AI Slop Map of Africa at AIDS Conference

A US State Department map of Africa mislabeled every country they depicted during a presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference (July 26-31, 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

The slide was so egregiously wrong that multiple attendees whipped out their phones to get a shot of it; Emily Bass, a writer and AIDS expert, wrote about it at length. 

"The US government's failure to catch this error before displaying the slide at the top international AIDS conference in the world, in a session that featured the Director General of Nigeria as an invited guest, is not only disrespectful to African collaborators, it's also a significant tell", wrote Bass.

Senior officials from several African governments were reportedly among those present. 

The map shows six countries receiving US health funding and none of them are correctly named or placed. Nigeria has migrated north to become landlocked in the Sahara. Mozambique has roughly replaced Ethiopia. The Ivory Coast was placed in southern Africa, far from any coast, its name an ignored clue. Uganda and Malawi are not so far off, but drawn with wrong borders. Cameroon was named but assigned no territory at all. While one country on the Gulf of Guinea – a hypothetical union of Ghana, Benin and Togo? – went unnamed. Perhaps that is Cameroon now. 

The speaker was Jeff Graham, the US health envoy who oversees PEPFAR (⁠President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a United States government initiative.

Whoever ⁠created and approved this slide did not know where countries in Africa are and did not care to check their work. And Reuters reviewed video of the presentation and concluded that the map was AI slop. 

A Reuters analysis found the image of the map included in the presentation contained an artificial intelligence watermark that signals it was made with OpenAI tools. 

The company said they were investigating the report. The State Department said they took "full responsibility" and blamed a staffer who changed the slide deck shortly before the event. 

This sort of thing is normal in the Trump administration. Last year, the White House's "Make America Healthy Again" report cited studies that did not exist, with fabricated references and other hallmarks of AI slop.

More World Leaders Flock to Beijing

On February 02, I blogged that in January, world leaders had flocked to China. In fact, five of them. 

The visits to China – China Daily refers to them as the "China travel rush" – have not stopped. 

In February, two leaders descended upon the Middle Kingdom (Zhōngguó, 中国). They were Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi (1st-7th) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (25th-26th). [Note that the month was relatively quiet owing to the Spring Festival break].   

And in March, Chinese President Xi Jinping's diplomatic schedule was focused domestically during this month. He and other senior officials were engaged in the annual "Two Sessions" political meetings, which are the annual plenary sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 

The following month, distinguished travelers who journeyed to China included: Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (April 04-11); Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (April 11-15); Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (April 12-14); To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam (April 14-17); and Mozambican President Daniel Chapo (April 16-22).

And in May, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon was in China, completing a four-day state visit to Beijing from 11th to 14th. 

Of course, the US didn't want to be left out. And so, its president invited himself to China. He was there from May 13 to 15, and incredibly, he was well-behaved.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was there as well for a two-day state visit, running from May 19 to May 20. And more than 40 documents and cooperation agreements were signed between China and Russia.

Then, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to China for a four-day official trip from May 23 to 26.

And Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić too from May 24-28. 

This isn't just about China being "open". 

As global uncertainty deepens, the world is gravitating toward a country that, weathering its own storms, continues to project a clear sense of purpose and progress.

The high-profile visits to Beijing by world leaders underscore China's leverage and centrality in shaping a multipolar world order. And Xi Jinping is at the centre of it all.

China's real power comes through Xi championing initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative – in fact, the country offers an alternative model for economic growth and state relations without political conditionality.

China's CIPS Threatens USD

The Cross-Border Interbank Payments System (CIPS) has expanded across a hundred and eighty five countries, allowing international payments in Chinese yuan without using the US Dollar, according to data from the New Development Bank (NDB). 

CIPS was launched by China and managed by its central bank as “a real alternative for global trade settlements”. At the Shanghai Oil and Gas Exchange, liquefied natural gas contracts are now priced for and paid in yuan. Same thing with soybeans from the Shenzhen Qianhai Joint Trading Center. 

China has reportedly signed 40 settlement agreements with other countries, with total settlements through CIPS hitting 52 trillion yuan earlier this year, equal to 58% of China’s total cross-border transactions, a figure that tops the Dollar in some measures. And trade between China and Russia has been settled in local currencies for three straight years, covering 95% of their total trade volume. 

Still, not every country has joined the yuan system. Europe, North America, and Australia have kept their distance, while developing economies in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe are using CIPS more frequently, especially for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) loan repayments. 

And BRICS nations are already developing their own proposed payment system, referred to as BRICS Pay – a prototype was demonstrated in Moscow in October 2024 but the operational target date is supposedly set to around 2030 – which would also facilitate local currency transactions and reduce dependence on the existing global financial system. 

Methinks, it's just a matter of time before we see the end of Dollar dominance. And it's about time too.

In the meantime, the NDB are diversifying their financing. Since 2015, the NDB have issued loans in yuan and rand. They now plan to roll out rupee-denominated bonds by 2026, targeting between $300 million and $500 million in three- to five-year tranches. This fits the bloc’s larger plan to reduce dependence on the Dollar and rely on member-state currencies instead.

The above graphic shows the countries with the most forest loss since 2015, based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. 

Since 2015, the world has lost an average of 10.9 million hectares (ha) of forest each year. 

Deforestation has been most severe in South America and Africa, largely driven by agricultural production. In Brazil, for example, cattle ranching and pasture expansion have played a major role in clearcutting across the Amazon. 

While deforestation rates have slowed, the scale of loss is more than the next nine countries combined. More promisingly, however, Brazil’s president Lula da Silva plans to bring deforestation to zero by 2030. The country is home to 486 million ha of forest, the second-highest in the world.

French 'Emperor'-President Swears at Ungrateful Subjects

Cyclone Chido bringing wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph), swept through Mayotte, the overseas department of France – which is between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Indian Ocean – on December 14, destroying infrastructure and flattening many of the tin-roofed shacks that make up its large slums. 

 

Almost a week after its worst storm in ninety years, France’s poorest territory still has water shortages. Not to mention that a large part of the archipelago is also without power. And at least 35 people are reported by French officials to have died, but the death toll is expected to be much higher with thousands still missing. Officials say supplies of food and water are the top priority.

 

Confronted by angry and desperate islanders on his public relations trip to this outpost on Thursday, five days after Cyclone Chido tore through the archipelago, French 'Emperor'-President Emmanuel Macron (right) responded by telling locals: "I had nothing to do with the cyclone. You can blame me, but it wasn't me". 

 

And amid calls to resign and demands for more aid in devastated areas, he even swore at them: "If this wasn't France, you'd be in a bath of shit 10,000 times worse". Sacré merde!

 

After Mayotte, the storm hit the African mainland, killing at least ninety-four people in Mozambique and thirteen in Malawi, as per latest news reports.

 

Yesterday, leaders Liverpool won a 9-goal thriller when they bested Tottenham Hotspur 6-3 in a Sunday English Premier League match to go four points clear of second-placed Chelsea.

 

Luis Diaz headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold's perfect cross after 23 minutes, followed by Alexis Mac Allister doubling their lead with another header 13 minutes later before Spurs pulled one back in the 41st minute.

 

But the Reds scored again when Mohamed Salah set up Dominik Szoboszlai for a simple finish in first-half stoppage time.

 

Salah drew level with Billy Liddell's record of 228 Liverpool goals when he extended Liverpool's advantage from close range after 54 minutes, then went into fourth place in the club's all-time list of scorers on his own when Szoboszlai repaid the first-half compliment to play the Egyptian in for his second. 

 

Home team Spurs responded with two goals (72, 83) to threaten the monster of all comebacks, but Diaz raced onto Salah's pass to complete a memorable victory for Arne Slot's side in the 85th minute.

 

Liverpool have dropped points in each of their past two Premier League games, with draws at Newcastle United and at home to Fulham – but this was as convincing a return to winning ways as possible as they confirmed once again that they are the team to beat in the title race.

 

 

 

 

 

Omicron Shows Itself

In my post published November 01, I had highlighted a subvariant of Delta labelled AY.4.2 that has been detected in the UK and a few other countries. The good news is that despite its spread, it is not labelled a “variant of concern”. 

But now, another coronavirus variant has emerged.

It was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on November 24, and has already been identified in Botswana, Belgium, China Hong Kong and Israel. 

On Friday, the WHO declared the variant to be "of concern" and named it Omicron. They said the number of cases of this variant, initially named B.1.1.529, appeared to be increasing in almost all of South Africa's provinces. 

The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection had been from a specimen collected on November 09 – and the WHO revealed it would take a couple of weeks to understand the impact of Omicron, as scientists worked to determine how transmissible it was. 

Not a few countries are already getting jittery. The European Union and other major destinations, including the United States and Canada, have moved to block flights from southern African countries – Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe – following the discovery of the said variant. 

Believe me, Covid is just a never-ending story.

I also read news that Merck’s experimental Covid pill has shown lower efficacy in an updated study. 

Following the release of a full analysis of trial results, the pharmaceutical company said on Friday the oral drug, molnupiravir, showed a 30 percent reduction in hospitalizations and deaths when compared with a placebo, based on data from more than 1,400 patients. 

Last month, the company said data from 775 patients had showed that reduction was “approximately” 50 percent. I had reported this in my post that was dated October 03, 2021. 

I don't believe Big Pharma. They are not exactly trustworthy. 

Remember how Pfizer brought out its Covid vaccine “at the speed of science”? Now a whistleblower has told the world that speed may have come at the cost of data integrity and patient safety. 

As was reported, Brook Jackson, a regional director employed at the research organization Ventavia Research Group had told The BMJ that the company falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators, and was slow to follow up on adverse events reported in Pfizer’s pivotal Phase III trial. Not to mention that staff who conducted quality control checks were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of problems they were finding. 

Pfizer's data fraud aside, Merck have speedily filed for a US authorization of the oral antiviral Covid treatment on October 11, following the interim data.

[Interestingly, Pfizer are already developing an oral antiviral drug Paxlovid for Covid-19, which requires patients to take three pills twice a day for five days]. 

Ever the follower, Malaysia has put in an order for molnupiravir that is said to force the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to mutate itself to death. 

I venture a guess that even with our “high” vaccination rates, it is not giving us the results we are anticipating. Our infections are stubbornly clinging on to four digits – yesterday, that number was 5,501 cases and 45 deaths.

192 Million Cases and Football Season is Upon Us

Covid is still spreading far and wide – its tally is now 192 million cases.

Russia’s total caseload has passed six million. The country is facing a surge in cases that authorities have blamed on the Delta variant and the slow rate of vaccinations. 

And Mozambique becomes the one-hundredth country to join the C100K grouping.

 

Not to mention, Malaysia's Covid woes are continuing and we are now at #31 among countries that have the most number of infections todate. Cases have steadily advanced to 939,899 and deaths have reached 7,241. 

Yesterday, Celtic played a competitive home game in front of fans for the first time in 16 months – in a Champions League qualifying second round 1st leg against FC Midtjylland. 

The result was a 1-1 draw and the return leg takes place next Wednesday in Denmark, with the winners progressing to face PSV Eindhoven or Galatasaray in the third qualifying round. 

And Celtic will begin their Premiership season three days later away to Hearts. 

Also on the same day, Liverpool kickstarted their pre-season preparations with matches against FC Wacker Innsbruck and VFB Stuttgart – with the Reds coming away with a pair of 1-1 draws in Austria. 

Jürgen Klopp had fielded two different XIs and encouraged a high-intensity approach in the two 30-minute friendlies. 

He said the novel double-header is the first opportunity for his players to compete against opponents this summer – an initial step towards building up rhythm for 2021-22.

A Violent World

Today’s world is not only sick – it’s also violent! 

According to the World Health Organization, each year, over 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence. Violence is among the leading causes of death for people aged 15–44 years worldwide, accounting for 14% of deaths among males and 7% of deaths among females. 

For every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. Moreover, violence places a massive burden on national economies, costing countries billions of dollars each year in health care, law enforcement and lost productivity. 

Just look at this month – only seven days but already, there's been plenty of bloodshed. 

Last Sunday, armed men in western Ethiopia rounded up and executed dozens of men, women and children in a schoolyard, in a “brutal” attack officials blamed on an armed group that is active in the Oromia region. It is believed at least 54 members of the Amhara ethnic group – Ethiopia’s second-largest – were murdered. 

On Monday, gunmen stormed Kabul University in Kabul, Afghanistan and killed at least 22 and wounded just as many. All three attackers were killed in a six-hour gun battle with government forces.

 

On the same day too, four people were killed and 23 others wounded in a gun attack in the Austrian capital, Vienna. The perpetrator, who was armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and a machete, was shot dead by police. 

The dismembered bodies of at least five adults and 15 boys were discovered on Monday in Muidumbe district in insurgency-hit northeastern Mozambique. The victims were participating in a male initiation ceremony when they were set upon by suspected militants. 

And on Thursday, Bolivia’s president-elect Luis Arce survived a dynamite attack in La Paz city. Happily, there were no injuries. 

The above are just those which made the big headlines in November todate.

It's time to recognize that violence is not an intractable social problem or an inevitable part of the human condition.

One Climate Crisis Calamity Every Week

Aftermath of the damage left by Cyclone Idai in the hard-hit province of Sofala, Mozambique. Image credit: PA/AAP 

Aftermath of the damage left by Cyclone Kenneth in a village north of Pemba, Mozambique. Image credit: Mike Hutchings/Reuters

It’s time to take heed! Climate crisis calamities are happening at the rate of one a week. 

But most draw very scant international attention. Except the big impact disasters such as cyclones Idai and Kenneth that slammed Mozambique in March and April 2019 respectively and the severe drought afflicting India – due to a combination of monsoon failure in the second half of 2018, sustained heatwaves between May and June, and underperforming rainfall in the first half of 2019 – that make headlines around the world. 

Mami Mizutori (left), the UN secretary-general’s special representative on disaster risk reduction said large numbers of “lower impact events” that are causing adversity, displacement and death are occurring much faster than predicted. 

She made it clear that this is not about the future; this is about today. 

She asserted that adapting to the climate crisis could no longer be seen as a long-term problem, but one that needed investment now. 

Estimates put the cost of climate-related disasters at $520 billion a year, while the additional cost of building infrastructure that is resistant to the effects of global heating is only about 3%, or $2.7 trillion in total over the next 20 years. 

Mizutori said: “This is not a lot of money [in the context of infrastructure spending], but investors have not been doing enough. Resilience needs to become a commodity that people will pay for”. 

That would mean normalising the standards for new infrastructure, such as housing, road and rail networks, factories, power and water supply networks, so that they are less vulnerable to the effects of floods, droughts, storms and extreme weather. 

Until now, most of the focus of work on the climate crisis has been on “mitigation” – jargon for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and not to be confused with mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. 

The question of adapting to its effects has taken a distant second place, in part because activists and scientists were concerned for years that people would gain a false complacency that we need not cut emissions as we could adapt to the effects instead, and also because while cutting emissions could be clearly measured, the question of adapting or increasing resilience was harder to pin down. 

Mizutori said the time for such arguments had run out. 

“We talk about a climate emergency and a climate crisis, but if we cannot confront this [issue of adapting to the effects] we will not survive”, she told UK’s The Guardian. “We need to look at the risks of not investing in resilience”. 

Many of the lower-impact disasters would be preventable if people have early warnings of severe weather, better infrastructure such as flood defenses or access to water in case of drought, and governments have more awareness of which areas are in most jeopardy. 

Nor is this a problem confined to the developing world, she said, as the recent forest fires in the US and Europe’s latest heatwave had shown. Rich countries also face a challenge to adapt their infrastructure and ways of protecting people from disaster. 

Mizutori called upon governments to take a more holistic view of the risks. What she said, makes a lot of sense indeed.

The 600-km Journey

The plains zebra, also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga). Image credit: http://www.wildwhispersafrica.com/rwanda/akagera-national-park/

A news story coming out of Africa reported that hundreds to thousands of animals will begin their journey from the Sango Ranch in the Save Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe to the Zinave National Park in Mozambique – in what is said to be one of the largest mass-movement of animals in the continent to date.

These safari stalwarts will travel 600km (or 370 miles) in an effort to help replenish animal numbers that were devastated during Mozambique's bloody 15-year civil war.

All government approval has reportedly been passed, so the only part left now is the actual task of transferring the animals. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority of Zimbabwe note that the first batch of animals to be involved include 50 elephants, 50 kudu, 100 giraffes, 200 zebras, 200 buffaloes, 300 wildebeests and 900 impala.

These aren’t the only animals being transferred; thousands more are expected to relocate within the next upcoming years.

PWMA spokesperson Simukai Nyasha said: “For us this relocation is the perfect example how conservation in Africa works”.

Zimbabwe wildlife parks have been relocating animals for years. Although it’s not always in an attempt to replenish an animal species in a given area, it’s sometimes to humanely rid the regions of over-populations of various animals.

The World Taekwondo Federation has changed its name to World Taekwondo after becoming uncomfortable with the “What The Fuck" association.

The name World Taekwondo Federation had been with them since 1973, but they had contemplated a change since the slang abbreviation ‘WTF’ gained currency on social media.

“In the digital age, the acronym of our federation has developed negative connotations unrelated to our organization and so it was important that we rebranded to better engage with our fans,” World Taekwondo president Chungwon Choue said.

World Taekwondo, that's it. No more, WTF!