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This rock art is an important record of the past environmental conditions that prevailed in the Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert. These images depict a period approximately 6,000-11,000 years ago called the Green Sahara or North African Humid Period. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of the Sahara Desert to changes in past climate. The similarity between the precession cycle and the timing of the humid periods indicates that precession is their dominant driver. Our ability to model the African humid periods helps us understand the alternation of humid and arid phases.

Student Energy Summit (SES) 2023, the world’s largest youth-led conference on energy, made history this year by converging in the heart of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the very first time. Central to the summit were two key events — the Leaders Forum and Innovation Jam. The prestigious ‘Leaders Forum’ brought together nearly 100 highly engaged young leaders to connect and collaborate through impactful discussions and thought-provoking sessions. The judges include Wanjiru Wambugu of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Adriana Elera of the Bezos Earth Fund, Danny Kennedy of New Energy Nexus, and Jana Sasakamoose of First Nations Power Authority. The Student Energy Summit 2023 serves as a testament to the immense potential of youth-driven initiatives in shaping the future of energy.

With the war in Gaza having intensified following the end of the recent U.S.-supported pause in fighting, it has become clear that this conflict is upending President Joe Biden’s plans for the Middle East. For the past three years, under both former President Donald Trump and Biden, Washington advanced the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab states, in an effort to facilitate Israel’s regional integration with a promise of peace and prosperity. All the while, the U.S. was chasing after the crown jewel of normalization—an Israel-Saudi peace deal. But the war has dealt a body blow to Arab-Israeli normalization, at least on the terms previously considered. While Gulf states at the forefront of normalization like the United Arab Emirates are maintaining relations with Israel, the extraordinary death toll and destruction in Gaza is further stiffening public sentiment against normalization and constraining how far Arab leaders can pursue cooperation in such a regional climate.

December 15, 2023 12:55 pm | Updated 04:02 pm ISTThe Baghdadi Jewish community in India may only be around 50 strong today, as documented by the Jewish Women’s Archive, but the larger diaspora is holding on to their history. Of integration and communityEconomic opportunities and the desire for a safe life had guided Baghdadi Jews’ decision to leave Iraq and parts of the Middle East and migrate to India in the 18th century. “Every Baghdadi Jewish household knows how to whip up chitarnee as it embodies the essence of the community in India,” says Shalome. A cookbook in the makingLondoner Joanna Missim, a food writer and culinary instructor in her 30s, is an Ashkenazi Jew married to a Baghdadi Jew from India. “This snack is a favourite among the Baghdadi Jews from Kolkata.” Missim has collected over 50 recipes so far.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has entered into an agreement that will see it get paid a fee for the rights to the sequestration of 100 million tons of carbon dioxide of its rainforest and peatlands for a decade. The Central African nation has signed an MoU with US-based dClimate, a company specialising in decentralised climate data infrastructure, to safeguard the biodiverse-rich Congo Basin rainforest and peatlands. Angola’s peatlands trap carbon and clean the region’s waterLast year, the Centre for Global Development said that as the largest tropical rainforest acting as a significant carbon absorber, the Congo Basin forest provides a service to the world by removing carbon from the atmosphere with a value of $55 billion per year. This is equivalent to 36% of the GDP of the six countries that are home to the forest (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon). “Forests around the world are ‘carbon sinks’: they absorb carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it within biomass, soil, and litter, contributing to the global carbon stock,” the Centre said.

The South African berry industry has expressed its joy at the opening of a new market to South African blueberries. "We are ecstatic to close off 2023 with the great news that South African blueberries have been granted access to the Canadian market," BerriesZA yesterday announced on social media.. Although Canada is one of the furthest-flung destinations for South African fruit - expensive in air freight and time-consuming to reach by ship - it is yet another option open to blueberry growers. All of South Africa's production regions can derive benefit from Canadian access. Imports are subject to an initial trial importation period which involves inspection of 100% of South African blueberries upon arrival in Canada.

MBW has written time and time again about the growth of the record business across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In May this year, Gamma, the billion-dollar-backed company launched by Larry Jackson expanded its operations into Africa and the Middle East, and in August appointed Arab artist and DJ, Dany Neville as Vice President, A&R, Middle East. (Warner Music Middle East is led by Ahmed Nureni, who was appointed to the role in October 2022.) Commenting on WMG’s MENA strategy, Alfonso Perez-Soto, President, Emerging Markets at Warner Music, told an audience at the XP Music Futures conference in Saudia Arabia last week that he “see[s] huge opportunity in the MENA region”. So many things that I see happening in this region, I lived through when I was building the Latin region,” said Perez-Soto.

The GSMA has announced the launch of its newest GSMA Innovation Fund, in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to address humanitarian challenges. Through its GSMA Innovation Fund, the GSMA has distributed over GBP5 million (US$6.3 million) to startups, SMEs and social enterprises since 2017. Its latest fund, the GSMA Humanitarian Innovation Fund, provides grant funding of up to GBP250,000 (US$320,000) and additional non-financial and technical assistance to test and support new solutions that use digital technologies – especially mobile – to address humanitarian challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Humanitarian challenges include, but are not limited to, food insecurity, displacement, and natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes and typhoons. Applications are open here until February 12, 2024.

Spanish cargo airline Swiftair has signed a lease agreement with mega-lessor AerCap for two Airbus A321 aircraft converted from passenger configuration to carry freight containers. Swifair has 43 aircraft, most of which are freighters, but the A321 is a new aircraft type for the company. Swiftair said the airplanes will replace older aircraft in the fleet and fly on behalf of an international logistics customer. Swiftair’s fleet includes 21 ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft, nine legacy Boeing 737 and seven 737-800s converted freighters and three Boeing 757 converted freighters, according to aviation databases. Contact Reporter: [email protected]RECOMMENDED READING:GlobalX Airlines defies cargo trend with fleet strategy

Independent digital agency TheSmallBigIdea (TSBI) announces its foray into the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region with its office in Dubai, marking its international expansion. TSBI’s portfolio of sectors including Entertainment, Sports, Fashion, Real Estate, BFSI, E-Commerce and Technology in India, TheSmallBigIdea now intends to harness their strengths in these sectors to establish its presence in the thriving MENA market. Banking on the region’s enormous growth potential, TheSmallBigIdea, with a locally built team and culturally driven insights, is dedicated to taking its innovation, creativity, and digital prowess to new horizons. Speaking on the agency’s international expansion with the foray into the MENA market, Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and Co-Founder at TheSmallBigIdea said, “Embarking on our growth journey in the Middle East is a pivotal moment for TSBI, marking the realization of a long-envisioned plan. With seasoned professionals who boast over a decade of experience in the market, TSBI Arabia is set to lead the way in the coming years, offering an exciting prospect for both our team and the industry at large.”

Sorensen will be succeeding Dheeraj Bhatia who will become a member of the Hapag-Lloyd Executive Board and CEO of the new Rotterdam-based Hapag-Lloyd Terminal Holding from January 1, 2024, says an official release. In the terminal & infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has stakes in 20 terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa with around 2,600 employees, the release added. Carried volume declined marginally to 8.92 million TEUs from 8.99 million TEUs in the corresponding period last year. Total revenue declined 47 percent to €14.1 billion from €26.7 billion in the first nine months of 2022. Hapag-Lloyd Technology Centre (HLTC) is being launched in Chennai, India where a team of 180 IT professionals will develop innovative software solutions for the maritime industry.

This increase will see AI spend reach $154 billion in 2023 and increase to well over $300 billion by 2026. What’s holding Africa backThis lack of AI readiness essentially stems from inadequate access to connectivity, high levels of inequality, and incomplete and unstructured datasets. To address this, Barnard says there needs to be democratized learning around AI so anyone can develop, use, and benefit from AI innovation. “Given the level of optimism around AI, we must be sure to remain grounded so we’re responsible in how we use this technology,” she says. “Here, the focus has to be on responsible AI by design so any developments made are driven with accountability, safety, privacy, security, inclusiveness, and are done with transparency in mind.”

The South Africa-based E4E Africa, an entrepreneur-driven venture capital fund, has announced the first close of its US$30 million E4E Africa Fund II. Launched in July 2020 with backing from the SA SME Fund, E4E Africa made 11 investments from its first fund, in startups such as insurtech Pineapple, home-services platform SweepSouth, and digital marketplace Qwili. “Our strong relationships with founders and seasoned African entrepreneurs has led to a surge in outstanding investment opportunities,” said Bas Hochstenbach, managing partner at E4E Africa. “We are thrilled with the performance of our Fund II portfolio so far,” said Bakang Komanyane, principal at E4E Africa. “Our Fund II portfolio companies are thriving, and we are excited to announce a follow-on investment in the coming weeks.”

Second only to the United States, the Gulf countries have emerged as key players in the Israel-Hamas war. And as the region’s biggest player, Saudi Arabia could still play a decisive role in bringing Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table after the war ends (at least the Biden administration hopes so). And is there a constructive role for the region’s countries to play as Israel continues its fight against Hamas amid mounting international criticism? In this week’s episode, Jeremy Shapiro welcomes ECFR visiting fellow, Cinzia Bianco, and senior policy fellow, Hugh Lovatt to discuss the role of the Persian Gulf in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Bookshelf:Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World | Mary BeardSeeking Stability Amidst Disorder: The Foreign Policies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, 2010-20 | Tobias Borck