insert_link Africa Morocco dinosaur discovery gives clues on why they went extinct By Nicholas R. Longrich, University of Bath 66 million years ago, the last dinosaurs vanished from Earth. We’re still trying to understand why. New fossils of abelisaurs – distant relatives of the tyrannosaurs – from north Africa suggest that African dinosaurs remained diverse up to the very end. And that suggests their demise came suddenly, with the impact of a giant asteroid. The causes of the mass […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 13
insert_link Africa The San people of southern Africa: where ethics codes for researching indigenous people could fail them By Stasja Koot, Wageningen University There is a long and often complicated history of researchers studying Indigenous people. In 1999, the education scholar Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, in her book Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, emphasised the colonial character of much research. She warned that it brings with it a new wave of exploration, discovery, exploitation and appropriation. Well into the 20th century, researchers depicted groups like the […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 12
insert_link Africa MPLA Vice President Luisa Damiao Conveys Condolences to Namibia on President Geingob’s Passing Luisa Dami-ao, Vice President of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola, pays a visit to President Nangolo Mbumba to convey condolences on behalf of Angola following the death of President Hage Geingob. Geingob, who passed away on February 4, 2024, received heartfelt condolences from the Angolan government and people. President Mbumba appreciates the condolences, stressing the strong brotherhood between Namibia and Angola. The Angolan delegation also extends condolences […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 7
Africa Kenya’s sex workers have solutions to their problems, but international NGOs aren’t hearing them By Lise Woensdregt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam In Kenya, rights organisations run by sex workers have gone into numerous partnerships with international organisations over the past decade. In recent research, I set out to understand whether these relationships worked in favour of the sex workers and their organisations. My research focused on an organisation in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, that supports male sex workers. Kenya’s laws punish activities related to […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Black rhinos moved to Kenya’s Loisaba Conservancy as species recovers A black rhino in Loisaba Conservancy. Image courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. By Graeme Green via Mongabay Twenty-one critically endangered black rhinos have been safely delivered to Loisaba Conservancy in northern Kenya from other parts of the country, part of a wider mission to secure the long-term future of the species in Kenya. “It’s been a massive operation,” says Tom Silvester, CEO of Loisaba Conservancy, who oversaw the […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 29
insert_link Africa President Samia to meet the Pope in the Vatican Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan is meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican this week. Her 2-day tour includes a delegation from Tanzania's Catholic Church associations. Daniel Kijo reports. todayFebruary 12, 2024 39
insert_link Africa The Moroccan referee who has overcome cultural barriers and gender stereotypes to make history at AFCON 2023 By Joel Omotto, bird story agency Bouchra Karboubi is blazing a trail through the beautiful game. While there has been a laudable increase in the number of female referees at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the appointment of six women, only one has been given the mandate to officiate as a centre referee, with the rest working as either assistant referees or Video Assistant Referees […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Trucking innovation highlights Africa’s cold storage problem and opportunities By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency A new, sustainable method of generating electricity to refrigerate trucks has been introduced into the African cold storage market. As reported by Creamer Media’s Engineering News, Global logistics company DP World partnered with food and clothing retailer Woolworths to unveil a mobile refrigeration trailer in South Africa powered by AxlePower technology. According to Engineering News, the project's AxlePower technology “transforms ordinary […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 14
Africa Tanzania’s elections are vulnerable to state abuse – urgent law reforms are needed By Aikande Clement Kwayu, Tumaini University Makumira Tanzania’s electoral law reform is overdue for an overhaul. This was made most apparent by the 2019 local elections and the 2020 general elections. The results were big wins for the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM): 99% of local authorities, 98.9% of parliamentary seats and 84% of the presidential vote. These margins of victory were contested. The United Nations, research […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 17