🔅 Air pollution kills 1 million unborn babies yearly
Today’s Issue: Chris Hani's killer is stabbed only days before his release from prison, Nigeria expects to be free of petroleum imports by the end of 2023, and China manufacturing drops... ☕
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Photo of the day: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Markets
🔺 Nigerian SE: 47,660.04 (+0.71%)
🔺 Johannesburg SE: 75,035.23 (+2.61%)
— Ghana SE: 2,463.27 (0.00%)
🔻 Nairobi SE: 126.48 (-0.59%)
🔻 US S&P 500: 3,944.72 (-0.33%)
🔺 Shanghai Composite: 3,151.34 (+0.05%)
*Data accurate as of the close of markets across the continent
Europe: Europeans feeling the heat of inflation will be pleased to hear that things have cooled down. Prices in the 19 countries sharing the euro grew by 10.0% this month, way below the 10.4% analysts had predicted. This drop is largely thanks to a fall in energy prices, but food prices remain stubbornly high.
China: Things aren’t looking so great in China right now. A key measure of factory activity there dipped again in November, and the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) hit a new low of 48. It doesn’t help that the world’s second-largest economy is facing weakening global demand and strict Covid restrictions (and demonstrations). To make matters worse, the Chinese government has seen Covid-19 cases spike in recent weeks, with more than 37,000 cases reported on Tuesday.
POLLUTION
Air pollution kills almost a million unborn babies a year.
What are we seeing?
Air pollution is linked to a staggering number of stillbirths around the world. That’s according to a new global study, which estimates that nearly one million stillbirths each year can be attributed to exposure to particles smaller than 2.5 microns, mainly produced from burning fossil fuels.
The research covered 137 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where 98% of stillbirths occur.
It’s not yet clear how air pollution causes stillbirths, but the researchers think that air pollution particles passing through the placenta could cause “irreversible embryonic damage” and could also harm the placenta itself. Air pollution could also restrict the ability of the mother’s body to pass oxygen to the foetus.
What can we do about it?
The scientists behind the study believe that taking action to prevent stillbirths would be a big boost to women’s health and equality.
And they suggest that clean air policies, such as those enacted in China, could help to prevent stillbirths. They also recommend that pregnant women wear masks, install air purifiers, and avoid going outside when air pollution is at its worst.
The study also estimated that reducing air pollution to the World Health Organization’s current guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre could prevent 710,000 stillbirths each year — that's a lot.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Other Headlines
🇳🇬 Nigeria's Oil Minister Timipre Sylva announced on Tuesday that the country expects to be free of petroleum imports by the third quarter of 2023. Sylva said that a refurbished refinery in Port Harcourt would deliver 60,000 barrels of refined crude by the end of this year. Another, the Dangote refinery, is expected to be up and running in the first quarter. Oil is Nigeria's biggest export earner, but crude theft and pipeline vandalism have taken their toll on output. Until now, Nigeria has been exporting crude for refined fuel.
🇿🇦 The convicted killer of South African anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani was stabbed in prison just days before he was set to be released on parole. Janusz Walus, a 69-year-old Polish national, was sentenced to life imprisonment for Hani’s 1993 murder. The news of Walus’ pending release had been met with outrage from the South African public, with marches and demonstrations being organised in response. In a related incident, the grave of the anti-apartheid activist was vandalised over the weekend. A monument dedicated to his memory was damaged and the lighting system was stolen.
🇨🇲 Three US citizens of Cameroonian origin have been arrested for some seriously shady activity. The US Justice Department has charged them with raising funds for separatist fighters in Cameroon. They allegedly collected money to buy supplies, weapons and explosive materials to use against Cameroonian government personnel and security forces. They also reportedly kidnapped US citizens for ransom payments to fund the separatist fighters. The defendants are Claude Chi, 40, of Lee's Summit, Missouri; Francis Chenyi, 49, of St. Paul, Minnesota; and Lah Nestor Langmi, 46, of Buffalo, New York.
IN TECH
Orda raises $3.4 million to digitise restaurants.
Say goodbye to pen and paper because Orda is here! This two-year-old Nigerian food tech startup just raised $3.4 million in seed funding, bringing their total funding this year to a whopping $4.5 million. Orda’s cloud-based restaurant operating system is aimed at helping small and medium-sized restaurants manage their operations online, with features like kitchen display systems, accounting software and integrations with food aggregators. Orda has already seen tremendous adoption among restaurants in Nigeria and Kenya, with 600 vendors signed up and 50,000 orders processed each week.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Proverb of the Day
“It is better to walk than curse the road.”
— Senegalese Proverb.