August 3, 2015
Peter Singhatey
African Center for Strategic Studies
Africa, Ebola, Middle East, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research, Vaccine
New vaccine may end the biggest Ebola outbreak in history | Daily Maverick.
Over a year – and 11,279 reported deaths – since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak, the first effective ‘armour’ against the virus has been developed. The VSV-ZEBOV vaccine showed 100% efficacy in offering protection from Ebola virus, according to preliminary results published in the Lancet on Friday. The vaccine is the result of a massive collaborative effort between the Guinean Government, World Health Organization (WHO), Doctors without Borders and others.
Beginning in March, the trial involved over 4,000 volunteers, all of whom had come into contact with Ebola patients. The participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first – the intervention group – immediately received the vaccine. To test the protection conferred by the vaccine, those in the second, or control, group were given the vaccine three weeks later. (Usually the control group is only given a placebo; however, this was decided against for ethical reasons).
Within 10 days of receiving the vaccine, both groups developed protection against Ebola…
July 26, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Articles on Africa
Africa, Camac Energy, Erin Energy, Gambia, Offshore oil, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research, Seismic Survey
Erin Energy commences survey of Gambia’s offshore for oil – Foroyaa Newspaper.
Erin Energy Corporation through its subsidiary Camac Energy Gambia Limited, has commenced the shooting of a 3D seismic survey off the coast of The Gambia. Polarcus Ltd has been contracted by the Company to carry out the survey using the Polarcus Alima, an ultra-modern 12 streamer 3D/4D seismic vessel. The survey is expected to take approximately 50 days to complete and will cover approximately 1,500 square kilometres on Erin Energy’s A2 and A5 blocks…
July 19, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Space Science
Asteriod, Asteroid-Mining, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Platinum, Space
Asteroid with platinum core worth £3.5 trillion set to pass Earth.
An asteroid believed to contain a platinum core worth £3.5 trillion is expected to pass Earth at around 10pm on Sunday, attracting the interest of asteroid-mining companies.
The platinum-filled space rock which is also thought to contain other precious materials is only around half a mile wide, but its metallic core is estimated to weigh 100 million tonnes making it hugely valuable.
Asteroid 2011 UW-158 will pass 1.5 million miles away from Earth, meaning it will be 30 times closer than our nearest planet, according to Slooh Community Observatory.
However, it will be six times further away than the moon’s orbit meaning it will be impossible to see with the naked eye.
For those who don’t own a telescope, the Slooh Observatory will be live-broadcasting the asteroid’s path online from their base in the Canary Islands…
July 7, 2015
Peter Singhatey
African Center for Strategic Studies
Africa, China, Development, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research
Is ‘China in Africa’ something to fear? – The Washington Post.
Should the West fear China’s growing influence on the African continent? While there is no question that China and Chinese companies are changing the way African politicians seek aid and investment, the relationship between the two sides is far more complicated than simple narratives about “democracy or dictatorship” or “trade not aid” suggest. Veteran journalist Howard W. French explores this complexity in his book, “China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants are Building a New Empire in Africa.” He graciously took the time to answer my questions about the book and China’s role in Africa.
LS: Much of the discourse in American politics is that the U.S. should be afraid of China’s role in Africa because China is undemocratic or “trying to take over.” Is this a fair approach? Why or why not?
HF: I’m afraid the American discourse on China and Africa is very confused and generally not very insightful. Part of that is driven by the recent, still startled realization in this society of just how serious a competitor China is becoming, and part of that reflects the baggage of very old and nearly immutable American attitudes toward Africa, which are bound up in paternalism and in using Africa as a kind of vanity mirror to help us brighten our own self-image and feel better about ourselves…
June 17, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Irish News
Balcony Collapse, Berkeley, Irish Students, J1 Visa, People & Society, Peter Singhatey
Deaths of Irish Students in Berkeley Balcony Collapse Cast Pall on Program – The New York Times.
“BERKELEY, Calif. — They come by the thousands — Irish students on work visas, many flocking to the West Coast to work in summer jobs by day and to enjoy the often raucous life in a college town at night. It was, for many, a rite of passage, one last summer to enjoy travel abroad before beginning a career.
But the work-visa program that allowed for the exchanges has in recent years become not just a source of aspiration, but also a source of embarrassment for Ireland, marked by a series of high-profile episodes involving drunken partying and the wrecking of apartments in places like San Francisco and Santa Barbara…”
May 27, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Articles on Africa
Africa, Conflict, International Security, Peace & Security, Peacebuilding, peacekeeping, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research
ISS Africa | Beyond rhetoric: the role of women in sustainable peacebuilding.
“A high-level review of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1325, expected to be released in October this year, provides an opportunity for policymakers to move beyond the rhetoric of gender mainstreaming and start putting words into practice. Resolution 1325 underlines the need for gender-sensitive approaches to peace and stability in post-conflict contexts.
Although the inclusion of women in peacebuilding processes has gained momentum in policy discussions over the last 15 years, the number of women in decision-making positions remains relatively small. Peacebuilding is the foundation for creating sustainable human security and equitable development in countries emerging from conflict. UNSC resolution 1325 recognises that women are disproportionally affected by conflict, and to address this, women should play a key role in achieving lasting peace after conflict…”
May 19, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Research
Ban Mobile Phones, Education, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey
Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results | Education | The Guardian.
“It is a question that keeps some parents awake at night. Should children be allowed to take mobile phones to school? Now economists claim to have an answer. For parents who want to boost their children’s academic prospects, it is no.
The effect of banning mobile phones from school premises adds up to the equivalent of an extra week’s schooling over a pupil’s academic year, according to research by Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.
“Ill Communication: The Impact of Mobile Phones on Student Performance” found that after schools banned mobile phones, the test scores of students aged 16 improved by 6.4%. The economists reckon that this is the “equivalent of adding five days to the school year”.
The findings will feed into the ongoing debate about children’s access to mobile phones…”
April 24, 2015
Peter Singhatey
Articles on Africa
Africa, Immigration, mediterranean, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey
End deaths on the sea by ending the wars around it – Al Jazeera English.
“How to digest the reality of 1,500 dead migrants when most of the victims are lost to the sea; their hopes, dreams and even their names drowned with them?
Blame is of course being assigned; or rather deflected, divided, avoided. British stinginess, smugglers’ greed, ISIL’s savagery, European racism, the oppression of the Amazigh and the vagaries of war – each has its measure of truth. And however tragically dramatic, the present large-scale migration across the Mediterranean is only the latest in at least half a dozen cycles of mass global migration in the modern era.
Global capitalism and global war have always driven large-scale human migration…”
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