As onslaught of climate change driven by wildfires deepens, companies adopt drone reforestation
Last year’s Castle Fire in California’s Sierra Nevada is estimated to have killed more than 10 per cent of the world’s giant sequoias, the tallest trees on earth. Sequoias can live through many fires over life spans that last thousands of years; their bark is fire-resistant and they rely on...
Taliban revenge: Ex-members of ousted Afghan government, military allege retributions took place
Hundreds of social media posts have been shared featuring grainy mobile phone footage purportedly of armed men searching houses, beating people in the streets and bundling them into cars in Afghanistan. Several former officials of the ousted Afghani government, military personnel and others close to the fallen government have alleged...
Taliban vowed no revenge, an Afghan family details their experience under the new rulers
When the Taliban won back control of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar last month, they set out to settle a score with an old foe. As they searched for prominent local politician Ajmal Omar, who had helped drive the militants out of a Nangarhar district a year earlier and...
African countries face serious political unrest as rising food prices hit the roof – ISS Africa report
African Governments must act fast to ensure their people are fed and avoid conflict the continent cannot afford, Institute for Security Studies Africa (ISS Africa) reports. In its September report, ISS Africa observes that since the onset of Covid-19, global food prices have rocketed, putting pressure on the world’s most...
Studies: Bats’ virus tolerance is higher than humans’, hence the massive load of pathogens they traffic
When a host, whether bat or human, is infected with a disease-causing pathogen, the ensuing interaction is often described as a battle: The host’s immune system pulls out the big guns to fight and eradicate the invader. In immunology parlance, this is known as resistance; its end-game is destroying the...
Reworking democracy: Goal of ‘ranked-choice voting’ is to produce winners with a mix of the electorate
Ranked-choice voting (here called instant-runoff voting) can also be used for contests that decide several seats at once, such as races for city councils or school boards. The counting is more involved, but the goal is to produce a slate of winners that roughly matches the partisan makeup of the...
Islamic States militia taking advantage of ethnic hostilities to fan atrocities in Niger Delta – reports
Niger government officials have sought to downplay the ethnic colouration of recent massacres in Niger Delta. Although Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) has recruited mostly from Fulani groups, officials point out that ethnic Zarma and members of other communities have also joined them. Still, local analysts and residents...
In ranked-choice voting candidates with lowest totals are ejected, votes reallocated to supporters’ second option
Ranked-choice voting, the option Americans are considering to heal divisions in the country, tries to produce winners who have majority support. If no one wins a majority of the vote outright, then the candidate with the lowest total is eliminated and their votes are reallocated to their supporters’ second choices....
As extremism deepens, Americans consider ‘ranked-choice reforms’ to make politics less toxic
It is arguably the most important single question in US politics today: How can the United States halt its downward spiral into extremism, gridlock and cross-partisan hatred? For many advocates, a critical piece of the answer is the electoral reform known as ranked-choice voting. “It reduces the incentive to be...
Niger Conflict: Poorly armed farmers left to defend themselves against well-equipped terrorist fighters
Editor’s note: A regional franchise of the so-called Islamic State is stepping up attacks against civilians in western Niger. This article is the first of two reports exploring what’s driving the crisis and the limitations of efforts to address it. When a regional franchise of the so-called Islamic State pushed...
