Burkina Faso Under Siege: Traore Faces Deadly Terror Attacks Across Country

Bad news! Burkina Faso is now ranked like Afghanistan in terms of terrorism!

(189) Burkina Faso Under Siege: Traore Faces Deadly Terror Attacks Across Country | Firstpost Africa |N18G - YouTube

Ibrahim Traore Drives Burkina Faso’s Highest Gold Production In History

Recommendable!

(236) Ibrahim Traore Drives Burkina Faso’s Highest Gold Production In History | Firstpost Africa | N18G - YouTube

Burkina Faso Clears Legal Hurdle to Boost Nuclear Cooperation with Russia

Serious stuff! This is huge! Were Western countries sleeping at the switch?

This country has uranium deposits! It is the least electrified country in Africa.

A historic phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of antimalarial drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy in Africa. Really!

One may cynically ask why is this trial started in Africa and not anywhere else? Are Africans used as guinea pigs? 

Certainly, Africans suffer severely from Malaria, but ???

Is it not enough to give antimalarial drugs to women before pregnancy?

"A historic phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of antimalarial drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy—aimed at addressing a longstanding gap in malaria research—enrolled its first patient; the trial is being conducted in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Kenya. ..."

"

• Through the SAFIRE consortium, experts from Africa and Europe are closing a critical treatment gap for women in early pregnancy.
• Each year, over 12 million pregnant women are exposed to malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Findings will inform global malaria treatment guidelines and help expand treatment options for pregnant women.

The Safety of Antimalarials in the FIRst trimEster (SAFIRE) consortium has enrolled its first patient in Mali, marking the official start of the first-ever Phase 3 adaptive platform trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of antimalarial drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy. ... "

"... An Africa-Europe partnership, SAFIRE is addressing long-standing gaps in malaria research and treatment for pregnant women, who have been systematically excluded from drug development programmes, depriving them of newer, better treatments. ..."

Global Health NOW: Tobacco Use Falls, Industry Pivots; Aid Cuts Hit Yemen Amid Measles Crisis; and Conversion Therapy Goes Before the Court

First patient enrolled in historic Phase 3 clinical trial to treat malaria in first-trimester pregnancy "Major milestone in Africa’s first-ever study assessing malaria treatments in early pregnancy"

First patient enrolled in historic Phase 3 clinical trial to treat malaria in first-trimester pregnancy (original news release) "Major milestone in Africa’s first-ever study assessing malaria treatments in early pregnancy"

The Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso

Is there any subject that economists do not want to research?

Such a study limited to one country only is of little value! Free access to contraceptives does e.g. not equal actual usage.

Maybe the women of Burkina Faso are an exception!

From the abstract:

"We conducted a randomized trial among 14,545 households in rural Burkina Faso to test the oft-cited hypothesis that limited access to contraception is an important driver of high fertility rates in West Africa.

We do not find support for this hypothesis. Women who were given free access to modern contraception for three years did not have lower birth rates; we can reject even modest effects. We cross-randomized additional interventions to address inefficiencies that might depress demand for free contraception, specifically misperceptions about the child mortality rate and social norms. Free contraception did not significantly influence fertility even in combination with these interventions."

The Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso - American Economic Association

Ibrahim Traore To Reclaim Burkina Faso's Gold Mines From Foreign Control After Failed Coup Attempt!

Recommendable!

Three Sahel States form a Confederal Bank to promote infrastructure and agriculture investments

Good news!

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger launch Confederal Bank with $833 billion fund

Good news! Hopefully, successful!

Burkina Faso unveils first locally produced electric vehicle model

Good news!

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso now unified under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to issue joint biometric passports

Very recommendable! Could be an important, new development! AES might be able to e.g. defeat Islamist terrorists. Concerning might be the fact that all three countries are ruled by recently established military juntas.

West Out, Moscow In? Russia's Satellite Deal with Junta-run Sahel States with Palki Sharma

When the dictators of the world unite! Have fun with Putin the Terrible!

The stupid West (i.e. France, Emanuel Macron) allowed Russia to move in!

Le Monde reports Russia Redeploys Mercenaries from Burkina Faso to Defend Kursk

Is this war propaganda or is this real? Desperate measures by Putin the Terrible?

Russia Reportedly Redeploys Mercenaries in Burkina Faso to Defend Kursk "A group of Russian contractors supposedly connected with the country’s defense ministry deployed to Burkina Faso in Africa is now reportedly returning to defend the Kursk region from Ukraine."

Burkina Faso's Military Junta to Extend its Rule by 5 Years with Palki Sharma

Bad news!

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to launch common currency after ECOWAS exit

A very interesting development and potentially an economic booster if done right!

Russia Reopens Embassy In Burkina Faso After Over 31 Year Hiatus

Bad news!

Will Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso Become One Country?

Recommendable! African countries are on the move to determine their own future.

Burkina Faso Ditches French as Official Language

If they were to adopt English as the main language this would be smart. Local languages maybe not so much.

"On Wednesday, December 6th, 2023, Burkina Faso’s state's Council of Ministers approved a significant amendment to the country’s constitution that grants local languages official status while demoting French to the status of a working language."

Western Failures, Military Coups, And Kremlin Gains Undermine Us Geostrategic And Counterterrorism Interests In The Sahel

More on terrorism, military dictatorship, and the scramble for Africa!

"Key Takeaway: Western counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel failed to degrade the Salafi-jihadi insurgency over the past decade, which contributed to governance collapse and the rise of military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger that have exacerbated the regional insurgency. Russia has taken advantage of this shift to entrench itself in the region, to the benefit of Salafi-jihadi insurgents and at the expense of US geostrategic and counterterrorism interests."

Salafi Jihadi Movement Update Special Edition: Western Failures, Military Coups, And Kremlin Gains Undermine Us Geostrategic And Counterterrorism Interests In The Sahel | Critical Threats

Microbe stops mosquitoes from harboring malaria parasite

Good news! That has the potential to reduce blood suckers to a nuisance. 

But why not eradicate these bloodsuckers once and for all unless there are very good reasons not to do it. I am pro extinction as far as these bloodsuckers are concerned!

"Malaria kills more than half a million people every year, most of them children under age 5. ... Now, researchers ... found ... a naturally occurring bacterium that, when fed to mosquitoes, halts the development of the malaria parasite in the insects’ guts.

The findings offer a complement to existing malaria prevention methods ... The approach “has great potential to be implemented” in areas where malaria is endemic ...

The bacterium in the new study ... inhibits the malaria parasite without any genetic tinkering by humans.  ..."

From the editor's note and the abstract:
"Editor’s summary

Malaria mosquitoes can act as hosts to several microorganisms, including commensal bacterial species. Huang et al. noticed that some laboratory colonies of anopheline mosquitoes were incapable of transmitting malaria parasites. These insects also harbored a few cells of a bacterium called Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1, which produces a toxic alkaloid called harmane. Bacteria-produced harmane inhibited the development of female Plasmodium parasite gametes in the mosquito gut. Harmane was found to be a contact poison that could also cross the mosquito cuticle to kill developing malaria parasites. Contained field trials in Burkina Faso, coupled with modeling studies, showed that the bacterium has the potential to be deployed in mosquito breeding sites as a component of malaria control. ...

Abstract

Malaria control demands the development of a wide range of complementary strategies. We describe the properties of a naturally occurring, non–genetically modified symbiotic bacterium, Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1, which was isolated from mosquitoes incapable of sustaining the development of Plasmodium falciparum parasites. D. tsuruhatensis TC1 inhibits early stages of Plasmodium development and subsequent transmission by the Anopheles mosquito through secretion of a small-molecule inhibitor. We have identified this inhibitor to be the hydrophobic molecule harmane. We also found that, on mosquito contact, harmane penetrates the cuticle, inhibiting Plasmodium development. D. tsuruhatensis TC1 stably populates the mosquito gut, does not impose a fitness cost on the mosquito, and inhibits Plasmodium development for the mosquito’s life. Contained field studies in Burkina Faso and modeling showed that D. tsuruhatensis TC1 has the potential to complement mosquito-targeted malaria transmission control."

Microbe stops mosquitoes from harboring malaria parasite | Science | AAAS

Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 symbiont suppresses malaria transmission by anopheline mosquitoes (no public access)

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact

Wow, these countries are moving fast. They are already establishing a counter power to ECOWAS.