Chasing the Moment
NEED TO KNOW
Chasing the Moment
SENEGAL
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko recently said that his convoy was attacked while he was campaigning on behalf of his African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) political party ahead of legislative elections on Nov. 17.
Onlookers pelted the convoy with stones and injured some individuals, reported France 24.
The incident illustrated the incendiary politics in Senegal since the West African country’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, called snap elections in a bid to help Sonko and PASTEF dispel the power of Benno Bokk Yaakar, a political coalition that dominates parliament under the leadership of Faye’s predecessor, Senegal’s former President Macky Sall.
“I dissolve the national assembly to ask the sovereign people for the institutional means to bring about the systemic transformation that I have promised to deliver,” Faye said in a speech announcing the election, according to Al Jazeera.
Faye defeated Sall’s ally, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, in March on an anti-establishment platform that included pledges to crack down on corruption, redistribute the profits from the country’s natural wealth, improve living standards, and respect civil rights, the Associated Press reported.
Appealing to young people who felt as if their elites had forgotten their dreams and aspirations, Faye won less than two weeks after Sall released him from prison, where he had faced trumped-up charges such as spreading false news and defaming constitutional bodies on social media, explained Voice of America.
Faye is moving fast in part because he wants to take advantage of the moment. Senegal, once one of the most politically and economically stable countries in the region, was hit hard by the coronavirus and then supply chain issues that resulted from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, wrote the Organization for World Peace. Now that those issues might be easing, he has to deliver on his promises or else face the same discontent that spelled Sall’s downfall.
At the same time, Sall’s party wants to put the brakes on the reform.
Still, Senegal’s economic growth is slow, the government is spending beyond its means, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) might delay financing considered essential for the country to avoid austerity measures that would likely lead to negative growth, explained Reuters. The IMF has granted Senegal a $1.9 billion loan to stabilize the government’s finances.
These questions are especially important because Senegal is one of the few countries in Western Africa where voters regularly hold their leaders accountable – something Sall tried to prevent. At a time when coups install juntas and elderly leaders rig systems to remain in power, Senegal must continue to exemplify how democracy can work, argued Senegalese journalist Marwane Ben Yahmed in Africa Reports, adding that no one knows how it will all turn out.
“But one thing is certain: Sonko and his supporters wanted power and they got it,” he wrote. “The Senegalese people wanted a break with the past, even if it meant stepping into the unknown, and they got it. It’s an experience worth having, it’s the very essence of democracy. And if the politicians disappoint the people, they already know what the outcome will be.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
The Standoff
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa’s government said will not help 4,000 illegal miners stuck inside a mine without basic necessities because they want to “smoke them out” and stop the illegal mining in the country, the Associated Press reported.
Recently, police closed off the entrances to an old mineshaft in Stilfontein in northwestern South Africa, leaving thousands of illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas” stuck without food, water or other basic supplies.
The closure is part of the police’s Vala Umgodi operation, or “Close the Hole”, which aims to cut off entrances used by the miners to transport supplies, in an effort to force them to return above ground and face arrest.
Police have estimated that as many as 4,000 miners may be below the surface. In the past weeks, over 1,000 miners have emerged sick and hungry from various mines in the region after going weeks without basic supplies. They were arrested by authorities.
“We are not sending help to criminals,” said Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. “We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped. We didn’t send them there.”
Illegal mining is common in South Africa’s former gold mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to search for gold and other minerals. The illegal miners often hail from neighboring countries and are part of larger syndicates that employ the miners.
The miners work in extremely dangerous conditions, but are also deemed dangerous by South African authorities, noted Deutsche Welle.
Nearby communities have complained about the presence of the illegal miners, saying that they commit crimes such as robberies and rape. Disputes sometimes between rival mining groups result in fatalities, as the groups are known to be heavily armed.
Embezzling the Future
FRANCE
French prosecutors requested a jail sentence and a five-year ban from public office for far-right leader Marine Le Pen this week, over charges that she and her National Rally party (RN) embezzled European Parliament funds, Le Monde reported.
Currently, Le Pen and officials from her party are on trial for allegedly using money earmarked for European Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for RN between 2004 and 2015 in France, in violation of the European Union’s regulations.
Prosecutors asked the court to find Le Pen guilty of embezzlement and demanded a five-year jail sentence, including a three-year suspended sentence. They also requested barring her from holding public office for five years, with the ban effective immediately.
If the court approves, the ban would prevent the three-time presidential candidate from running in the 2027 presidential elections, even if her defense team appeals.
Prosecutors also requested RN pay a fine of more than $2 million.
The nine-week trial began in late September and is expected to conclude on Nov. 27, with the verdict due in early 2025, according to Euronews.
Le Pen and RN have denied the accusations, claiming that the prosecutors are “only interested” in preventing her from running for president in 2027. RN leader Jordan Bardella accused the public prosecutor’s office of “seeking to persecute and take revenge on Marine Le Pen.”
Prosecutor Louise Neyton dismissed the accusations, adding that evidence showed an “organized system” of embezzlement by which the party had aimed to “save money.”
Le Pen’s co-defendants – many of whom owe their political or professional careers to her – also testified in court, offering “confounding” explanations, while struggling to justify their work’s connection to the EU parliament in the absence of supporting evidence, the news site reported.
European Parliament authorities say they have lost around $3.4 million through RN’s scheme. While the party has paid back more than $1 million, it insists it is not an admission of guilt.
Bulldozer (In)Justice
INDIA
India’s Supreme Court ruled this week that authorities cannot demolish the homes of individuals suspected of crimes and issued a series of strict guidelines aimed at tackling the so-called “bulldozer justice” by state governments, the Independent reported.
The ruling comes over petitions seeking action against state officials using demolition as a punitive measure against people accused or convicted of crimes.
On Wednesday, the top court criticized officials for bypassing due process, adding that their actions “reminds one of a lawless state of affairs, where ‘might was right.’”
It also outlined how authorities must provide a minimum notice period of 15 days before any demolition. The notice must mention the clear reasons behind the demolition and be delivered by registered post, as well as be visibly displayed on the building in question.
The entire demolition process should be videotaped, and any violations of these guidelines could result in contempt of court charges and possible salary deductions for officials involved in unauthorized demolitions, the court added.
The ruling comes amid rising criticism of the “bulldozer justice” in states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where demolitions are frequently conducted after incidents of communal violence or minor legal violations – often without adequate evidence or opportunity for appeal, the BBC noted.
A recent case in the central state of Madhya Pradesh involved demolishing the homes of 11 individuals after authorities allegedly found beef in their homes, reflecting the extent to which demolition has been used in a context of social and religious bias.
Many Hindus don’t eat beef because they worship the cow as a deity, and the slaughter of the animals is banned in that state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP have denied allegations that the demolitions target minorities, including India’s Muslim community.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International welcomed the ruling as a significant win against “unlawful and punitive demolitions,” while Vivek Tankha, a lawyer and Congress Party member, described it as a “historic judgment” that restricts arbitrary actions by state governments.
BJP officials also expressed support for the decision, emphasizing the importance of following due process.
While the verdict sets a precedent for upholding the rule of law, observers told the BBC that the impact will hinge on its effective implementation and enforcement across states.
DISCOVERIES
Magic Mud
For more than 80 years, Major League Baseball (MLB) has used a mysterious “magic mud” to improve grip on baseballs that gives pitchers a vital edge.
Now, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania confirmed what players have long believed: It really works.
The new study marks the first scientific proof of the mud’s effectiveness, known as the “Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud.”
“It spreads like face cream, but it grips like sandpaper,” Doug Jerolmack, a geophysicist and co-author of the paper told NBC News. “It has this magical ability.”
Collected from a secret spot along the Delaware River, this unique mud’s blend of sticky clay and sandy particles improves baseball grip without damaging the leather.
Its use began after a 1920 tragedy when Cleveland player Ray Chapman was killed by a wild pitch. In 1938, Philadelphia Athletics coach Lena Blackburne remembered a fine New Jersey mud from his childhood, tested it, and eventually started a business selling it to baseball teams.
Today, Blackburne’s legacy lives on through Jim Bintliff, who still harvests the mud from the same family spot.
To test its “magical” properties, Jerolmack’s team ran three key experiments.
First, researchers measured the mud’s stickiness using an atomic force microscope, which helped them understand how well the mud clings to surfaces. Next, they tested how smoothly the mud spread by using a rheometer, which spun the mud to determine its thickness, affecting its even application on baseballs. Finally, they created a synthetic rubber “finger” coated in oil, mimicking human skin, to measure the grip between mud and leather.
These tests showed the mud’s unique mix of easy spreadability, perfect stickiness, and reliable grip, making it difficult to replicate and ideal for preparing baseballs.
MLB has tested alternatives, including synthetic coatings and “tacky” balls, but none can compete against the mud.
“This family is doing something that is green and sustainable, and actually is producing an effect that is hard to replicate,” Jerolmack noted in a statement.
The authors hope the findings will inspire new applications of natural materials in other fields.
“This is just a venue for us to show how geomaterials … can give us some exquisite properties that might be hard to produce from the ground up,” added co-author Paulo Arratia.