– NEWS –
Two-class society with access to and handling of the Covid vaccine: While Covid-19 vaccinations are soon beginning in Europe and the United States, one could get the impression that the international community has lost sight of other parts of the world. The governments of industrialized nations are outbidding each other to secure the few available vaccine doses and governments are making a name for themselves by denying access to the global competition. The global south, it seems, is being left to deal with the pandemic on its own. Although the WHO has collected two billion US dollars through a fund, that is just enough to vaccinate about 3 percent of the population of the southern hemisphere. An initiative by South Africa to temporarily repeal the patent law for vaccines was blocked by industrialized nations. In addition, it is unclear whether the vaccines developed have any effect on African population groups. Of 44,000 test subjects of the BioNTech vaccine worldwide, only 1.8 percent were of African descent.
n-tv.de, derstandard.de
Hundreds of pupils missing after gunmen attack Nigerian school: Some 337 students are still unaccounted for after gunmen attacked a school in northern Nigeria over the weekend, CNN and other media outlets reported. The attack is suspected to have been carried out by “bandit gangs”. Local police said a large number of attackers riding motorbikes ambushed the all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Kankara late Friday, in a possible kidnapping-for-ransom attempt. The apparent kidnappers are making a demand via a teacher at school, Abdu Labaran, the director general of media for the governor of Nigeria’s Katsina state, said Monday. The abductors contacted the teacher and asked him to tell the government to stop the helicopter surveillance, said Labaran. They have not asked for ransom. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari released a statement condemning the attacks. Buhari’s spokesman said the army and air force had located the bandits’ enclave and an operation was ongoing.
cnn.com, theguardian.com
Civil war in Ethiopia: Eritrea has joined the war, diplomats say: The United States believes Eritrean soldiers have crossed into Ethiopia to help Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government battle the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Abiy and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki had signed a peace pact ending two decades of hostilities in 2018 and now regard the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a mutual foe. The US assessment creates a potential policy predicament as Washington views Ethiopia as a major ally in the volatile Horn of Africa but accuses Eritrea of severe rights abuses. Evidence of Eritrean involvement cited in the US view of the month-long war includes satellite images, intercepted communications and anecdotal reports from Tigray region, five diplomats and a security source all briefed on the US assessment told Reuters.
reuters.com
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Blockchain – Ticker – With our weekly newsletter we provide you with the most important developments in blockchain technology and scene. blockchain-ticker.net
Trump recognizes Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara: US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Morocco’s claims over the disputed Western Sahara threatens to fire up existing tensions in the region and deprive hundreds of thousands of the territory’s inhabitants of their right to self-determination. It also, once again, pits the United States against most of the world. In exchange for Morocco’s agreement to begin normalizing ties with Israel, the United States on Thursday became the first and only major power to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region — an act that Morocco has sought for years.
washingtonpost.com
Egypt receives Chinese Covid vaccine: Egypt has received its first shipment of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, which was tested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is said to be 86% effective. The shipment by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm landed at Cairo’s international airport from the UAE. Cairo and Abu Dhabi are close allies. Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement that the government would first vaccinate health care workers, particularly those who deal with Covid-19 cases. He said they would receive two doses of the vaccine over 21 days.
washingtonpost.com
Greece accuses Turkey of enticing migrants to illegally enter Europe: Greece has accused Turkey of handing out visas to Somalis and then encouraging them to enter Europe as illegal immigrants. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi claimed that Turkey has set up offices in Somalia to entice Somalis to come to Turkey, from where they are put in touch with people smugglers who take them across the Aegean to Greek islands. “In Somalia, we understand that the Turkish authorities, the ministry of education and other ministries, are promoting immigration to Turkey,” Mitarachi said.
telegraph.co.uk
Power struggle within the political elite in the Congo fr.de
Sierra Leone sees itself armed for Covid through experience faz.net
Another plague of locusts in Kenya tagesschau.de
Ethiopia fires at UN employees spiegel.de
– BACKGROUND –
Moscow agrees to set up naval base in Sudan: Russia has signed an agreement with Sudan to establish a navy base in the African nation for at least a quarter century, part of Moscow’s efforts to expand its global reach. The deal allows Russia to simultaneously keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ones, in Port Sudan on the Red Sea. The agreement lasts for 25 years and could be automatically extended for 10-year periods if none of the parties object to it. The document states that the Russian navy base should help strengthen peace and stability in the region and isn’t directed against any third parties. In exchange for Sudan’s permission to set up the base, Russia will provide Sudan with weapons and military equipment.
apnews.com
Sports as a means of colonization and decolonization: Renowned author Ronny Blaschke has examined the importance of sports for the process of colonization and decolonization of the African continent. According to Blaschke, the global sports in the 19th century were specifically spread from Great Britain to the colonies in order to convey “British values”. The colonial powers Portugal and France had also actively used sport as a political instrument. At the same time, the popularity of football in particular played an important role in the anti-colonial liberation struggle of the 50s and 60s of the 20th century. National teams and / or national delegations served as ambassadors of African states and communicated their desire for independence and liberation, said Blaschke.
deutschlandfunk.de
Ten years Arab Spring – problematic results: At the end of 2010, the self-immolation of the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi became a signal for a social and democratic protest movement that radically questioned authoritarian rulers and structures that had spilled over from Tunisia into numerous Arab states. A decade later, the results are not great, and not just in Tunisia. Regular elections are being held in the North African country, new parties have formed and freedom of the press and freedom of expression are officially protected. But at the same time, the real political and economic situation is far behind the high expectations of the Arab protest movement. It is no longer certain that the proclaimed democratic transition can still be saved.
deutschlandfunk.de
Researcher: Africa part of a global medieval trade network: Archeologists from the University of Geneva have shown, by examining glass beads from Mali and Senegal, that the African continent was already part of a global trade network between the 7th and 13th centuries. Little was known about the degree of Africa’s integration in such a network. The analysis of the artifacts now revealed that the glass beads originally came from Egypt, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East and found their way to the then remote regions of Mali and Senegal. Thus, the researchers contradict the popular Western idea that sub-Saharan Africa was cut off from the Western world in the Middle Ages.
derstandard.de
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Facebook Live: IJP-AfricaTalk #8 – Arts and Culture: How does COVID- 19 affect sector and living culture? COVID-19 has disrupted daily life around the world, including for that of artists, musicians, and other creatives. The creative and cultural industry is one of the economic sectors most affected by the COVID-19 crisis, due to restrictions on movement of people, goods and non-essential trade. The OECD highlights that the crisis has sharply exposed the structural fragility of some actors in the sector. But, as is often the case, great challenges also provide for great inspiration. How have artists and other creatives responded to and been influenced by the pandemic, or used their art as a means of positivity and to uplift spirits? What would be needed to overcome the crisis?
fb.me
– NUMBER –
In the presidential election in Ghana, West Africa, the 76-year-old incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo received 52 percent of the vote.
dw.com
– QUOTE –
„If the Benin bronzes are to be reclaimed, then they must be returned. There is no doubt about that for me.“
Berlin’s cultural senator Klaus Lederer told the „Tagesspiegel“ newspaper about the official demand of the Nigerian ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar, to return art treasures exhibited in the Berlin Humboldt Forum to Nigeria.
tagesspiegel.de
– AT LAST –
World Tourism Forum wants to open Chad to millions of tourists: Chad is set to get help from the World Tourism Forum Institute in attracting more visitors to the country, located in north-central Africa. The Global Tourism Forum will be held in Chad next March for the purpose of boosting the number of tourists and investments in the country. Patalet Geo, the minister of tourist development, culture, and crafts, said the deal will open up new horizons for tourism in Chad.
tourexpi.com