of President Jose Mario Vaz, a day after parliament rejected a program submitted by his prime minister. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2mgR0Xx)
A staunch critic of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday urged the Cabinet to declare the president unfit to rule, describing him as a “sociopathic serial killer” because of his war on drugs and allegations he once ran a hit squad. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2mgAMhk)
Negotiations aimed at finding a political solution to the war in Syria are set to begin at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Thursday as a nationwide ceasefire steadily falls apart and UN officials soften their expectations on achieving any major breakthroughs. (Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/2ld0dPF)
Children as old as 15 are flooding into pre-school facilities in a desperate effort to learn after more than seven years of conflict compounded the world’s worst education crisis in north-east Nigeria. (Save the Children http://bit.ly/2luRU4l)
UNHCR and partners have opened a new settlement area in Arua district, northern Uganda that is set to become host to thousands of arriving refugees from South Sudan. The new Imvepi settlement was opened after Palorinya settlement in Moyo district, which was opened in December 2016, rapidly reached its 135,000 refugee-hosting capacity. (UNHCR http://bit.ly/2mgiUTw)
Protesters took to the streets exactly one year after Bolivia held a referendum on changing the constitution to enable President Evo Morales to seek a fourth re-election. The “No” vote won by a small margin, however, the Movement for Socialism, the party led by Morales, announced they were pursuing legal loopholes for him to run again anyway. (Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/2lv7qM8)
Opinion/Blogs
Famine Strikes South Sudan. UN Warns Three Other Countries Could be Next. One of the Biggest Catastrophes of a Generation. (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/2leeb46)
There’s More to Cameroon’s Protest Than Meets the Eye (ISS http://bit.ly/2mbhP2L)
International community must not miss this chance to act on Lake Chad crisis (IRIN http://bit.ly/2mgohlT)
Podcast: Is child labour always wrong? The view from Bolivia (Guardian http://bit.ly/2mgtYju)
Should Scientists March? U.S. Researchers Still Debating Pros And Cons (NPR http://n.pr/2mp18gc)
Five Key G20 Powers Break Promise to Help Tackle Corruption (IPS http://bit.ly/2lcSMZ4)
Trump Is Right On Congo’s Minerals, but for All the Wrong Reasons (The Conversation http://bit.ly/2luL9Q5)
The Hybrid Court for South Sudan? Looking for a Way Forward (Justice in Conflict http://bit.ly/2lJKF9o)
Don’t despair, innovate — Now is the time to try new forms of development cooperation (Devex http://bit.ly/2ldbXlt)
How are different governments performing as global citizens? Time for a new index! (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/2lJDQo4)
