Key highlights Pioneering finance instrument aimed to strengthen resilience and early warnings worldwide seeks initial capitalization of USD 200 million by the end of 2026 If backed, the bond will enable five-fold increase in internationally shared weather and climate data Surface weather and climate data are the invisible ingredient of every forecast, early warning, and…
THE chorus is a familiar one, a relentless refrain in South Africa’s political and social discourse: “illegal Zimbabweans” are crossing the Limpopo in droves, “stealing” jobs from South Africans, social services like health and education and transforming the essence of the nation. This narrative, politically potent and emotionally charged, is repeated in taxi ranks, talk…
The US State Department said Monday some visa applicants will soon be required to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to discourage visa overstays as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migration. Starting later this month, the pilot program will require applicants from certain countries to pay a sum of “no less than $5,000”…
Eurobonds, debts owed in a foreign currency, have become a quick and attractive way for African countries to borrow money. They are behind a sharp rise in commercial borrowing as a percentage of total external debt: it has nearly doubled from 27% in 2011 to 52% in 2020. This has increased the debt vulnerability of…
