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Photo: Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Source: New African

Dirty Coal to Replace Africa's 'Fancy Blue Diamond' As Part of a New Initiative

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | GABORONE (IDN) — There may be a lump of coal in Botswana’s Christmas stocking if the southern African country goes through with plans to wind down its famed diamond industry and replace it with unsustainable dirty coal.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi, at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, unveiled the country’s new direction acknowledging an abysmal year for the diamond market which hurt government revenue. It is “more imperative than ever”, he said, “to diversify into other commodities and curb the nation’s overdependence on precious stones".

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Industrialisation; 30 November 2021

Photo: South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. Source: Mail & Guardian

African Countries Rage at New Travel Bans by Vaccine Hoarding Countries

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | CAPE TOWN (IDN) — Southern African countries are facing new travel restrictions after the discovery of a handful of coronavirus variants, first found in Botswana. For some African leaders, it’s the classic case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

“Despite the repeated warnings of health leaders,” declared former British prime minister Gordon Brown, “our failure to put vaccines into the arms of people in the developing world is now coming back to haunt us. We were forewarned—and yet here we are.”

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 November 2021

Cape Town University Students Cited for Innovative Business Ideas

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | CAPE TOWN (IDN) — Three female students at the University of Cape Town won intervarsity recognition as top student entrepreneurs after a two-day national final in Johannesburg in November.

Among the winners was Zimbabwe-born Chido Dzinotyiwei, founder of Vambo Academy, an educational technology platform that uses digital resources to offer language learning, translation and knowledge services.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 29 November 2021

The Outbreak of Omicron: Scientists and Leaders Call for Collaboration with Africa

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — International scientists and leaders have urged a "global response of collaboration with Africa on COVID-19 following Omicron outbreak". Over a hundred academics and leaders from Europe, Africa, the US among others say in a joint letter to the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) that they are "concerned with the lack of action for vaccination in Africa and solidarity with Africa".

There is no way that isolation of Africa could be the solution to this problem, says the letter. "We ask that the response is based on science."

: Reinhard Jacobsen; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 November 2021

Photo: Dubai must be one of the most unusual places in the world. It is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Source: tribuneindia.com

Prosperous Dubai and Its Paradoxes

Viewpoint by Rahul Singh

The writer is a veteran journalist. This article first appeared in The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India.

DUBAI, UAE (IDN) — Dubai must be one of the most unusual places in the world. It is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary as an independent, united country. Contrary to what people imagine, Dubai has little oil (Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate, is the oil-rich one). Its prosperity is largely based on trade and commerce, the communications infrastructure there being among the world’s best.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 28 November 2021

Photo: U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dennis W. Hearne with Mozambique Health Minister Armindo Tiago and COVAX Initiative partners. Credit: U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique

Argentina, United States Donate Vaccines to Mozambique

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW l MAPUTO (IDN) — The United States and Argentina Embassies in Maputo have donated large quantities of vaccines to the Government of the Republic of Mozambique. As their tremendous and recognizable contributions to help fight the spread of coronavirus, the United States offered 840,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines while Argentina gave 450,000 doses of the AstraZeneca.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 28 November 2021

Photo: An artist rendering of the future U.S. Navy Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The 12 submarines of the Columbia-class will replace the Ohio-class submarines which are reaching their maximum extended service life. It is planned that the construction of USS Columbia (SSBN-826) will begin in in fiscal year 2021, with delivery in fiscal year 2028, and being on patrol in 2031. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Challenge of Nuclear Submarine Proliferation

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) — While many well-meaning experts have written legal, policy and technical tomes on how to verify naval nuclear fuel and to convert such fuel from weapon-grade highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU), the unfortunate reality remains that none of the nuclear navies using HEU are interested in converting to LEU fuel or to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or any other inspectors within a Scandinavian mile of their nuclear fleets—that is a generous 10 kilometres.

: J Nastranis; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 27 November 2021

Image credit: OECD Development Matters Blog

US Hosts Summits Promoting Democracy But 83 are Missing from List of Invitees

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN) — A head of state, who presided over an authoritarian regime in Southeast Asia, was once asked about rigged elections in his country.

“I promised I will give you the right to vote,” he was quoted as saying, perhaps half-jokingly “But I did not say anything about counting those votes.”

: Thalif Deen; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 27 November 2021

Photo: Collage of Crafts (left) and Sohibdavlat Qalandarkhonova (right).

Tajikistan: Young Girl Out to Save The Community from Pollution

By Sharofat Shafieva

KHOROG, Tajikistan (IDN) — The city of Khorog is generally clean, but it has a problem with waste management. Residents leave their garbage on the streets and especially in public places. The central market is one of the places where there is a large garbage dump.

“Passing by garbage is very unpleasant. No matter how much the administration cleans the garbage, it still collects in one day. It is especially terrible in summer when a very bad smell appears,” notes Shafoat Jafoeva a regular visitor to the market. “The waste mostly belongs to the merchants, and it would be good if the sellers of the market find a better way to manage their waste”, she adds.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Central Asia; 26 November 2021

Photo: Chinatown in Honiara, with some buildings burning. Credit: Georgina Kekea, NZ Herald

Solomon Islands: Geo-Political Battles Engulf the Pacific as Australia Sends Troops to Honiara

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The first batch of Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrived in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara on November 26 to help quell rioting, after the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare requested Australia's help under a security treaty the country signed with Canberra in 2017.

Australian troops are back in the independent South Pacific Island state, four years after an Australian-led military mission to Solomon Islands ended its 13 year “peace-keeping” operation in the country to put down an ethnic rebellion then.