Two years on, Katine offers much to celebrate – and much to feel frustrated about

Every time I visit Katine, in north-east Uganda, an image remains in the mind for months afterwards. In May, it was a long queue of girls laughing and chatting as they waited at a dirty water pump for hours to fill their jerrycans. In September, it was the eager face of an 18-year-old boy who proudly showed me his school report and told me how it took him three and a half hours to walk to school – and three and a half hours back. I looked with incredulity at the teachers' praise for his schoolwork. When could he find time to do his homework?

Two years on, Katine offers much to celebrate – and much to feel frustrated about | Madeleine Bunting | Comment is free | The Guardian

Qatar Food Company Signs $1 billion Deal to Use Sudan Farmland

Qatar furthers the trend of Gulf Arab Countries off-shoring their agricultural production to secure food supplies for its citizens and other populations in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Qatar’s Hassad Foods signed a deal last week, worth potentially $1 billion, to develop 20,000 acres of land in northern Sudan, Reuters reports. Cultivation could expand to 250,000 acres.Hassad foods was established a year ago by the Qatari Investment Authority (QIA) to establish the country’s current and future means of maintaining food security. The food company is hoping to develop six other deals in Latin America and Africa.

Qatar Food Company Signs $1 billion Deal to Use Sudan Farmland | Circle of Blue | WaterNews

Is surf reef good for Boscombe?

Boscombe is on a big mission to improve its rundown image and attract a new crowd of visitors all year round. The Dorset town's centrepiece is the multimillion-pound artificial surf reef, the first of its kind in Europe which, it is hoped, is set to enhance the quality of waves and improve surfing conditions.

BBC NEWS | England | Dorset | Is surf reef good for Boscombe?