Electricity politics take centre stage as France weighs viable options to nuclear energy
Pro-nuclear energy activists often use Germany as an example of a country that drastically cut its nuclear energy production – in response to safety concerns raised by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 – only to end up buying electricity from France. Although there’s a lot of talk...
Torn between energy independence and risks posed by nuclear risks France faces uncertain future
Around 70 per cent of French electricity is derived from the splitting of atoms, and no other country produces more nuclear power per capita. More than a means of keeping the lights on, France’s prowess in the nuclear space is also a source of national pride – the amalgamation of...
Should Kenyans opt for mandatory voting to correct a system that is designed to deliver kakistocracies?
What are we supposed to do when the electoral system consistently yields terrible candidates? If you’ve noticed an eerie silence coming from the direction of Kenya, it’s because many of us are struggling to believe that what the news is telling us. William Samoei Ruto, former deputy president and International...
Gen Townsend: Wagner is an arm of the Kremlin and they’re doing President Putin’s bidding in Africa
As Gen Stephen J Townsend prepares to relinquish command of the United States military’s Africa Command, he shared some insights on what he calls, “US national security objectives in Africa,” which he said includes promoting a more stable and prosperous Africa. To better understand the US military’s perspective, foreign and...
Biden’s equivocation on abortion rights is snowballing into key campaign issue in 2024 US elections
The proclamation “I will aid and abet abortion” appeared across social media soon after Donald Trump’s Supreme Court justices did what they were appointed to do: overturn Roe v. Wade ruling on abortions rights. Leaving aside the question of whether it’s a great idea to advertise one’s intent to engage...
Ethiopia’s forgotten war: Oromo Liberation Army only responds to state terrorism, human rights abuse
In November 2020 an outbreak of violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region captured worldwide attention. The conflict was between Tigrayan forces and the forces of the Ethiopian government and its allies. Since then, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been under increasing global pressure to negotiate with Tigrayan officials to stop the...
Violence against women: Media and researchers should stop revelling in calling South Africa ‘rape capital’
Researchers and journalists in South Africa tend to portray sexual violence as an ever-worsening crisis, focusing on either the latest police statistics or the most violent and horrific recent incidents. Since the late 1970s, the media has displayed a near obsession with reporting rape numbers and gruesome case details. The...
Design thinking: A powerful methodology for projects, but NOT thinking about design!
Why do simple and effective approaches to getting things done often become obscured by jargon? For example, way back in the last century when I worked at HP we experienced big changes in the business environment. Although layoffs are common at HP these days, back then everyone I knew believed...
Reproductive justice? Had I not had an abortion, pregnancy would have hijacked the future I’d worked hard
I am a palaeoecologist at the University of Maine and, like the nearly one in four people capable of becoming pregnant in their lifetime in the United States, I have an abortion story. Even with rates on the decline, it remains a common experience. I became pregnant in 2001 when...
Rejected and shunned by top teams in Europe, Ronaldo’s manic ego is becoming an eyesore of the beautiful game
Despite Will Ford’s willingness to piggy-back him to Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be taking up the offer of nearly a quarter of a billion quid to spend two years in Western Asia. So what now? Ronaldo has asked to leave Manchester United but, most likely to his surprise, there...
