(2021-08-28). Has the World Been Ignoring an Almost Decade-Long 'African Spring'? strategic-culture.org The announcement that Algerian President Bouteflika won't run for re-election but will instead postpone the upcoming vote until the conclusion of his recently decreed comprehensive constitutional reform process represented the eighth non-electoral regime change in Africa in as many years, making one wonder whether the world has been ignoring an almost decade-long "African Spring" or if something else entirely is going on across the continent.
(2021-08-28). [Comment] Inadequate evidence on stillbirths: rethinking public health. thelancet.com Rates of stillbirths are an indicator of the quality of care around pregnancy and birth. They are increasingly a matter of global health concern, falling within the remit of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (maternal health), which aims to end preventable deaths of newborn babies and children younger than 5 years by 2030. However, stillbirths continue to be a particular challenge in most low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in sub-Saharan Africa,1 where more than 0 ∑8 million deaths have been estimated to occur annually.
(2021-08-28). [Articles] Global, regional, and national estimates and trends in stillbirths from 2000 to 2019: a systematic assessment. thelancet.com Progress in reducing the rate of stillbirths has been slow compared with decreases in the mortality rate of children younger than 5 years. Accelerated improvements are most needed in the regions and countries with high stillbirth rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Future prevention of stillbirths needs increased efforts to raise public awareness, improve data collection, assess progress, and understand public health priorities locally, all of which require investment.
(2021-08-28). Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab Fights Latest US Extradition Maneuvers. orinocotribune.com By Roger D. Harris — Aug 27, 2021 | Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab remains defiant after over 14 months under US-ordered arrest in the African archipelago country of Cabo Verde. A special envoy of the Venezuelan government, he is fighting extradition to the US for the "crime" of trying to procure humanitarian supplies of food, fuel, and medicine from Iran in violation of illegal US sanctions. To date, Saab's legal appeals for freedom have been either denied, rejected, or ignored as his extradition to the US is becoming increasingly imminent. | The legal case | Saab continues to fight this flagrant attempt of…
(2021-08-28). Brazil: On the Road to Dictatorship? libya360.wordpress.com Frei Betto The military has published 13 manifestos in favor of Bolsonaro in the last two weeks. Where there is smoke, there is fire, goes the popular saying. Most Brazilians and world public opinion know that Brazil is governed by a man of fascist convictions. Bolsonaro always praises the torturers of the military dictatorship implanted…
(2021-08-28). Colombians Resume Protests against Duque's Far-Right Government. libya360.wordpress.com Peoples Dispatch On August 26, thousands of Colombians took to the streets in main cities of the country in rejection of a new tax reform bill promoted by the far-right national government. Photo: Gustavo Torrijos Zuluaga/El Espectador This Thursday, as a part of a new national strike, thousands of Colombians took to the streets across…
(2021-08-28). [Perspectives] Ana Mocumbi: cardiologist tracking NCDs of poverty. thelancet.com When Ana Mocumbi graduated with an MD from Eduardo Mondlane University, in Maputo, Mozambique, in 1992, she could not train in cardiology, her specialty of choice. At the time, it was compulsory for medical graduates in the country to take up a rural post to address the scarcity of doctors and to pay back their years of initial training to the state. Mocumbi went to the Sofala province, which was badly affected by Mozambique's civil war, and worked as a general practitioner in its capital, Beira.