Reminder of the information that matters

Smoke rises from a fire on board the MV X-Press Pearl vessel as it sinks. Photo: Sri Lanka Air Force Media/via Reuters.

Sri Lankan cargo ship burning for two weeks now sinking. The burning MV X-Press Pearl is already one of the worst ecological disasters in Sri Lankan history but there are fears it can create an oil spill emergency as it sinks. The ship is laden with chemicals such as nitric acid and it is carrying 350 metric tons of oil in its tanks.

Buckingham Palace ‘banned’ ethnic minorities from office roles. The Palace banned «coloured immigrants or foreigners» from undertaking office roles for the United Kingdom’s royal family until at least the late 1960s, according to an investigation by The Guardian. The investigation also revealed that Queen Elizabeth II has been exempt from race and gender equality laws for more than four decades since their introduction in the UK in the 1970s.

Russian opposition activist sent to jail amidst crackdown. A court in the city of Krasnodar ordered Andrei Pivovarov to be held for two months pending an investigation. Pivovarov is the head of the Open Russia movement that has just disbanded itself after authorities designated the organization as ‘undesirable’. It comes amidst an ongoing clampdown on dissent by Russia ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

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On the radar today

Nigerian senate begins public hearing on constitution review. The two day session is aimed at revising Nigeria’s 1999 constitution and comes on the heels of zonal public hearings of the same matter that held last week in the six geopolitical zones of the country. The review is focused on sixteen main issues including gender equality, state policing, and the removal of immunity for criminal cases.

China to chair trilateral dialogue with Pakistan and Afghanistan. The virtual meeting holding today is the fourth of its kind and will be attended by the foreign ministers of all three countries. It is expected to address ‘new uncertainties’ following the unilateral withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan. Between 30 - 44% of US troops have been withdrawn already and a complete withdrawal is expected by September.

Uganda marks martyrs day to remember 45 men killed by Buganda King. The celebrations will be held virtually this year factoring Covid-19 concerns, with only 200 people accredited to attend the service at the shrine in Namugongo, Kampala, where hundreds of thousands used to gather. Between 1855 and 1857, 45 Catholic and Anglican martyrs, were killed for their faith by burning and beheading on orders of then King, Kabaka Mwanga.

Athumani Abdullah Mohammed, a Muslim faith leader, with member of PEMA Kenya. Credit: PEMA Kenya/Reasons to be Cheerful.

Kenya: the group turning religious leaders to LGBTQ+ crusaders. Rather than fighting anti-gay faith leaders, a group in Kenya spends years cultivating relationships with them and converts them into allies. The group Persons Marginalized and Aggrieved in Kenya (PEMA Kenya) started in 2008 in the coastal city of Mombasa and has trained 619 religious leaders to date through bringing them face to face with LGBTQ+ people.

In the African lab

Stone Age Africans intentionally used fire to shape their landscape. A new study published in the journal Science Advances suggests that around 85,000 years ago, Stone Age people in Southern Africa used fire to intentionally transform the landscape around Lake Malawi, which scientists believe was done to improve productivity of the land. The study led by Yale University also included input from 27 others ranging from institutions in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Chipper Cash raises $100m Series C funding to become Africa’s ‘most valuable startup’. The three-year-old startup that facilitates cross-border payment across Africa, has closed a $100 million Series C round led by SVB Capital alongside existing investors including, Deciens Capital, Ribbit Capital, and Bezos Expeditions. Chipper has 4 million users, had averaged 80,000 transactions daily by November 2020, and processed $100 million in payments value by June 2020.

Nigerian startup Gokada crosses over $100m in annualized transactions. Gokada which started out as a bike hailing service in Nigeria has crossed over a $100m in annualized transactions and will launch a super app which will combine food delivery, e-commerce, and bike-hailing services all in one app. Last year, the company had to pivot from a bike hailing service to a logistics company after a series of legislations.

It may surprise you

Aerial photo taken May 28, 2021 shows a herd of wild Asian elephants walking in in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province. Photo: XINHUA VIA AP

Herd of wild elephants are approaching a major Chinese city. 15 wild elephants that have walked 300 miles from a nature reserve in China are now approaching the city of Kunming with seven million inhabitants. The animals who are believed to have left the reserve because of a drop in the amount of edible plants were initially 16 but two returned and a baby was born on the trip.

Who else can pick up accents beside humans? Well monkeys. A new study has revealed that monkeys are capable of picking up new ‘accents’ to be more friendly to their neighbours and better understand each other. It is the first time it is being established that monkeys can fully take on the «accent» of other species. Previous studies have also shown that whales, bats, birds and even goats can adjust their dialects to adapt to environments.

Tanzanian MP thrown out of parliament for wearing tight trousers. A Tanzanian woman Member of Parliament (MP), Condester Sichwale, was thrown out of parliament this week by the speaker, Job Ndugai, for wearing tight clothes. Sichwale was thrown out after another MP Hussein Amar complained about her dress code saying ‘..some of our sisters are wearing strange clothes and are legislators. What are they showing to the society?’ amid cheers from other MP’s.