insert_link Opinion Pieces Catholics are debating whether to remove paintings by a priest accused of abusing women − but let’s not confuse the artist and the art, writes an art historian Logo of the Catholic Church’s Holy Year of Mercy, 2015-2016, which was created by Marko Rupnik, atop a monument in Poland. Aw5 via Wikimedia CommonsMarko Rupnik/ Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, CC BY-NC-SA By Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross Marko Rupnik, a Catholic priest, was expelled from the Jesuit order because he’d allegedly abused women. He was later accepted into the diocese in his native Slovenia. […] todayAugust 15, 2024 7
insert_link Health / Medical What is mpox? A microbiologist explains what’s known about this smallpox cousin Mpox causes lesions that resemble pus-filled blisters, which eventually scab over. CDC/Getty Images By Rodney E. Rohde, Texas State University On Aug. 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern. There have been over 15,600 cases and over 530 deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries in Africa. The disease had previously caused a global outbreak […] todayAugust 15, 2024 19
insert_link Health / Medical WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency. What happens next? Inkoly/Shutterstock By C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, after rising cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the potential for further spread. This now triggers a coordinated international response to an extraordinary event and the mobilisation of resources, such as vaccines and diagnostic testing, to curb the spread of this infectious disease. But […] todayAugust 15, 2024 33
insert_link Environment Reforestation to capture carbon could be done much more cheaply, study says By Liz Kimbrough, via Mongabay Trees are allies in the struggle against climate change, and regrowing forests to capture carbon may be cheaper than we thought. According to new research published in Nature Climate Change, a strategic mix of natural regrowth and tree planting could be the most cost-effective way to capture carbon. Researchers analyzed reforestation projects in 138 low- and middle-income countries to compare the costs of different […] todayAugust 15, 2024 10
insert_link Environment At-risk groups in Indonesia demand greater say in climate policymaking By Hans Nicholas Jong, via Mongabay Civil society groups and communities most affected by the effects of climate change are calling on the Indonesian government to include them in the decision-making process of climate policies. Groups such as those representing the urban poor and the disabled say they haven’t been meaningfully involved in the process, particularly the drafting of Indonesia’s revised goals and commitments for reducing greenhouse gas […] todayAugust 15, 2024 7
insert_link Sport Paris 2024: How Africa performed in Paris and the road to the 2028 LA Olympics By Stephen Granger, via bird story agency For a little over two weeks, hundreds of thousands of Paris-based spectators and billions globally were treated to another edition of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. The Olympic Games have no equal as a vehicle to show off the extraordinary sporting talent of the human race. Tickets for sports, which normally would scarcely attract more than the families of the participants, […] todayAugust 15, 2024 11
insert_link World Why did Japan’s prime minister decide to step down? And who might replace him? By Craig Mark, Hosei University In a surprise announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today he would step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) next month, bringing his premiership to an early end. Since coming to office in October 2021, Kishida has struggled to overcome dire approval ratings. The party has been dogged by revelations of ties to the Korean-based Unification Church […] todayAugust 15, 2024 7
insert_link Africa Nigeria’s highest court says local governments can spend their funds without interference: why this matters By Abiodun Odusote, University of Lagos Nigeria’s Supreme Court has affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s 774 local government areas. It upheld the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country. Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice filed the suit in May. Local governments have been hampered in most states, where the governors seize their federal allocations and only […] todayAugust 14, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Air pollution in South Africa: affordable new devices use AI to monitor hotspots in real time By Bruce Mellado, University of the Witwatersrand Air quality has become one of the most important public health issues in Africa. Poor air quality kills more people globally every year than HIV, TB and malaria combined. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Air pollution makes people less productive because they get headaches and feel tired. India, for example, has poor air quality. The impact of India’s […] todayAugust 14, 2024 5
