15 November 2021
“The cautious approach of a lion does not denote cowardice”
BBC Africa Live 15 November 2021. 4:33 Our African proverb of the day. An Igbo proverb sent by Collins Nwosu in Nigeria.
Egypt: About 4,500 years ago, the pharaohs built six sun temples, intended “to enshrine them as living gods”. Only two had been unearthed so far, now a third has been discovered south of Cairo – “the biggest find for 50 years”.
Covid: With huge inequity gaps between rich and poor countries (e.g. 155.67 vaccinations per 100 people in Canada – 1,63 in Tanzania), nobody will be safe from the virus. That’s about it for the content of this article.
https://theconversation.com/the-number-that-matters-in-the-covid-pandemic-is-a-relative-one-vaccine-inequity-171503
Somalia: Working directly with citizens and customary leaders works for the provision of public goods where the state is absent or fragile. The author’s research in Gedo (southern Somalia, “where the state taxation system is extremely weak” and provision of water, education and other essential services is thus difficult) shows that “most households step in to fund public services through community-based informal taxes” – paying an average of 9.5% of annual household income. However, women and minorities tend to be excluded. Also, the tax burden tends to be heavier on the poor than on the better-off.
https://theconversation.com/citizens-of-fragile-states-can-fund-public-services-directly-its-working-in-somalia-171541
Libya: Military prosecutor Mohamed Gharouda has told the electoral body to suspend processing Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s and Khalifa Haftar’s registration for the presidential elections. Both have criminal cases pending.
BBC Africa Live 15 November 2021. 11:13
14 November 2021
South Africa/Literature: Best-selling author Wilbur Smith has died yesterday Saturday at his home in Cape Town aged 88. Born in Northern Rhodesia (today’s Zambia), his 1964 debut novel “When the Lion Feeds” was a success. He was a big game hunter, scuba diver and a licensed pilot and his novels reflect his own experiences. Other bestsellers of his include “The River God” and “The Triumph of the Sun” and his autobiography “On Leopard Rock” published in 2018. Overall, he sold over 140 million of his books.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59278275
Nigeria: An army general and three more soldiers have been killed by West African branch of Islamic State (Iswap) militants in Borno state. They had been on their way “to reinforce troops engaged in a fierce battle with the insurgents”.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 14 November 2021. 17:53
Ethiopia: Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU’s special envoy to the Horn of Africa says that for the time being the two sides are miles apart, “that dialogue cannot deliver peace (…) while the war continues to intensify” – but Obasanjo remains optimistic.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 14 November 2021. 18:00