Clean sport: New body needed to address doping, bribery, racism and harassment
The world of sport is replete with rhetoric involving the word ‘clean’. Whether in the mission statements of organisations such as UK Anti-Doping or in the names of groups such as the US non-profit organisation the Partnership for Clean Competition, clean is used as a label of integrity, authenticity and...
Cybersecurity: No time for Africa to bury head in sand or pay for skilled foreigners
The cybersecurity skills shortage is worsening in Africa. This is the definitive view of the ESG report ‘The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals 2020′ and that of multiple other surveys, reports and industry analyses. Organisations are facing an unprecedented threat. Cyber-attacks, fraud, phishing, breaches, hacks have increased in sophistication,...
African countries secure $17 billion facility to double food production by 2030
A coalition of multilateral development banks and development partners pledged over $17 billion in financing to improve food security in Africa. These funds were pledged on the final day of a two-day high-level dialogue with the theme ‘Feeding Africa: Leadership to Scale up Successful Innovations’. The event was hosted by...
Choice of Koome to head judiciary renews ethnic concerns in Kenya’s public service
The independence and integrity of the Kenyan judiciary is once again under intense scrutiny following the nomination of the Court of Appeal Judge Martha Koome to replace David Maraga, who retired at the beginning of this year as chief justice and president of the Supreme Court. To gender activists, the...
Fully vaccinated Americans can venture outdoors minus masks – Biden’s adviser
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has unveiled updated guidelines detailing activities that vaccinated people can safely resume, including attending small outdoor gatherings without the need to wear a mask. The new “interim public health recommendations” released early in the week detail a variety of situations in which...
‘India’s Covid death may be far above 200,000 as rural cases are unregistered’
India has reached the devastating figure of 200,000 coronavirus deaths, with the pressure on many hospitals showing no sign of abating amid a surging second wave. The real number of fatalities is thought to be far greater, with many not being officially recorded. Oxygen supplies remain critically low across the...
Malaria vaccines raise hopes as they reach critical trial phase of trumping the disease
A vaccine against malaria has shown promise in early clinical trials, raising hopes that it might one day prove to be an effective weapon against one of the world’s biggest killers of children. In a trial in 450 children aged 5-17 months, the vaccine, called R21, was up to 77...
Hard Covid lessons lead to historic funding boom for US National Science Foundation
US officials are discussing whether the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds about 25 per cent of all basic academic research in the country, should get a historic budget boost, potentially changing the US science landscape. During congressional hearings last week, legislators evaluated proposals that would increase the agency’s funding...
US secretary of state to hold meetings with leaders of Nigeria and Kenya
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make his first visit to Africa, virtually, during which he will meet with the presidents of Nigeria and Kenya. Tuesday’s tour will include a meeting with African youth from across the continent. Blinken’s visit coincided with difficulties the continent has...
Data firm Vertiv opens new factory for integrated modular solutions in Croatia
Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced the opening of a new factory in Rugvica, Croatia to support its integrated modular solutions (IMS) business in EMEA Compared to the previous factory, the site offers 13 per cent more indoor space and 60 per cent...
