insert_link Africa South Africa’s new intelligence bill is meant to stem abuses – what’s good and bad about it By Jane Duncan, University of Glasgow When South Africa became a constitutional democracy in 1994, it replaced its apartheid-era intelligence apparatus with a new one aimed at serving the country’s new democratic dispensation. However, the regime of former president Jacob Zuma, 2009-2018, deviated from this path. It abused the intelligence services to serve his political and allegdly corrupt ends. Now the country is taking steps to remedy the situation. […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 5
insert_link Africa Coca-Cola in Africa: a long history full of unexpected twists and turns By Sara Byala, University of Pennsylvania A new book called Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African tells the story of how the world’s most famous carbonated drink conquered the continent. It’s a tale of marketing gumption and high politics and is the product of years of research by critical writing lecturer Sara Byala, who researches histories of heritage, sustainability and the ways in which capitalist systems intersect with social and […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 8
insert_link Environment ‘Cowboys’ and intermediaries thrive in Wild West of the carbon market Women making skirts from grass in Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Image by Rita Willaert via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). By John Cannon via Mongabay When Andrea Babon learned about what a company called Kanaka Management Services (KMS) had been up to in Papua New Guinea, she was aghast at the apparent incoherence of its plans. The India-based carbon credit consultancy had scoped out a forest conservation project in Oro province that […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia Ethiopia’s quest for access to the sea: success rests on good relations with its neighbours By Bizuneh Yimenu, University of Birmingham and Robert McCabe, Coventry University On 1 January, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding granting Addis Ababa direct access to the Gulf of Aden. This strategic agreement paves the way for Ethiopia to establish commercial and military bases along the coast. Under the agreement, Somaliland will lease 20km of coastal land to Ethiopia for 50 years. Ethiopia commits to offering Somaliland […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 6
insert_link Business / Economics AI and satellite data map true scale of untracked fishing and ocean industry By Elizabeth Fitt via Mongabay We’ve been largely flying blind when it comes to fishing, shipping and energy production intel on our oceans, according to a new study that combines artificial intelligence with satellite technology. Researchers found that more than three-quarters of industrial fishing activity and almost one-third of transport and energy activity is missing from public tracking systems, and therefore largely invisible globally. The study, from Global Fishing Watch (GFW), a […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 11
insert_link Uncategorized Dennis Francis, General Assembly President, Wants to Help Small States. Here’s How. Dennis Francis, president of the United Nations General Assembly for the 78th sesssion, photographed in his office, overlooking the East River, on Dec. 21, 2023. A quarter of the way into his yearlong tenure, the Caribbean diplomat has shifted his priorities because of the Israel-Hamas war, but he remains focused on sustainable development and enabling small states to use the multilateral system to their advantage. Some of them, he said, […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 5
insert_link South Africa Protesters show support for South African case at International Court of Justice Some of the protesters included lawyers outside the Western Cape High Court on Thursday. Photo: Matthew Hirsch By Matthew Hirsch via GroundUp About 100 people gathered outside the Western Cape High Court on Thursday to express support for South Africa’s legal team at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands. The South African government submitted an application on 29 December to the ICJ. It describes the recent […] todayJanuary 12, 2024 6
insert_link Environment How 2023’s record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world By Albert Van Dijk, Australian National University 2023 was a year of record-breaking heat, devastating storms and floods, deepening droughts and raging wildfires. These events showed how climate change is affecting the global water cycle and our livelihoods. Our international team of researchers today released a report, the Global Water Monitor, documenting the impact of the record heat in 2023 on the water cycle. We used data from thousands […] todayJanuary 11, 2024 13
insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s new plan to end power cuts is seriously flawed. Here’s why By Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg South Africa experienced unprecedented electricity shortages in 2023 as ageing coal plants became increasingly prone to breakdowns. The country urgently needs to develop new electricity generation facilities and reduce reliance on coal power. In the first week of 2024, the South African energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, released a proposed roadmap for the future of electricity in South Africa. Unfortunately, the draft Integrated Resource […] todayJanuary 11, 2024 3
