The death of Nelson Mandela, at age 95 on 5 December 2013, brings genuine sadness. As his health deteriorated over the past six months, many asked the more durable question:
how did he change South Africa
? Given how unsatisfactory life is for so many in society, the follow-up question is,
how much room was there for Mandela to maneuver
? South Africa now lurches from crisis to crisis, and so many of us are tempted to remember the Mandela years – especially the first democratic government – as fundamentally different from the crony-capitalist, corruption-riddled, brutally-securitised, eco-destructive and anti-egalitarian regime we suffer now. But were the seeds of our present political weeds sown earlier?
"When you're a little kid you're a bit of everything; scientist, philosopher, artist. Sometimes it seems like growing up is giving these things up one at a time." -Kevin Arnold, The Wonder Years
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
FILE PHOTO: An employee works at a cotton processing unit in Kadi town, in Gujarat, India, April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has raised the price of genetically modified cotton seeds by 5% for the fiscal year that began in March, a government order said, potentially boosting revenues of leading local seed makers.
According to the order, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has raised the price of genetically modified cotton seeds to 767 rupees for a 450-gram packet, up from 730 rupees.
New Delhi approved U.S. seed maker Monsanto’s genetically modified cotton seed trait, the only lab-altered crop allowed in India, in 2003 and an upgraded variety in 2006, helping transform the country into the world’s top producer and second-largest exporter of the fibre.
Green-fingered South Korean nuns toil to safeguard creation
Little Servants of the Holy Family nuns consider their participation in a growing seed war part of their apostolic mission
The Yongmun Nazareth House Ecological Community, led by Little Servants of the Holy Family nuns, has been pioneering cultivation and preservation of hundreds of local crop varieties. (Photo supplied)
For nearly seven years, a green Catholic community in South Korea has been leading an extraordinary battle for cultivation and preservation of hundreds of local crop varieties that could otherwise become extinct.
The Yongmun Nazareth House Ecological Community, led by Little Servants of the Holy Family nuns, in Yangpyeong, Suwon Diocese, has so far preserved seeds of some 200 local crop varieties including beans, cabbages, radishes, tomatoes, onions, courgettes, melon, burdock, spinach, chard, leek and lettuce.
NABDA chief: No scientific research has proven GMOs to be harmful today.ng - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from today.ng Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.