World News
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Is Europe ready for a post-COVID migration wave?
For the many in Europe who have weathered the waves of the coronavirus pandemic, being in a crowd once again is a surreal feeling. As European countries emerge from the peaks of the pandemic, the masks are off and lockdowns seem to be a thing of the past. With high vaccination rates, many European Union countries are facing a brave…
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Facebook suffers second massive outage in one week
Facebook has had a rough week, with a massive outage just days ago, and a whistleblower claiming that Facebook knowingly put financial profits over the well-being of their users. And yesterday, the global social media giant faced another hours-long major outage on its platform. A spokesperson for Facebook confirmed that the site went through a system tweak that caused an…
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Angela Merkel leaves lasting legacy in Israel
While Germany grapples with the task of forming a new government, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel is heading to Israel. An earlier scheduled visit had to be postponed at the last minute in August because of events in Afghanistan. Originally described by officials as “a working visit,”it now has the aura of a farewell trip. On Sunday she will meet Israel’s…
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Who is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov?
It’s truly amazing that, in today’s Russia, Dmitry Muratov is still in charge of the newsroom of the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper — and has not been killed, forced into exile or branded a “foreign agent,” as has happened to many other representatives of his craft. “With this award, we will campaign for Russian journalism, which is now subject to…
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Koreans celebrate their language but fear foreign encroachment
October 9, a national holiday to honor the Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is a red-letter day on the South Korean calendar. The holiday was established in 1970, and purists are now warning that the writing system, which will mark its 575th anniversary this year, is increasingly threatened by foreign words. The words, purists say, are being adopted as a result…
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The uphill battle facing Chad’s new transition council
Earlier this week, Chad officially swore in its interim parliament, the so-called National Transition Council (CNT). Chad’s military junta —which emerged after the death of longtime ruler Idriss Deby Itno — named the 93-member assembly. The CNT effectively replaces the former national assembly which existed under Deby’s regime. For now, Chad is ruled by a military junta. Deby, who was…
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Who is Maria Ressa, journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate?
Maria Ressa, the CEO and executive editor of Manila-based news outlet Rappler, received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The award also makes her the first Filipino to win a Nobel Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee handed her, along with journalist and Putin critic Dmitry Muratov, the award for “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition…
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India: West Bengal state prepares for festival season amid COVID fears
India’s federal government has warned states that the Hindu religious festival season could lead to another spike in coronavirus infections. SOURCE: DW News
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Burmese UN envoy calls for international support for democracy in Myanmar
The Burmese UN envoy says he’s intent on seeking international support for democracy in his country. Kyaw Moe Tun was speaking to Japanese news agency NHK at the UN offices in New York. He was made UN envoy by the former Burmese government, which was ousted in a military coup in February, despite having been democratically elected. According to a…
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Thailand to be removed from UK red list from Monday
Thailand is being removed from Britain’s red list, meaning no more hotel quarantine for arrivals from the kingdom. Earlier this week, the UK ditched its advice against non-essential travel for 32 countries, but left Thailand and others on the red list. Now, that list will be cut to just 7 countries from Monday, with Thailand and 46 others coming off.…
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When are pushbacks at the EU’s external borders illegal?
Between May and September 2021, investigative journalists from several European countries filmed so-called pushbacksat five locations along the Bosnian-Croatian border. The footage documents 11 cases in which migrants were forcibly expelled from Croatia. More than 140 people are said to have been deported across the green border without authorities ever looking into whether they qualified for protection. According to human…
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UN targets on Afghan resettlements ‘doable’ says EU, but without commitments
EU member states failed Thursday to commit to a United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) demand for governments to resettle 42,500 Afghans who need protection over the next 5 years. Speaking after a EU-hosted online forum, European Commissioner for Migration Ylva Johansson said the target is “doable” but that it requires EU member states to make pledges. “Countries will also take…
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Inside Europe 07.10.2021
Hidden cash and dodgy dealings: a Pandora’s box of offshore tax theft – Protectors or predators? Two institutions gone awry: the French Catholic Church and the British police – A spot of predictive virology looking ahead to another COVID winter- Turkey clamps down on social media – A Danish artist takes the money and runs – Two tales of two…
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Are Rwanda’s dads ready for paternity leave?
Compared to elsewhere in Africa, Rwanda has relatively generous maternity benefits. Women who are formally employed are entitled to full pay for 12 weeks after giving birth and if they have delivery complications, they can take an additional month off. Now a coalition of civil society organizations is pushing to extend paid parental leave to Rwanda’s men, who currently only…
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Cape Verde boxing champ helps young men escape crime
Keeping young men out of trouble. That’s the hope of this Cape Verdean boxing champion. Walter Barros has seen many of his friends killed. He thinks sport can help young men escape a similar fate. That’s why Barros created the Believe project. Some 200 young people train here. Organizers also run a recycling and repair service and produce sport and…
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Why are tensions increasing between China and Taiwan?
China’s military flew tens of fighter aircraft as many as 149 times toward Taiwan in recent days, in what is the most recent attempt at putting pressure on the self-governing island by displaying Beijing’s military might. Even though all flights were in international airspace, they prompted Taiwanese defense forces to scramble jets in response and raised fears that any miscalculation…
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UK ditches “non-essential travel” alert for 32 countries, Thailand remains on red list
The British government has amended its advice to avoid non-essential travel to 32 countries. The Bangkok Post reports that the move comes as countries around the world continue to make progress in fighting the pandemic. However, according to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Thailand remains on the red list, along with South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico. “The Foreign,…
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EU summit: No firm timeline for Western Balkans accession
EU and Western Balkan leaders have wrapped up a one-day summit in Brdo Castle in Slovenia with promises for greater integration but didn’t commit to a solid timeline for the six countries to join the 27-member bloc. “The Western Balkans are part of the same Europe as the European Union. The EU is not complete without them,” EU Commission President…
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Africalink 06.10.21 – 16 UTC – MP3-Stereo
Ethiopia’s PM Abiy names new cabinet +++ UN warns of ‘human catastrophe’ in Tigray +++ Amnesty report accuses Namibia of neglecting Indigenous San people SOURCE: DW News
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How the US invasion changed Afghanistan
On October 7, 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan to avenge the al-Qaida-orchestrated September 11 terrorist attacks. The primary aim of the US invasion was to hunt down Osama bin Laden and punish the Taliban for providing safe haven to al-Qaida leaders. It took little effort on part of the US to dismantle the Taliban regime. Bin Laden, however, managed to…
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Pfizer Vaccine protection after 6 months: Covid 47%, Hospitalisation 90%
New data this week shows that the Pfizer vaccine which has proven to be 88% effective against Covid-19 dropped to just 47% efficacy six months after the second dose. The report published Monday in the Lancet public medical journal had originally been released in August before being peer-reviewed, and lays clear the need for booster shots as efficacy drops. Data…
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Will Myanmar junta leader be given a seat at ASEAN summit?
A summit of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will take place later this month and delegates are debating whether to include Myanmar or not. The troubled nation is a member of the association, but other nations are debating whether to recognise and invite the military junta leader that overthrew the elected government in Myanmar in February…
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Facebook under fire — will lawmakers now get tough on Big Tech?
The world’s largest social media company is having a rough week. First, a cascade of technical errors brought down Facebook’s services and made it impossible for billions of users to communicate with each other. A day later, a former employee presented US lawmakers with tens of thousands of pages of internal researchthat she had copied while working at the company.…
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AirAsia Malaysia requiring all passengers to be vaccinated
AirAsia, the Southeast Asian budget airline carrier based in Malaysia, has announced that they will only allow passengers to travel on their flights if they have been fully vaccinated. It is unclear if this will apply to all regional AirAsia divisions, but it appears to be implemented first in Malaysia. The announcement made today said that the Malaysian unit will…
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Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupt Paris Fashion Week show
Climate change activists from the Extinction Rebellion group have disrupted a Louis Vuitton catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week. According to an AFP report, a protester invaded a catwalk in the Louvre art gallery to slam the fashion industry for its negative impact on the environment. An activist carrying a banner that read, “”Overconsumption = extinction”, managed to climb onto…
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Africalink on Air – 05 October 2021
Impact of Facebook outage in Africa +++ The Gambia registers 30 presidential aspirants +++ Nigeria seeks to cash in on avocado farming SOURCE: DW News
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COVID: How is an emergency fund stirring controversy in India?
Major corporate houses, the Indian armed forces and even the Dalai Lama have contributed to India’s PM-CARES fund — a reserve set up to bolster India’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The fund, which stands for Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations, has been the subject of controversy in India, largely due to a lack of transparency…
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WhatsApp and Facebook outage sparks confusion in Africa
What would our life be without social media? Many users worldwide got a glimpse of how that would play out when Facebook and its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms crashed on Monday for about six hours. A massive global outage plunged many services, businesses and the people who rely on them into chaos. It also fueled lively debates on the reasons…
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Pandora Papers: How will the revelations impact Pakistan’s politics?
Several people surrounding Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, including ministers and family members, have been named in the Pandora Papers leaks. The papers, which were shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), reveal that many of the country’s powerful military generals, businessmen and media owners have transferred millions of dollars through offshore companies. More than 700 prominent Pakistanis…
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UK fuel crisis: Measures branded ‘sticking plaster solutions’ as army deployed
The long-awaited images of military personnel driving fuel tankers follow almost two weeks of misery and chaos for British consumers. Panic buying of fuel amid the shortage of truckers has led to chaotic scenes across major cities with queues of drivers lining up outside gas stations. A perfect storm of labor shortages as a result of Brexit and the continued…
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