Africa: The IMF Just Made the Case for Its Own Irrelevance

[ad_1] Washington DC — On Friday the 11th, the IMF announced policy changes that will save developing countries $1.2 billion per year. Despite the self-congratulations and fanfare, these reforms are only a tiny fraction of what campaigners had been asking for -- and an even smaller share of what the Global South needs. This month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had an opportunity to end one of its most reviled policies and lift billions of dollars of debt off the […]

October 23, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Three Somali Migrants Tortured to Death By Human Traffickers in Libya, Activist Reveals

[ad_1] At least three Somali migrants tragically lost their lives in September and October while being held in warehouses and homes operated by human traffickers in Libya, according to human rights activist Tariq Lamloum. Lamloum shared the grim news in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, exposing the brutal conditions migrants face while in captivity. The activist revealed that the families of the victims were contacted by kidnapping gangs based in the city of Bani Walid. The families were sent disturbing […]

October 23, 2024 1

Africa

Africa: ‘Condoms Are Sex Toys’ – Centering Pleasure to Save Lives

[ad_1] When you think of prevention in sexual health, what comes to mind? Most of us would think about risk, danger, and disease. But what if we changed that narrative to focus on pleasure? That is what Anne Philpott has been championing for the last two decades. It all started when she had a realization at an AIDS conference in Barcelona 20 years ago that the discussions were mostly about risk and disease, with little talk about the real reason […]

October 23, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Governance Progress in Africa Grinds to a Halt as Security and Democracy on the Continent Deteriorate Further, Threatening Substantial Advances in Human and Economic Development, According to the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

[ad_1] London — Covering the 2014-2023 decade, the 2024 IIAG shows that Africa’s overall governance progress came to a halt in 2022, following four years of almost complete stagnation, as substantial advances in both humanand economic development are undermined by the ongoing deterioration of the security and democratic landscape. However, this concerning continental average picture masks very diverse performances and trajectories across the 54 African countries and between the 16 IIAG sub-categories. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation today released the 2024 […]

October 23, 2024 2

Africa

Siya and Rachel Kolisi divorce: South Africans heartbroken

[ad_1] South African rugby star Siya Kolisi and his wife Rachel have announced their divorce after more than a decade together, leaving their fans heartbroken. The two often shared their love for each other and their family on social media, and were admired by many South Africans, who saw them as one of the country's power couples. The news of their split has caused a frenzy on social media, with […]

October 23, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Climate Change Worsened Deadly Floods in African Regions, Scientists Say

[ad_1] Devastating rains that triggered floods in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan in recent months - killing hundreds of people and displacing millions - were worsened by human-caused climate change, a team of international scientists announced Wednesday. Global warming made the seasonal downpours this year about 5-20 percent more intense across the Niger and Lake Chad basins, said World Weather Attribution (WWA), a group of scientists studying the link between climate change and extreme weather. In a study published […]

October 23, 2024 1

Africa

Africa: Governance Stalls in Africa As Security and Democracy Deteriorate, Threatening Progress in Development – 2024 Ibrahim Index

[ad_1] The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has released the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), the latest iteration of the biennial dataset assessing governance performance and trends in the 54 African countries over the decade 2014-2023. Collected from 49 independent sources, with some data commissioned by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the IIAG is based on 322 variables clustered in 96 indicators, organised under 16 sub-categories and four main categories: Security & Rule of Law; Participation, Rights & Inclusion; Foundations for […]

October 23, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: War and the Supernatural – Former Congolese Soldiers Recall the Ritual Practices Used to Prepare for Battle

[ad_1] War takes a toll on soldiers' bodies and minds. To prepare for battle, soldiers are taken through various forms of training. Part of this training aims to strip candidates of their civilian values and inculcate military culture. While armies have access to an array of contemporary strategies and weaponry during training, one element isn't often discussed: the rituals incorporated in training and those performed before engaging in warfare. Rituals include the magico-religious practices performed for various purposes, such as […]

October 23, 2024 1

Africa

Africa: Ethical Framework Aims to Counter Risks of Geoengineering Research

[ad_1] Pressure for climate intervention may gain momentum as world heats up As interest grows in geoengineering as a strategy for tackling global warming, the world's largest association of Earth and space scientists today launched an ethical framework as a guide to responsible decision-making and inclusive dialogue. The report, facilitated by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and advised by a global panel of experts, says any research into large-scale interventions in Earth's climate system must be grounded in sound ethical […]

October 23, 2024 3

Africa