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Wednesday 25th of July 2018 |
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ANIMALS ARE BECOMING MORE NOCTURNAL JUST TO AVOID HUMANS Africa |
After centuries of animal captivity, poaching, and urban expansion, animals are now actively trying to avoid our presence by becoming more nocturnal. With flashing lights, harsh noises and urbanization we have become master destroyers of their natural habitats, leaving them vulnerable and homeless.
A new study published in Science looked at the behavior of 62 mammal species across six continents and discovered that 83% of these species are becoming increasingly more active after dark.
Lead author Kaitlyn Gaynor explains that “human activity is creating a more nocturnal natural world” and adds that the trend is both “powerful and striking.”
Gaynor goes as far as to compare us to the dinosaurs, explaining that “mammals were active entirely at night because dinosaurs were the ubiquitous terrifying force on the planet” but now “humans are the ubiquitous terrifying force on the planet.”
Even the fiercest animals, such as coyotes and tigers, are becoming more nocturnal just to avoid the threat of Homo sapiens.
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'The emptiness within and the emptiness without Africa |
When I was first in Orford, it was forbidden to approach ‘the island’, but now there was no longer any obstacle to going there, since, some years before, the Ministry of Defence had abandoned secret research at that site. One of the men sitting idly on the harbour wall offered to take me over for a few pounds and fetch me later after I had had a look around. As we crossed the river in his blue-painted boat, he told me that people still mostly avoided Orfordness. Even the beach fishermen, who were no strangers to solitude, had given up night-fishing out there, allegedly because it wasn’t worth their while, but in reality because they couldn’t stand the god-forsaken loneliness of that outpost in the middle of nowhere, and in some cases even became emotionally disturbed for some time.’
So begins WG Sebald’s account of his trip to Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast in his book The Rings of Saturn. It is an extraordinary work, not quite fact, not quite fiction, in which Sebald uses a walk along the coastline of Suffolk as the starting point for a deeply melancholic meditation on time, memory, identity and the transience of human existence. One of the most striking passages is his description of Orford Ness, a long shingle spit at the mouth of the estuary of the rivers Alde and Or. After rowing him across the river, the fisherman leaves Sebald who sets out to explore the island:
The day was dull and oppressive, and there was so little breeze that not even the ears of the delicate quaking grass were nodding. It was as if I was passing through an undiscovered country, and I still remember that I felt, as the same time, both utterly liberated and deeply despondent. I had not a single thought in my head. With each step that I took the emptiness within and the emptiness without grew ever greater and the silence more profound. Perhaps that was why I was frightened almost to death when a hare that had been hiding in the tufts of grass by the wayside started up, right at my feet, and shot off down the rough track before darting sideways, this way and that, into the field. Orford Ness had been, for more than half a century, from the First World War to the Cold War, a top-secret military research facility. Here were conducted experiments on parachutes, radar, aerial photography, ballistics and bombs, including, in the 1950s, the atom bomb. The military finally pulled out of the site in the mid-1980s. But the infrastructure remained, as Sebald describes:
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Call it a brilliant Trump strategic maneuver. Or was it Putins? @asiatimesonlines Pepe Escobar Law & Politics |
President Trump’s late-night, all-caps Tweet of Mass Destruction threatening Iran is bound to be enshrined in the Art of Diplomacy annals.
But let’s go back to how this all started. After unilaterally pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump administration has issued what amounts to a declaration of economic war on Iran and will go no holds barred to squeeze the Islamic Republic out of the global oil market – complete with threatening allies in Europe with secondary sanctions, unless they cut all imports of Iranian oil by November 4.
This past weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said he would support blocking all Middle East oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz if Iran’s European trade partners succumb to pressure from Washington and stop buying Iranian oil altogether.
Then President Hassan Rouhani followed Khamenei and warned the US about “playing with the lion’s tail.”
Rouhani, as his record attests, has always behaved as the epitome of cool diplomacy. Contrary to predictable US media spin, he never “threatened” to attack the US. His premise was that Tehran was pleased to offer Washington the “mother of all peace.” But if Trump instead decided to attack Iran, then (italics mine) that would open the way to the Mother of all Wars.
The fact remains that the Trump administration ditched a UN-sponsored multilateral treaty and has now launched serious covert ops with the ultimate goal of regime change in Iran.
Trump’s explosion of rage, coupled with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s touting of the interests of “the long-ignored voice of the Iranian people” has been met with derision and scorn all across Iran.
Khamenei and Rouhani are on the same page – and that’s very significant in itself. They now agree any negotiation with Washington is futile. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif provided the coup de grace, tweeting that Iran had lasted millennia and had seen many empires fall. He wrapped up with an all-caps Trumpism: “BE CAUTIOUS!”
The whole soap opera is ridden with pathetic overtones as US “experts” posing as extras digress that there are only two outcomes left for Iran: capitulation or implosion of the “regime”.
Anyone claiming Tehran will capitulate shows an utter ignorance of the overall mood of defiance and scorn among the Iranian people, even as they are faced with massive economic hardship. And anyone stating there will be regime change in Tehran basically parrots a US “policy” that is just wishful thinking.
The US neo-conservatives that brought the world the failed, multi-trillion-dollar Iraq war should have been buried not six feet, but six miles under. Yet, like the Walking Dead, they will never give up.
But, in the Middle East, at the moment there are three characters who are singin’ and dancin’ like everything is going according to plan: Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Bin Salman (MBS), his mentor, the United Arab Emirates’ Mohamed bin Zayed, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Surely they are not heeding the expert advice of former Mossad head Meir Dagan, who stated that a military attack on Iran was “the stupidest thing I have ever heard.”
It’s always possible that Trump’s all-caps spectacular may be a ruse to distract Americans from the Helsinki “treason” scandal. That gets traction when associated to the looming mid-term elections and Trump’s absolute need to sound tough and keep the Republicans in line. Call it a brilliant Trump strategic maneuver. Or was it Putin’s?
Back to reality, the stark options would come down to either Iran becoming a US satellite or closing the Strait of Hormuz – something that for all practical purposes would collapse the global economy.
I have been assured that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has the technological means to block the Strait and would not flinch to go for it rather than yield, if the going gets tough. President Rouhani cannot resist the IRGC. The Trump administration has, in fact, forced Rouhani to show his cards. All branches of the Iranian government are now united.
War hysteria, already on, is extremely irresponsible. In the worst Strait of Hormuz scenario, the US Navy would be impotent, as Russian-made SS-N-22 Sunburn missiles could wreak havoc. Washington could only bomb from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar or Incirlik in Turkey. Neither Qatar nor Turkey is inclined to antagonize Iran.
The Pentagon would have to bomb coastal missile sites on Iran’s Persian Gulf shoreline. But these are heavily camouflaged; missiles are portable, and there’s no reliable on the ground intel. Iran only needs to fire one missile at a time. No oil tanker would possibly try to get through.
Things don’t even need to degrade towards a shooting war. All Tehran needs to do is to make the threat credible. Insurance companies would stop insuring oil carriers. No oil carrier will navigate without insurance.
The geopolitical game is even more complex. Velayati was in Moscow only a few days before Helsinki. Diplomatic sources say Iran and Russia are in synch – and closely coordinating policy. If the current strategy of tension persists, it raises the price of oil, which is good for both Russia and Iran.
And then there’s China. A tsunami of sanctions or not, Beijing is more likely to increase oil imports from Iran. “Experts” who claim that Iran is becoming a pawn of Russia and China are hopelessly myopic. Russia, China and Iran are already firmly aligned.
Short of war, the Trump administration’s top priority is disruption of the New Silk Roads – the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – between China and Europe. And the key economic connectivity corridor goes across Iran.
The fundamental “enemy” is China. But to make any divide-and-rule plan work, first, there’s got to be an attempt to lure Russia into some sort of entente cordiale. And in parallel, Persian destabilization is a must. After all, that’s what the Cheney regime used to describe as “the great prize”.
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Apart from not requiring installation, at $11.99 a month for a premium subscription, @netflix has a price advantage over @DStv , which costs $60 a month for a premium subscription International Trade |
For months, the chief executive of South Africa’s biggest TV company, MultiChoice, has suspected Netflix was messing with him and the rest of the DStv parent company. Calvo Mawela was clearly spooked, yet it seemed laughable that relative newcomer, Netflix South Africa was going after DStv in particular, until it actually turned DStv’s corporate paranoia into a joke. To market to South Africans fed up with DStv, the streaming service created a character, Man With A Van. Played by prominent local comedian Jason Goliath, he makes a living faking Netflix installations. Man With A Van visits clients houses, with pointless wiring and over-the-top installation, even carrying an empty box with the words Premium HD—a direct dig at DStv’s premium service.
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Ethiopia could sell airline's hotel, airports in investor hunt Africa |
Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise is emerging as the flag bearer of plans by Africa’s fastest-growing economy to open up to foreign investors after decades as a closed shop. While new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ruling politburo has said a minority stake in the continent’s largest carrier could be up for grabs, Chief Executive Officer Tewolde GebreMariam now adds that related assets such as airports and a five-star hotel could also be sold off. That would give investors an opportunity to take ownership in businesses that were nationalized in the 1980s under the former Communist Derg regime. Ethiopia needs about $7.5 billion to finish current infrastructure projects and is also battling foreign-exchange shortages, Abiy said earlier this month. The sale of airline-owned real estate may be easier and quicker than, for example, a privatization of the much coveted Ethio Telecom monopoly, which the Horn of Africa nation plans to split in two and sell down following two years of study. What will be the country’s largest hotel has five stars and is being built near the international airport in Addis Ababa “The first stage of foreign participation will be the hotel,” said Tewolde “We want expertise, capital in the hotel. We have finished first phase, but there will be second phase.” Hoteliers with a strong Africa presence include Marriott International Inc., which has some executive apartments in Addis Ababa Accor SA, Europe’s biggest hotel operator, has announced plans to expand on the continent; neither company responded to requests for comment Cargo Airline & Logistics Co. Ethiopia is Africa’s second-biggest producer of flowers after Kenya and fourth-equal worldwide according to Rabobank research Ethiopian Airlines owns a 150,000-square-meter (1.6 million-square-feet) cargo hub with capacity for 1 million metric tons of fresh produce a year “Logistics is a sector with government or national concern” as Ethiopia focuses on producing industrial goods for export to the U.S. and Europe, Tewolde said “We do not have global standards for logistics in Ethiopia today” The division could be converted into a joint holding with Deutsche Post AG holding a 49 percent stake “within weeks” The carrier owns 23 domestic airports, according to its website, from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch Additionally, the airline develops and operates airport shopping centers, cafeterias, banking kiosks, internet services and parking facilities Aerospace Manufacturing To extend Ethiopian’s Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul Services, negotiations are under way with companies including Boeing Co., Airbus SE, Bombardier Inc and Safran SA, according to Tewolde
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Even before the vote, Zimbabwe's election is not credible @mailandguardian Africa |
On July 30, Zimbabweans will elect a new president for the first time without Robert Mugabe’s name appearing on the ballot.
Most poll watchers expect the vote, at least on a surface level, to be peaceful and orderly. Given the woefully low bar set by Zimbabwe’s political leadership — which has presided over nearly four decades of violent and brazenly manipulated polls — this could even be the least-worst election in a generation.
It is now less than a week until the polls open. However, the actions taken by the new government of Emmerson Mnangagwa have already made a free, fair, and credible election impossible. Just last week, for example, the country’s electoral commission – already viewed as a partisan institution that favors the ruling party – changed the position of polling booths so that they are now in full view of officials and political party agents, a move that fatally undermines the secrecy of the ballot.
Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s longtime enforcer and bag man, is the incumbent. He rose to power last November in the aftermath of a military coup, which played out live on national television. Mnangagwa and his cabal of generals-turned-politician desperately need international approval and political legitimacy. They are anxious to have a mountain of debt owed to the World Bank and other lenders forgiven so they can start borrowing again.
Some international observers appear ready to rubber stamp the vote despite rising concerns. The African Union (AU), for example, is hoping for elections to be minimally acceptable, with anything short of widespread violence likely to be given the stamp of approval. One ominous signal: to lead their delegation, the AU has tapped former Ethiopian leader Hailemariam Desalegn, whose party often won elections with 100 percent of the vote.
The British embassy in the capital Harare is also thought to be especially eager to normalise relations with Zimbabwe if the poll is “good enough.” A crude ethos has seemingly developed that a lack of violence somehow equates to a credible election. It does not.
On the contrary, however, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union have been more skeptical. They collectively argue that Zimbabwe’s standard should not be merely surpassing its deeply flawed past, but rather following the country’s constitution, as well as regional standards and international norms, including the AU Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance.
Superficially, voting on July 30 will almost certainly appear better than past charades. A new biometric voters’ roll was created and international observers were invited. In a first for Zimbabwe — and a sign of how low the bar has become — opposition candidates have even been allowed to campaign relatively openly this time around.
But election observers should not be fooled. The lack of blood in the streets does not mean the vote reflects the will of the Zimbabwean citizenry.
Here are eight ways that the vote has already been rigged, hacked or altogether stolen:
The election body is not independent Concerns with manipulation of the voter roll and ballot papers have been ignored Integrity of the vote tally and data security Denial of fair access to media Ballot secrecy has been deliberately undermined Organised intimidation is subtle but widespread Unknown militants (known locally as ‘mabhinya’) have suddenly appeared in villages as a flagrant effort to intimidate opposition supporters and voters. When your home has already been burned down once, it only takes a thug shaking a matchbox for people to receive the message. Involvement of the security forces in the election
Under the current conditions, it is apparent that a free, fair and credible election is not possible in Zimbabwe. That so many people across the country — particularly the youth — remain undaunted by these major trials, offers a ray of hope. The world should speak up and stand with them.
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Military refusal to accept the outcome @mailandguardian Africa |
Military leaders have in the past declared that they would only accept a Zanu-PF president. A sitting cabinet minister recently repeated this claim— and kept his job. A common belief is that the coup makers did not take such a risk only to hand power to an opposition party eight months later.
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Africa: Isabel Dos Santos - the Fall of Africa's Richest Woman Africa |
By Rafael Marques de Morais Just think for a minute. In a two-year span, a father gave his daughter, among several contracts, four that were worth over US $22 billion. The father is then President José Eduardo dos Santos, and the daughter is Isabel, Africa's richest woman. These were the golden days of the presidential family's capture of Angola. Period.
In the past month, with a stroke of a pen, General João Lourenço has annulled the four egregious contracts. The former "princess" is crying foul, and is threatening to sue the Angolan state however, the state is calling out her bluff. Her fortune is about to tumble like a house of cards, just as her father's power fell flat once he left office after 38 years.
Ultimately, this is the disheartening tale of an African woman who chose to be an insensitive and insatiable robber baron when she had the opportunity to be a transformer. She could have done some good for her own country and people, and still be filthy rich. Now it is the path of infamy...
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