Reminder of the information that matters

Refugee girls look out of a window in the school at the Kakuma refugee camp. Credit: Keystone/Peter Klaunzer

Kenya orders closure of two major refugee camps. The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya which host more than 410,000 people have now been ordered to close. Authorities in Nairobi have also given the UNHCR a 14-day ultimatum to present a plan to do so, citing national security concerns and saying they would move the refugees to Somalia if the camps aren’t closed.

Putin signs bill to lift age limit for top officials in Russia. A new law in Russia signed by President Vladimir Putin will allow officials he has elected to retain their positions past the age of 70 if they choose. Previously high ranking officials had to leave office at 65 and that was then extended to 70 years. Last year, Putin also introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow him to stay in power until 2036.

Pope orders salary cuts for cardinals and clerics in the Vatican. In a historic first, Pope Francis has ordered cardinals to take a 10% pay cut while at the same time reducing the salaries of most clerics working in the Vatican. The move comes after the Pope’s insistence on not firing people, despite the fact that the Vatican has continued to run up deficits. Cardinals get salaries of about 4,000 to 5,000 euros a month.

Il est temps de raconter le monde

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On the Radar today

Major tech CEOs to testify about social media’s role in the US Capitol attacks. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, and Google’s Sundar Pichai are set to testify before the US congress today. The CEOs will be sharing virtually with the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

European Parliament to debate murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. After political groups reached a consensus, the European Parliament today will debate the murder of Maltese journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia. The session is simply a discussion and a vote of resolution on the case scheduled to take place in late April. Galizia was killed by a car bomb in 2017, shortly after she received a news leak implicating a Maltese power station.

Biden to hold first press conference since becoming president. Amidst criticism about taking too long to hold a press conference, US president Joe Biden is expected to hold his first one today on his 65th day in office. Biden has taken longer to hold a press briefing than any of his predecessors, with the White House defending him saying he had been preoccupied with dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents fetch water from Lake Victoria at Homa Bay, in western Kenya. Credit: Keystone

Solar lights help Kenyan women escape sex-for-fish trap. A renewable energy project in Kenya providing solar lights is enabling women to catch their own fish instead of settling for sex for fish deals. Previously, fishermen would only agree to sell fish to women who agreed to have sex with them. The solar lights have also aided the women fishing along Lake Victoria to be able to do so at night but also to keep their fish stalls open for much longer.

In the African Lab

A truck loaded with passengers stops outside a restaurant serving bush meat, in the town of Epulu, Congo in the heart of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Credit: Keystone

What is the connection between restaurants in Central Africa and Wildlife? A new study published in the journal, Conservation Science and Practice reveals that restaurants in Central Africa have a huge role to play in conservation because they decide whether or not protected animals end up on the menu. The study by a team of scientists from Michigan State University, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the University of Maryland looked at the illegal aspect of the wild meat trade and how restaurants can bolster it.

Nigerian communications startup closes a $1.4m seed round. Among a league of Nigerian Fintech startups raising seed rounds, Termii has taken its place. The communications company started in 2017 to harness existing communication channels to help businesses effectively engage with their clients. The seed round was co-led by new African VC firm Future Africa and Japanese VC Kepple Africa Ventures.

South Africa has the most dangerous roads in the world, according to a new study. The analysis by Zutobi took into consideration several factors including the number of road fatalities in South Africa, maximum speed limits, and the number of people who wear a seatbelt. 25.9 road traffic deaths occur per 100,000 population in South Africa and only 31% of people wear a seatbelt compared to over 90% in the United States.

Sur Heidi.news aujourd’hui

Quand est-ce qu’on en aura fini avec l’épidémie? La semaine de réponses à nos lecteurs a inspiré plusieurs classes du cycle d’orientation de La Gradelle, à Chêne-Bougeries (Genève). L’une d’entre elle a attiré notre attention parce qu’elle formule tout haut ce que tout le monde n’ose parfois même plus demander: «Est-ce que l’on a des projections qui permettent d’imaginer quand la pandémie sera terminée?» La réponse d’Yvan Pandelé, journaliste scientifique au Flux santé.

Elisabeth Bik, la chasseuse de fraudes des publications de Didier Raoult. Elisabeth Bik s’est fait un nom et une réputation sur Twitter. Elle y soulève des énigmes depuis deux ans avec un seul fil conducteur: déceler les images frauduleuses dans les publications scientifiques. En début de semaine, elle a publié sur Twitter une rafale d’images problématiques issues de publications scientifiques signées par le Pr Didier Raoult. Heidi.news a pu échanger avec elle.

It might surprise you

Do you walk fast? If not, you might be more likely to die from Covid-19. Slow walkers are almost four times more likely to die from Covid-19, according to a team of researchers from the National Institute for Health Research. The study also revealed that slow walkers are at over twice the risk of contracting a severe version of the coronavirus.

This company is convinced it can bottle the smell of sex. VR bangers, a virtual reality porn company is taking its services a notch higher by attempting to put sex scents into a bottle. The company which already offered immersive porn visuals is now listing scent bottles which are a combination of thousands of sex scents and with names like «Teenage Dream,» «Squirt Delight,» «MILF Sensations,» and «Happy Ending.»

Have you ever called your president a moron? In Poland, it could probably land you in prison. Jakub Żulczyk, a Polish writer is facing a possible prison sentence for calling President Andrzej Duda a moron in a Facebook post, following comments Duda had made on the Biden election win. Żulczyk is being charged under an article in the criminal code for the post he made in December last year.