Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 18h

Clonkety clonk. Moody's downgrades #Senegal to Caa1 from B3 and maintained the negative outlook to reflect "increased risks to Senegal's debt trajectory and liquidity since our February 2025 rating action.". Would expect Senegal's bond to be rallying next week. www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

Moody's - credit ratings, research, and data for global capital markets

www.moodys.com

Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 18h

newlinesmag.com/essays/haile...

Haile Selassie’s Band of Armenian Orphans

A bond forged through a common Orthodox faith left a lasting imprint on Ethiopia’s music

newlinesmag.com

Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 19h

#Moldova gets third credit rating with the BB- from S&P the highest so far. "Moldova’s largest foreign creditors are the IMF (33%), World Bank (26%), and EU (15%). We understand that the authorities are considering issuing a Eurobond, but the timeframe is not clear."
www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/r...

www.spglobal.com

Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Tim Hirschel-Burns @timhirschelburns.bsky.social · 21h

BENIN IS ONE GAME AWAY FROM THE WORLD CUP

Allez les écureuils ! (Maintenant les guépards mais toujours les écureuils dans mon cœur)

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 2d

The camps had thousands of recruits, mostly children” he said. “These are children who have never held a weapon. We taught them how to handle assault rifles, machine guns, RPGs. After that, they were sent to the front. We were training them to go and get killed.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

‘War is a business’: the Colombian mercenaries training Sudan’s child fighters to ‘go and get killed’

A soldier of fortune tells of lucrative contracts, the siege of El Fasher and training child fighters to ‘go and get killed’

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Kevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 3d

IMF policy paper stocktaking of international debt architecture for resolving sovereign debt with private creditors, Box 2, reference to Afreximbank ... www.imf.org/en/Publicati...

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 3d

Great paper with good section on Chad "Due to higher oil prices, Chad’s repayments were accelerated, resulting in negative haircuts."

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 10d

"Madagascar was among the prizes of Europe’s ruthless African land grab. When a US diplomat made plans for his own colonial enterprise, he found that the French had other ideas." The Scramble for Madagascar www.historytoday.com/archive/feat... via @HistoryToday

The Scramble for Madagascar

www.historytoday.com

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Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Kevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 10d

Uganda / World Bank Economic Update with special topic on revenue mobilization. Nice box on the use of supplemental budgets which have contributed to budget bloat; ministries of defence & presidency play a big role in these unplanned resource calls. www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...

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Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Kevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 11d

Ethiopia / Eurobond restructuring: "The government had proposed a 20% haircut, citing the International Monetary Fund's debt sustainability analysis. But a group of investors representing bondholders rejected the proposal, and have said that Ethiopia's export earnings data indicate ..."

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Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 12d

How to build trust and capabilities for effective governance in Africa: world-bank-afronomics.captivate.fm/episode/how-...

How to build trust and capabilities for effective governance in Africa - Afronomics

In this episode of Afronomics, host Andrew Dabalen speaks with Dr. Ken Opalo, a leading scholar on African political economy and governance. Opalo,...

world-bank-afronomics.captivate.fm

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 14d

"Before the coup, Noureddin described himself as an “Africa-focused entrepreneur”. Now, he says he may not be able to return to the continent. And when we ask whether he would ever go back to #Gabon, he gives a weary laugh and slowly shakes his head. “Never.” www.standard.co.uk/news/nouredd...

The old Etonian, his president father and torture in an African jail

In the first of an exclusive three-part series, Noureddin Bongo tells Claudia Cockerell about his hell after his family were ousted in a coup in Gabon

www.standard.co.uk

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 14d

"In 2019, after Trump imposed tariffs on China, Beijing slashed US soyabean imports. The Trump administration launched a $23bn bailout for farmers. “The last time [the US] did this, we lost about 20% market share to Brazil, and that never came back” www.ft.com/content/b920...

US soyabean farmers squeezed as China blocks imports and stockpiles rise

Overseas sales of top US export crop plummet as trade talks between Washington and Beijing stall

www.ft.com

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 14d

Time to go long Kosovo? 😅🙃 " Other available concessional financing includes two World Bank development policy loans, each for EUR90 million, and two bilateral loans totalling EUR 160 billion." www.fitchratings.com/research/sov...

www.fitchratings.com

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Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 14d

"China has aligned decarbonization with its economic growth strategy. In practice that means systematically building infrastructure, sophisticated supply chains and a predictable domestic market for clean energy."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/o...

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 14d

S&P brings #Morocco back to investment grade after 4½ years. Upgrade reflects "our view of a supportive macroeconomic policy mix, contributing significantly to solid macroeconomic prospects, gradual budgetary consolidation, and contained current account deficit." www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/r...

www.spglobal.com

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 15d

Good article on UK and US draining African countries for doctors and nurses by not educating enough medical professionals. www.theafricareport.com/393266/ghana...

Ghana’s brain drain fuels Africa’s $10bn medical tourism leak - The Africa Report.com

As doctors and nurses flee Ghana and patients head abroad, the continent is haemorrhaging billions and squandering trust in its own health systems.

www.theafricareport.com

Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Gabriel Sterne @gabrielsterne.bsky.social · 17d

Trump's Argentine bail out could set up biggest sovereign story of the decade. If Argentina defaults despite the bail out, Trump will want seniority, but IMF cant give it. You can imagine how this descends into a colossal row between IMF and its biggest shareholder www.ft.com/content/4127...

Bessent says US in talks with Argentina over $20bn swap line

Proposed measure comes as Trump administration seeks to support Javier Milei’s libertarian government

www.ft.com

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 17d

"At the request of the #Kenyan authorities, an IMF staff team will begin initial discussions in the coming days on a possible Fund-supported program." An IMF staff team, led by Haimanot Teferra, will visit Nairobi 25/9-9/10 to initiate discussions with the authorities. www.imf.org/en/News/Arti...

IMF Staff to Visit Kenya

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by Haimanot Teferra, mission chief for Kenya, will visit Nairobi from September 25 to October 9 to initiate discussions with the Kenyan authorities...

www.imf.org

Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 18d

Norway had always been “the little brother or sister” to Denmark & Sweden when it came to film.
Sarah Almbjerg said it would not be long before Danish film was “back in the international limelight”. “Until then, the Norwegians can enjoy their place in the sun” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Norway finds place in spotlight during ‘golden age’ of film-making

Distinctive and critically acclaimed films and drama series from ‘a big hub of talent’ are appealing to audiences around the world

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Mark Bohlund

Kevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 18d

Djibouti / IMF Art IV staff report. The sovereign arrears situation is quite broad ... www.imf.org/en/Publicati...

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 19d

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 21d

Great article Sid. Thanks for writing it.

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Mark Bohlund @mbohlund.bsky.social · 21d

Moody's shifts outlook on #Rwanda B2 rating from negative to stable to reflect that external financial assistance, especially from international financial institutions, has remained strong over the past few months and will likely continue to support its credit profile. www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

Moody's - credit ratings, research, and data for global capital markets

www.moodys.com

Reposted by Mark Bohlund

☠️deadward niedermurder☠️ @niedermeyer.online · 21d

so, about those Tesla door handles...

www.thesun.co.uk/news/3677623...

Man and children burn alive in Tesla crash as rescuers 'unable to work car door'

A MAN and two children were burned to death after getting trapped inside a Tesla in a horror crash. The Tesla is said to have veered off the road and smashed into a tree while attempting to overtak…

www.thesun.co.uk

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