Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Story to Watch: South Africa Platinum Mine Unrest
Two union officials were the target of an apparent hit amid growing labor unrest. “The union’s chairman for the Lonmin mine was killed and another local union leader was hospitalized in critical condition, Union General Secretary Frans Baleni said. The identities of the two weren’t released. Mr. Baleni said the shooting took place at the union’s Lonmin Marikana office, northwest of Johannesburg..The shooting comes amid renewed intra-labor unrest at South Africa’s mines. Workers at Lonmin’s Marikana mine—the site of a walkout last year at which police killed 34 protesters—staged a two-day wildcat strike in mid-May demanding the NUM vacate the office where Monday’s shooting occurred.” (WSJ http://on.wsj.com/14tM5RS)
FAO Report: Malnutrition Costs $3.5 Trillion a Year
New data and analysis from the Food and Agriculture Organization. “Poor health and losses in productivity caused by malnutrition are costing the global economy US$500 per person per year, or a staggering $3.5 trillion annually…Many communities rely on foods that do not meet their nutritional requirements, and when faced with food price shocks, poor families often cut out nutrient-rich foods like milk. The report also provides an overview of the linkages between agriculture, quality food, health and the economy, emphasizing that “agriculture and the entire food system… can contribute much more to the eradication of malnutrition.” (IRIN http://bit.ly/17YVzMg)