insert_link Africa West Africa is changing: five essential reads on breakaways from Ecowas By Adejuwon Soyinka, The Conversation The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been in the news lately – mostly for the wrong reasons. The bloc is facing its biggest crisis since it was formed in 1975. Three of its 15 countries – Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali – have broken away and formed an alternative grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States. While […] todayJuly 10, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Ghana is planning its first nuclear energy plant: what’s behind the decision By Seth Kofi Debrah, University of Ghana Ghana is considering bids from five companies for the construction of what would be its first nuclear power plant. The companies are: France’s EDF, US-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group; China National Nuclear Corporation; South Korea’s Kepco and its subsidiary Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Corporation; and Russia’s Rosatom. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo interviewed […] todayJuly 10, 2024 23
insert_link Environment Allegations widen against Indonesian palm oil giant Astra Agro Lestari By Hans Nicholas Jong ,via Mongabay Subsidiaries of Indonesia’s second-biggest palm oil company, PT Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), are running illegal plantations, grabbing community land, and intimidating critics, according to a new report by NGOs. The report is a follow-up to a 2022 report by Friends of the Earth, and identifies at least 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) of the subsidiaries’ concessions that lie inside forest areas that should be […] todayJuly 9, 2024 42
insert_link Environment We used 1,000 historical photos to reconstruct Antarctic glaciers before a dramatic collapse Looking up Crane Glacier, December 21 1968. PGC, UMN, CC BY By Ryan North, University of Wollongong and Tim Barrows, UNSW Sydney In March 2002, the Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed catastrophically, breaking up an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania. In a paper published today in Scientific Reports, we used nearly 1,000 film photographs of Antarctica from the 1960s to reconstruct exactly […] todayJuly 9, 2024 26
World 4 things to watch for as NATO leaders meet in US capital for high-stakes summit Two military personnel walk by NATO banners before a wreath-laying ceremony at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2024. Virginia Mayo/AP Photo By Garret Martin, American University School of International Service When Washington, D.C., last hosted a NATO summit in 1999, the alliance was celebrating a milestone. It was also facing a war in Europe and welcoming new members to the alliance. So there will […] todayJuly 9, 2024 16
insert_link South Africa Southern Africa is seen as a leader in wildlife conservation, but its market-driven approach is deeply flawed Luxury nature tourism is an example of market-based conservation. Edwin Remsberg /VWPics/Universal Images Group By Stasja Koot, Wageningen University; Bram Büscher, Wageningen University, and Lerato Thakholi, Wageningen University Southern Africa’s wildlife economy is often hailed as a successful model. The idea behind this model is that biodiversity and wildlife are used as the basis of sustainable economic growth, through an increase in wildlife numbers and in […] todayJuly 9, 2024 27
insert_link Health / Medical Surviving breast cancer: Nigerian women share their stories By Candi Nwakasi, University of Connecticut “I believe I will still beat it again.” These are the words of a Nigerian woman, Didi, who feared a recurrence of her cancer – but saw herself as a survivor. Her attitude is becoming more common everywhere as more people are living after a cancer diagnosis. Though populations are growing and ageing, and cancer incidence […] todayJuly 9, 2024 17
insert_link Entertainment Why musicians die in poverty – South African study reveals battle to make ends meet By Gwen Ansell, University of Pretoria Benefits and appeals were recently launched to support the medical costs of veteran South African guitarist Madala Kunene. It’s not the first time such initiatives have been necessary, nor the first time that media and politicians have expressed astonishment that a renowned musician “died in poverty”. Musicians’ dire financial circumstances are sometimes wrongly blamed on irresponsible spending; a […] todayJuly 9, 2024 21
insert_link Opinion Pieces Namibia Needs a Different Approach to Change the Structural Economy Opinion Piece By Josef sheehama To attain V2030, Namibia will need to adopt structural reforms that will increase economic growth, facilitate more labor-intensive growth by opening up the labor market, and address an expensive and generally ineffective system of education, training, and skills. The government should support businesses in the manufacturing, construction, and agriculture sectors among others, paying attention to both the educated and the uneducated. As a […] todayJuly 9, 2024 19