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Archives for May 2016

Virunga’s Charcoal Cartel

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 Holly Dranginis | May 12, 2016 | Foreign Affairs On the southwestern flank of Virunga, a protected national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there was once a thick rainforest. Today it looks like the surface of the moon, barren and smoking. A resident in the area told me that ten years ago he could walk up the road and see elephants. Now the elephants are … [Read more...] about Virunga’s Charcoal Cartel

Has South Africa Lost Its Way?

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Jessica Piombo and Cherrel Africa | May 12, 2016 | Foreign Affairs The ANC's Unfulfilled Promise South Africa is in the middle of a period of political and economic unrest unlike anything the country has experienced since the end of apartheid in 1994. In March 2015, students at the University of Cape Town launched the #Rhodesmustfall campaign, aimed at bringing … [Read more...] about Has South Africa Lost Its Way?

‘Kill Every Buffalo You Can! Every Buffalo Dead Is an Indian Gone’

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 J. Weston Phippen | May 13, 2016 | The Atlantic The American bison is the new U.S. national mammal, but its slaughter was once seen as a way to starve Native Americans into submission. It was near the end of September, an unusually warm week in 1871, and William “Buffalo Bill” Cody and a group of wealthy New Yorkers stood atop a grassy hill near the Platte River in … [Read more...] about ‘Kill Every Buffalo You Can! Every Buffalo Dead Is an Indian Gone’

Exclusive: U.S.-funded Somali intelligence agency has been using kids as spies

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Kevin Sieff | May 7, 2016 | The Washington Post MOGADISHU, Somalia — For years they were children at war, boys given rifles and training by al-Qaeda-backed militants and sent to the front lines of this country’s bloody conflict. Many had been kidnapped from schools and soccer fields and forced to fight. The United Nations pleaded for them to be removed from the battlefield. … [Read more...] about Exclusive: U.S.-funded Somali intelligence agency has been using kids as spies

Man vs. Marathon

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Jere Longman | MAY 11, 2016 | The New York Times Trying to identify the athlete who might be able to break the two-hour barrier. BEKOJI, Ethiopia — Dressed in a soccer jersey and gray pants, Chala Tulu, 14, began walking in his bare feet and then gradually increased his pace around a grass track at Bekoji Elementary School. Tulu wore a mask and a harness fitted with a … [Read more...] about Man vs. Marathon

Buthelezi: past ‘coming back to bite South Africans’

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14 May 2016 | Aljazeera The veteran statesman discusses Jacob Zuma, the return of race to the political discourse and his Zulu culture. He is one of the great survivors of South African politics. Mangosuthu Buthelezi is the only major party leader to have contested every election since apartheid gave way to democracy in 1994. I very much regret that this … [Read more...] about Buthelezi: past ‘coming back to bite South Africans’

Horns of a dilemma: retiree to fly 80 South African rhinos to Australia

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Saturday 14 May 2016 | The Guardian Former sales executive who emigrated to Australia 30 years ago is hatching a daring plan in an attempt to save the species from poachers A retired South African sales executive who emigrated to Australia 30 years ago is hatching a daring plan to airlift 80 rhinos to his adopted country in an attempt to save the species … [Read more...] about Horns of a dilemma: retiree to fly 80 South African rhinos to Australia

Why More Chinese Companies in Africa Are Choosing to Be Good to Their Neighbors

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Eric Olander | 05/11/2016 | The Huffington Post Chinese companies around the world, particularly in Africa, have a well-earned reputation for being bad corporate citizens. There are countless stories of labor rights violations, disregard of environmental policies and lack of engagement with local communities among many other allegations. While all of these examples … [Read more...] about Why More Chinese Companies in Africa Are Choosing to Be Good to Their Neighbors