SRINAGAR, Apr 25 (IPS) - Abdul Majeed Mir strolls leisurely among the purple crocus flower rows in Pampore's saffron fields as the morning mist hovers low over them. His family has been growing this valuable spice, called "red gold," for many generations, but now his hands go through the harvest mechanically. There is a noticeable lack of the typical commotion of tourists haggling over saffron packets.

Read the full story, “Kashmir Reels After Pahalgam Attack, Fear Long Term Impacts on Livelihoods”, on globalissues.org →

NEW YORK, Apr 24 (IPS) - The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) will bring world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how to finance a better future for all. Yet, in practice, the first drafts of its outcome reveal a glaring omission: people. Despite rhetoric about inclusivity, the drafts are strikingly weak on social issues, as if financing and macroeconomic policies exist in a vacuum, detached from the lives they impact.

Read the full story, “Financing for Whom? The Financing for Development Summit Must Address Social Dimensions”, on globalissues.org →

PORTLAND, USA, Apr 24 (IPS) - In much of the past, few people lived alone. At the start of the 20th century, one-person households were relatively rare and are estimated to have accounted for less than 10% of all households worldwide.

Read the full story, “The Growth of One-Person Households”, on globalissues.org →

Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s presidential election with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (FCD). FCD is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.

Read the full story, “‘Noboa Did Not Receive a Blank Cheque: He Will Have to Show Tangible Results’”, on globalissues.org →