Links I Liked

Bit of a (qualified) feelgood to this week’s links.

The IT revolution, Somalia style: goats and sheep carry owners’ mobile numbers for identification [h/t Calestous Juma, photo credit @Lattif]

Germany announces record boost to its aid budget to €7.4bn ($7.9bn = 0.4% of GNI)

Great idea: a new global fund launched to help developing countries fend off Big Tobacco company challenges to their attempts to control a killer drug.

Progress on political voice, women’s empowerment & wellbeing in Ghana, Colombia, Morocco and Tunisia. Smart 3m animation

The percentage of Nigerian women saying it’s OK for a husband to beat his wife fell from 44% in 2003 to 21% in 2013. Progress of a sort, I guess. From a global survey of attitudes to violence against women.

Good post on one of my hobbyhorses: “See no religion, hear no religion, speak no religion”

The same number of Americans expect apocalypse through climate change as from judgement day (and 2% of them think it’ll actually be zombies)

Making the case for case studies in development practice (and a great example from Lao). Excellent from Michael Woolcock

Top St Patrick’s Day from Channel 4 News. An imam and Irish folk singer who was crowned Gaelic Voice of Ireland.