South Sudan “on a trajectory towards mass atrocities”: UN chief

South Sudan is “on a trajectory towards mass atrocities” and immediate action needs to be taken by the UN Security Council to prevent that from happening. That was the message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, at a recent meeting of the 15-member council in New York. He urged members to impose an arms embargo on warring parties, in support of a revived political process to end the fighting. Daniel Dickinson reports.

Africans “yet to understand the meaning of autism”

African societies have yet to understand what “autism” means according to Uganda’s Ambassador to the UN. Richard Nduhuura said that generating awareness about autism across the continent, was an important step towards removing stigma surrounding it. The disorder affects the nervous system, making social interactions and verbal and non-verbal communications difficult. Priyanka Shankar spoke to Dr Nduhuura who was one of the organisers of an event discussing Autism in Africa, recently held at UN Headquarters.

Outer space critical to Africa’s future development

The key to Africa’s future development lies in outer space, according to the head of a UN-affiliated space science institute on the continent. Dr Ganiyu Agbajea said space technology such as satellite imagery can provide a clearer picture of Africa’s natural resources which can then be used, for example, in environmental protection efforts. Dr Agbajea is Executive Director of the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education which is based in Nigeria. Students from 24 English-speaking African countries are enrolled there. Dianne Penn caught up with Dr Agbajea at a recent UN co-sponsored forum on space and development, held in Dubai.

Presenter: Jocelyne Sambira

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10’00″