An alarming food shortage in Africa

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

An alarming food shortage in Africa

The context: Hunger is an ongoing crisis across sub-Saharan Africa. Be it 2012, 2019, or this year—the number of malnourished children is always in the tens of millions. The most severe form of malnutrition is wasting:

They are diagnosed with the condition when they have a very low weight for their height (or length, in the case of infants); a mid-upper arm circumference of less than 4.5 inches; or a buildup of fluid in the legs, arms and face.

The condition seriously weakens the body’s immune system, making kids vulnerable to diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, and measles.

About RUTF: Aid agencies treat wasting with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)—a paste made of ingredients like peanuts, sugar, and milk powder:

It comes in a foil sachet, has a shelf life of two years, and doesn’t require refrigeration even after opening – making it easy for children to receive vital nutrition both quickly and safely. It is the only food given until a child’s weight is at a healthier level.

As of 2023, the food reached about 73% of the children in need and saved the lives of 1.2 million children younger than 5.

What happened now: UNICEF has warned of serious shortages in RUTF across 11 African nations—putting at risk the lives of two million children. Mali, Nigeria, Niger, and Chad have completely exhausted their RUTF stock—while South Sudan, DR Congo, and Uganda could run out by the middle of next year.

Not just Africa: Pakistan also risks exhausting its RUTF supplies by March 2025.

Why is this happening? Repeated and prolonged droughts—accompanied by civil war and climate change. Another reason: humanitarian aid—required to buy RUTF—is running short. At least some of the shortage is a fallout of the invasion of Ukraine—which is diverting Western aid from Africa:

Humanitarian agencies already struggling with widespread price increases under the pandemic say the crisis in Europe has made things worse. Even the cost of life-saving therapeutic foods for malnourished children has spiked. Compounding the problem, some donors have diverted state aid from Africa's worst-hit countries to help support more than six million refugees who have fled the fighting in Ukraine.

Examples: In 2023, Denmark halved its aid to Burkina Faso to accommodate Ukrainian refugees—and its budget for Mali dropped 40%. Sweden also diverted $1 billion from its aid budget to help cover the cost of hosting Ukrainian refugees.

Point to note: The US has since ponied up $100 million—but UNICEF needs another $165 million to cover the shortfall.

Reading list: New York Times (login required) has more on RUTF shortages. UNICEF has more on RUTF “the wonder food.” This older Reuters story reports on the aid crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Moving on to Gaza: No food or humanitarian aid has entered northern Gaza since the beginning of October—putting one million people at risk of starvation. The region has been cut off by an Israeli ground offensive—which is blocking supplies and humans. According to Doctors Without Borders, the IDF issued its usual evacuation orders—but attacked anyone who tried to leave. As the aid agencies describe it: "[A]n already starving population has been cut off from food for two weeks while trying to dodge bombs and bullets in a kill zone they cannot leave.”

Whither Washington: The US has threatened to pause military aid if Tel Aviv doesn’t mend its ways. But, but, but:

[T]he Sunday announcement that the US would deploy troops to Israel and a letter sent by US officials the same day calling on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face unspecified consequences — underscore the inconsistent approach of an administration that has effectively done little of substance to rein in Israel’s ever-widening war.

Al Jazeera has more on the see-sawing US policies. ABC News has more on the dire situation in Gaza.

Essential viewing: This is from 2023, but more relevant than ever: Alexei Sayle recites the poem ‘Don't Mention the Children’ by Michael Rosen during a London rally:

Worrying data on climate migration

Once upon a time, people left their villages for the big city in search of a better life. According to a new study, the singlemost common reason for urban migration today is drought. Researchers looked at internal migration trends in 72 countries over 50 years. They concluded:

The hardest-hit areas, according to the study, are rural regions heavily reliant on agriculture. As soils dry up and water supplies diminish, agricultural productivity declines, directly affecting the livelihoods of those dependent on farming. "In places where farming is the main source of income, drying soils and dwindling water supplies directly translate into lost livelihoods, thereby driving people towards urban areas," the researchers noted in the study.

Needless to say, the lack of water etc is a result of global warming. Economic Times has more on the recommendations of the study—to help people cope with climate change “in place.” A related read: The Wire has more on migration in India—which is driven by very different factors—mainly marriage.

Insta’s getting professional!

Business cards are back in style, but in a new avatar. Instagram now allows you to share your profile details with others—in the form of a digital business card. The two-sided card will have your username, bio, profile picture, and links on the front. There’s a QR code that links to your profile on the back—but that has been around since 2018.

The reason for this ‘innovation’:

Meta told TechCrunch in an email that it’s launching the feature in response to more Gen Zers using their Instagram as a resume of sorts. The company pointed to a recent survey that found that more than half of Gen Zers want to become influencers, which is why the social network is looking to help them present themselves to others.

The card can be downloaded onto your device and shared across platforms. You can see what it looks like below: (TechCrunch)

Your deodorant spray is a stinker!

A Swiss study has found that personal hygiene products are as harmful as smog. Deodorant sprays, hand lotion, perfume, and dry shampoo hair spray—all contain something called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When these mix with unstable molecules in ozone in our home, they can create “larger ultrafine particles that can effectively deposit into our lungs.”

To be fair, the research doesn’t offer definitive conclusions—but raises a red flag:

In my opinion, we still don't fully understand the health effects of these pollutants, but they may be more harmful than we think, especially because they are applied close to our breathing zone. This is an area where new toxicological studies are needed.

FYI: The one big exception is roll-on deodorant—so there is some consolation in that. (Science Alert)

Italy’s brutal surrogacy law

Having children via surrogate mothers is already illegal in Italy. The government has now banned citizens from opting for surrogacy abroad. Anyone who does so will face fines and prison time. The new law is so extreme that it may be unconstitutional:

In theory, anyone can report a family suspected of having had a child through surrogacy, paving the way for possible criminal prosecution. However, experts say any resulting trial could trigger constitutional challenges. In addition, Italy would face the prospect of trying to prosecute people for crimes committed in a country where their actions were legal, potentially creating diplomatic tensions.

Wtf is happening here? The law reflects the virulent homophobia of the ruling rightwing party Brothers of Italy (FdI)—led by Giorgia Meloni—dearly beloved to many Indians. One of her party members said at the passing of the bill: “Hurrah for children and their right, which is a priority, to have a father and a mother.” The law is especially catastrophic for gay couples—who are not allowed to adopt, either. (New York Times, login required)

RIP Liam Payne

The former One Direction star fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires:

According to police in Buenos Aires, officers at the scene were initially responding to reports "of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol". When they arrived at the hotel, officials were told a loud sound had been heard in an interior courtyard. Soon after, they discovered the body there.

Payne was only 31 years old. Oddly enough, Harry Styles’ mum and Zayn Malik’s sisters have expressed their grief—but not a word so far from his former bandmates. (BBC News)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Say hello to Amazon’s new Kindle lineup, featuring the first ever colour Kindle, a new note taker, a faster flagship Paperwhite, and the good old entry-level Kindle.
Also newly launched: quick commerce returns and exchanges for clothing and footwear within 10 minutes, introduced by Blinkit in major Indian cities.
X has only made $200 million from subscriptions in the three years since its launch in 2021 as Twitter Blue. TechCrunch has a full breakdown of X’s subscription data.
Scientists at OpenAI have designed a new set of tests to measure if AI agents can modify their own code and improve their capabilities without any human instruction.
Lufthansa has been fined $4 million by the US Department of Transportation. The reason: the German airline discriminated against 128 Jewish passengers by denying them from boarding a connecting flight bound for Budapest in May 2022.
According to Novavax, the FDA put a clinical hold on its application for a combination Covid-19 and influenza vaccine and stand-alone flu vaccination.
404 Media (login required) has a must-read on a new AI-powered app called Impact. The worrying bit: “The app aims to summon groups of supporters who will flood social media with AI-written talking points designed to game social media algorithms.”

sports & entertainment

The new manager of the England men’s football team is…Thomas Tuchel! Best known for winning the UEFA Champions League as Chelsea head coach in 2021, the German will take charge of the Three Lions in the new year.
Chess grandmaster Kirill Shevchenko was expelled from a tournament in Spain for…using a mobile phone during matches. Somehow, we doubt that he was sharing Magnus Carlsen’s love for fantasy football.
Coldplay are chart-toppers again after more than a decade, thanks to the release of their new album ‘Moon Music’.
OMG another one! There will be a second Sphere—Abu Dhabi serves as the sister venue to the iconic 20,000-capacity Las Vegas location.
Nepalese teen Nima Rinji Sherpa may be the GOAT of mountaineering—he’s now scaled all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.
Get hyped Vir Das, fans! The now International Emmy-winning comic is returning for a new special with Netflix.
Bingewatchers, brace yourselves—Amazon Prime Video will feature ads on its Indian platform from next year.

as for the rest

Samsung factory workers in Tamil Nadu have called off the strike over a month after it began, as they reached a tentative settlement with the company, brokered by the state government.
As part of his swearing in as Jammu and Kashmir CM, Omar Abdullah has tried to woo Jammu voters by appointing a Hindu deputy CM.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India will be the world leader in electricity consumption over the next 25 years. The reasons: rising demand for ACs during heatwaves and the market entry of EVs.
Suvarna Mahal at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur has been declared the best hotel restaurant in India—beating the likes of Baan Thai in Kolkata’s The Oberoi Grand and Avartana at Chennai’s ITC Grand Chola.
TIME Magazine has a must-read on whether adrenal fatigue—a pseudoscience term that refers to how stress impacts the human body’s ability to produce enough hormones—is a real thing.
The Print takes a look at India’s gang world and the influence of Lawrence Bishnoi, in light of the assassination of politician Baba Siddique.

Five things to see

One: X rival Mastodon has started selling adorable elephant plushies—its mascot—to fund itself. The $45 cuties have unfortunately proved to be a dud so far. The platform has only raised $8K since launch. (TechCrunch)

Two: Another day, another instance of peak flooding in techie Bengaluru. Say hello to “Manyata Tech Falls”. The really mean bit: while schools got a day off, employees had to stay at the office until the roads cleared. (Mint)

Three: Women of the professional world, brace yourself for a new AI nightmare. Elizabeth Laraki—best known as the co-designer of Google Maps—got a rude shock when she saw her pic on a conference website. The photo she had shared with the organisers had become curiously ‘sexy’. Her shirt was unbuttoned all the way down—showing a glimpse of the bra. Wtf happened? The answer: A staff member used AI to turn a square image into a vertical:

AI invented the bottom part of the image (in which it believed that women's shirts should be unbuttoned further, with some tension around the buttons, and revealing a little hint of something underneath).

The photo was taken down—but the incident is still scary. You can see the side-by-side comparison below. Laraki’s X thread has more.

Four: Prada’s latest project is out of this world—literally! The luxe brand will collaborate with Axiom Space to design spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III moon mission—slated for late 2026. The specially designed boots will allow astronauts to spacewalk for up to eight hours at a stretch. CNN has more details.

Five: Speaking of cool collabs, check out this billboard on Times Square featuring celebrity chef and new mom Molly Baz, in an ad for a baby formula company. The message is simple: “Everybody’s gotta eat”—including babies who need to be breastfed. (People)