US scientists want federal fund for an independent oversight authority for gain of function research
Brad Wenstrup appeared to agree with the witnesses, stating his concern that research done outside the US limits needed oversight and increases the likelihood of lab leaks and accidents, while it “significantly impairs our ability to respond to emerging threats.”
How culture, school and religion birthed Kenya’s football ‘holy land’ and ‘cathedral’ in Kakamega
Nicholas Musonye, the former Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) secretary general, estimates the match attendance was between 40,000 and 60,000 daily and the number peaked to 100,000 during the final. By comparison Kenya Premier League matches hardly attract more than 1,000 fans to the stadium.
Expert: Israelis can only use force against military objectives, which is not whole of the Gaza Strip
The difficulty of evaluating whether proportionality was respected or not is obviously that we don’t know the plans. Perhaps it was essential for the plan to attack that specific military objective, and then it would not be excessive to take the risk, but never to deliberately kill civilians.
UN and US quiet as both Israel and Hamas break international humanitarian law with abandon
Since October 7, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed over 3,000 people and injured more than 12,500 others, with women and children accounting for over 60 per cent of those killed, as of the latest death toll on October 17. The Israeli military and settlers have also killed at least 61 people in the West Bank, and injured 1,250, amid increasing violence there as well.
Spiritual vs physical world: It’s not God or angels who torment people in hell, people in hell torture each other
In his book Swedenborg says that he was allowed to experience the process of dying and being awakened in the spiritual world so that he could tell people on earth what it was like. He describes how angels sat beside him, unseen by most because angels are in the spiritual world.
Kenya braces for fourth wave of Covid as hospitals fight to keep infections low
Hospitals in Kenya are becoming overwhelmed as the East African country witnesses a jump in cases from the Delta variant. Kenya said it is extending a night-time curfew and banning public gatherings and in-person meetings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, warning that hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. The East...
Even with a change in leadership at the top, Tanzania remains steeped in autocracy
When Samia Suluhu Hassan took up the reins of power in Tanzania four months ago, there was hope at home and abroad she would turn the page on the increasingly autocratic rule of her late predecessor. But with the arrest of a high-profile opposition leader on terrorism charges, critics are...
Euphoric reopening of countries was ill-timed as it occurred at the Delta variant was beginning to run riot
Your chance of being crushed in bed tonight by a falling satellite is minuscule. It is also non-zero. Ronald Howard, a Stanford engineering professor and founder of a discipline called decision analysis, made a point of noting the latter, the risk of splat. Perhaps best known for studying questions of...
Sanctions on Afghanistan: ‘There should be no excuse for a repeat of 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...
European journalists to Polish government: Reporter should not be jailed for refusing to disclose sources
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in calling on the District Prosecutor’s Office in the Polish city of Gdansk to drop its legal case against Gazeta Wyborcza reporter Katarzyna Włodkowska. In a statement issued on Monday, EFJ also wants...
