Has the pandemic hit academic mothers really hard? New data say so
Reshma Jagsi, a radiation oncologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor city, wrote an opinion piece predicting female scientists would feel a disproportionate impact from the Coid-19 pandemic. Sceptical journal editors declined to publish it. Since then, though, many commentators have echoed her message. And now the evidence...
Huawei takes HSBC to court to stop extradition of its chief finance officer to US
The Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is taking HSBC bank to court in the UK as part of its attempt to prevent the extradition of its chief financial officer from Canada to the US. Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US request over claims she misled HSBC in a...
Private sector invests in new ideas only after regimes make risky investments
The World Health Organisation appointed economist Mariana Mazzucato to head its Council on the Economics of Health for All in 2020. Ms Mazzucato is one of the architects of the biggest international research-funding scheme in the world, Horizon Europe, which launched this month. Her book Mission Economy is a timely...
Opinion: Facebook founder Zuckerberg can’t fix what he won’t own up to
In June 2017, Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook’s mission. Speaking at the company’s first Community Summit in Chicago, he explained that the best part of Facebook is its “meaningful groups,” those that address a user’s passions or needs and connect them with others who share those interests. At the time, there...
Ethiopia ready to build a 100mw wind power plant
Siemens Gamesa has signed its first wind power project in Ethiopia with state-owned electricity company Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and in the process strengthened its leadership in Africa as the East African nation embarks on expansion of its green energy capacity to meet ambitious renewable targets. The 100mw Assela wind...
Cocoa farmers in West Africa earn a pittance as chocolate manufacturers bank billions
Recent statistics on world chocolate industry lay bare how exploitative the beverage’s market is, with cocoa farmers in West Africa forced to make do with a paltry six per cent of total revenues. Leading chocolate companies have since 2001 made pledges to end widespread abusive labour practices, but continue to...
Denver Nuggets convert South Sudanese Bol Bol’s contract to standard deal
Denver Nuggets have converted the two-way contract of Bol Manute Bol to a standard multi-year NBA contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly has announced. Bol Manute Bol, who will remain a rookie for the 2020-21 season as he did not appear in an NBA game prior to the hiatus...
Journalist: Why I volunteered for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
Many Americans say they won’t take a vaccine. I am not one of them — and I have the shots to prove it.When I volunteered to roll up my sleeve for an unproven Covid-19 vaccine, I was nervous. Not so much about the vaccine — I’d done my research and...
Malawi First Lady partners with Merck Foundation to build healthcare capacity
Merck Foundation has appointed Malawi First Lady Monica Chakwera ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother campaign to empower infertile women. The Merck Foundation and Mrs Chakwera, who doubles as the minister for health will provide speciality training to Malawian doctors in various fields such as oncology, diabetes, fertility, embryology,...
