Colonial pitfalls of vaccination: How a health system perpetuates historical marginalisation and political humiliation
In Covid-19 vaccines, we have an extremely impressive piece of biotechnology. But they won’t do their job if the health system ends up perpetuating historical marginalisation and political humiliation. People get uneasy when the vaccinator shows up and says they must have a “jab”, especially while other forms of healthcare...
Fight against malaria in tropical regions ramped up with WHO approval of first vaccine in Africa
In a momentous and long-awaited decision, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the wide rollout of a malaria vaccine to protect children in Africa. That opens the way for countries to decide how to use the vaccine, the first ever to be approved for a parasitic disease, as part...
Experts propose establishment Africa defence industry to bolster peace and security
The establishment of an African defence industry mechanism or forum within the African Union has been proposed to develop African solutions to African problems, and promote peace and security on the continent as well as industrial development. This is according to its proponent Dr Moses B. Khanyile, who currently serves...
Sanctions on Afghanistan: ‘There should be no excuse for a repeat of the errors from previous embargoes’
The international community is waiting to see what a Taliban-led government will mean for Afghanistan and its people. But one thing is certain: new sanctions are on the horizon, and they will be broad, hard-hitting, and long-lasting. They will be imposed when political incentives or economic levers fail to deliver...
Report reveals dire economic and safety situation for journalists in Afghanistan
Findings of a research by the Afghanistan National Journalists Union (ANJU) sheds light on the grave situation journalists and media workers in Afghanistan face since the Taliban takeover of the country on August 14. Consequently, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has welcomed the findings by its affiliate that their...
Tigray humanitarian crisis raises serious doubts about Ethiopia government’s desire to end suffering
A humanitarian response plan for northern Ethiopia previously appealed for $854 million between May to December 2021. But that plan is now being updated with a new version expected in the first weeks of this month, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). World Food...
Ethiopia conflict fuels spread of hunger and atrocities from Tigray to Amhara
An upturned rebel tank lay by the road, overlooking fields of wheat and barley. Dead bodies were slumped in bushes and on muddy highland trails. Dark grey stones and the branches of a eucalyptus tree concealed a hastily dug mass grave. Rebels from Ethiopia’s Tigray have taken their fight into...
Super Tucano now aircraft of choice in Africa for light attack, manned intelligence
Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano continues to accumulate orders in Africa, capturing a large share of the light attack and manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) market. Since entering production, the aircraft has been selected by more than 15 air forces in five different continents, including the United States Air Force...
Merck’s new ‘hammer’ billed a game-changer after cutting Covid hospitalisations and deaths
An investigational antiviral pill reduced the chances that patients newly diagnosed with Covid-19 would be hospitalised by about 50 per cent, a finding that could give doctors a desperately needed new way to treat the sick, the drug maker Merck has announced. A five-day course of molnupiravir, developed by Merck...
How corrupt Bolsonaro government has ramped up illegal mining in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest
Indigenous territories, long a bulwark against deforestation in the Amazon, are under increasing threat in Brazil, according to an analysis of 36 years’ worth of satellite imagery. The data show that illicit mining operations on Indigenous lands and in other areas formally protected by law have hit a record high...
