This study investigates the pragmatics of silence in media discourse, focusing on Nigerian newspaper coverage of the 2023 general elections. Moving beyond the traditional view of silence as the mere absence of speech, the study conceptualizes silence as a strategic communicative resource through which meaning is constructed, negotiated, and interpreted. Drawing on Speech Act Theory, Grice’s Cooperative Principle, and the Spiral of Silence Theory, it examines how silence operates within media texts and political interviews to shape narratives and influence audience perception. Adopting a qualitative descriptive research design, the study employs discourse analysis of selected reports and analytically reconstructed political interview scenarios derived from reportage patterns in The Punch, The Guardian Nigeria, and Vanguard Newspaper. Data are analyzed in relation to five research questions, with particular attention to identified ―areas of silence,‖ including omission of critical information, evasive responses, absence of counter-narratives, strategic pauses, justificatory silence, and selective reporting. Findings reveal that silence is systematically embedded in media discourse and functions pragmatically as a tool for evasion, face-saving, ideological framing, and agenda-setting. In political interviews, silence manifests through indirect responses, topic shifts, and pauses that enable political actors to avoid accountability while maintaining public image. In news reporting, silence appears through omission and selective emphasis, shaping audience interpretation by influencing what is perceived as important or irrelevant. The study concludes that silence is an active and strategic communicative element that significantly influences public perception, media credibility, and democratic engagement, highlighting the need for greater transparency, ethical responsibility, and media literacy.

Resource scarcity and insecurity in most pastoral and arid regions is a reality. The lack of strategies, particularly those that leverage community relations and intergovernmental commitments to regional peace, stability, economic development, and diplomacy, forces herders and traders to incur substantial costs to access production and market resources and maintain harmonious coexistence. The research conducted in the border regions of Turkana, Kenya, adjacent to Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia, was founded on three strategic objectives: (i) to identify the triggers of resource-based conflicts and insecurity among local and cross-border pastoralist communities, (ii) to analyse the impact of these triggers on livestock production and the performance of livestock markets, and (iii) to ascertain critical strategies for managing livestock production and trade in conflict-affected and insecure areas of the eastern African region. Of the 180 sampled study participants, 167 responded to the study, comprising 30 percent women and 43 percent youths. The study prioritised low cash economy, poverty, cattle rustling, retaliatory practices, and marginalisation as the primary triggers of resource scarcity and insecurity in the study area. Nevertheless, the analysis identified market cartels, corruption, and territorial protection as minor triggers. This outcome is ascribed to the vigorous involvement of governments in cross-border livestock production and marketing activities through rules designed to safeguard herders and traders, while imposing penalties and sanctions on exploiters. The predominant impacts of resource scarcity and insecurity on pastoral economies and markets encompass competitive rivalry, livestock losses due to mortality and theft, exploitation of the principally illiterate herders and traders, market dysfunction, restricted equity, and intimidation in livestock production zones and markets. The primary solutions to alleviate the impacts of these triggers are unconditional access to livestock production resources, timely recovery of stolen animals, market functionality, competitiveness and profitability, as well as equitable trade in both domestic and cross-border livestock and commodity markets. Future study areas encompass the management of cross-border trade dynamics, climate resilience for pastoralists in arid regions, and the digitalisation of banking in rural areas.

The transformation of pastoral livestock farming systems is a policy focus for national and county governments in Kenya, intended to enhance the economy of livestockdependent regions, where significant portions of the population continue to experience severe food, income, and nutritional insecurity. This study, focusing on Turkana County, aimed to (i) delineate livestock production and marketing systems; (ii) compare Turkana's livestock production and marketing with other arid regions in the Horn of Africa; (iii) evaluate the impact of market and non-market factors on livestock production and trade in dryland areas; and (iv) propose a strategic framework to enhance the viability, competitiveness, and sustainability of livestock sector initiatives in pastoral and dryland regions. Exploratory and descriptive study designs were utilised, including a mixed-methods approach to examine the transformational aspects of pastoral economy and industry. The study was conducted in Loima, Turkana East, and Turkana North sub-counties of Turkana, with 210 study participants selected statistically from 12 livestock-producing zones and markets. The study demonstrated the importance of the adverse impacts of social, economic, political, environmental, technological, and ethical factors on livestock production and marketing in arid regions. The failure of livestock herders, traders, and development partners to effectively mitigate these effects results in the stagnation of livestock development opportunities. To sustainably address the intrinsic impacts of these market and non-market factors, the study advocates for the enhancement of breeds and genetics, the adoption of efficient and sustainable market-orientated livestock farming systems, the facilitation of local traders' access to capital for business financing to augment livestock trade volumes, and the improvement of logistics and market infrastructure, all supported by technology. Strengthened relationships between local and external markets, traders, and herders; augmented governmental and civil society financial allocations for the livestock sector, including the enhancement of accountability processes; tackling supply and demand-related risks through robust and effective mitigation strategies; and formulation of a livestock policy that supports drylands livestock and economic development to sustain the benefits from remedial investments improve livestock sector performance. The study delineates regional patterns in pastoral livestock farming, the resilience of livestock keepers and traders, market accessibility, development methods, and banking solutions for dry regions as areas for future research.

Background: Burn wound infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly following mass casualty events where healthcare systems are rapidly overwhelmed. On 21 July 2025, an aviation disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh resulted in a sudden influx of patients with severe burn injuries, creating significant challenges for infection control and antimicrobial management. Objective: This study aimed to characterize the microbiological profile and antimicrobial resistance patterns of burn wound infections among victims of a mass casualty aviation disaster in Bangladesh. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka, from 22 July to 22 August 2025. A total of 40 burn wound samples from hospitalized patients with clinically suspected infections were analyzed. Microbial isolation and identification were performed using standard culture techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method and the VITEK® 2 automated system, with interpretation according to CLSI M100 guidelines (2024). Results: A total of 46 microbial isolates were recovered. Gram-negative bacteria predominated (78.3%), followed by Gram-positive bacteria (17.4%) and fungi (4.3%). Pseudomonas spp. were the most common pathogens (47.8%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (17.4%), Klebsiella spp. (13.0%), and Acinetobacter spp. (8.7%). High resistance to fluoroquinolones and carbapenems was observed among Gram-negative isolates. Pseudomonas spp. showed preserved susceptibility to piperacillin–tazobactam (81.8%) and colistin (100%). Fifty percent of S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant, while all remained susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusion: Burn wound infections following this mass casualty aviation disaster were predominantly caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas spp. The findings underscore the need for early microbiological surveillance, rational antimicrobial use, and strengthened infection prevention strategies to improve outcomes in disaster-related burn care.