Why Youth Entrepreneurs Are Key To Tackling Climate Change in Africa

I am a proud Nigerian and a proud African. I am also a philanthropist and entrepreneur—and I have seen firsthand that to effectively tackle climate change within the African context, from Egypt to Nigeria to South Africa, we must look to the people it impacts.

Too often our businesses have not created value on our continent or traded commodities for short-term profit, not long-term investment. Fostering entrepreneurship, sustaining young entrepreneurs, who will grow businesses and create sustainable employment, is a crucial pathway to achieving long-term climate solutions. 

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In 2010, my wife and I had an idea. Concerned with escalating poverty, we founded the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and committed $100 million to identify, mentor, and fund young African entrepreneurs—young people with brilliant ideas and the drive to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges. They lacked capital, connections, and mentors. They lacked luck. We wanted to change that. It was a bold bet aimed at empowering Africa’s most vulnerable and populous demographic, encouraging them to create their own wealth, rather than relying on aid. And the bet paid off.

Since its inception, the foundation has empowered 20,000 entrepreneurs across 54 African countries, who have created 400,000 direct and indirect jobs and generated over $2.3 billion in revenue. We have provided access to business training to more than 1.5 million young people. 

Given the scale of the task, we partner with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the European Union (EU), and other partners to deepen our reach and impact. We provide funding, mentorship, business training, and advocacy support to entrepreneurs—specifically, in fragile regions, conflict zones, and underserved communities. 

Together, we address challenges like youth unemployment, poverty, and insurgency through entrepreneurship. In 2022, we partnered with UNICEF Generation Unlimited (GenU) and IKEA Foundation, to launch a Green Entrepreneurship Program that empowers youth whose businesses address the triple planetary crisis. Of the 20,000 young men and women entrepreneurs that TEF has empowered, more than 500 are directly or indirectly solving challenges related to climate change, and over a third (35%) working in the agricultural sector.

Watch: Farmers Could Be Key To Restoring Brazil’s Forests

By empowering young people, we are establishing a dynamic engine that drives economic growth and development across the continent. These entrepreneurs also become vital pillars of support within their communities. They are not only creating essential jobs and income, but also uplifting families and breaking the cycle of poverty. And now, more than ever, is the time to bring a climate-lens to this entrepreneurship.

Africa is warming more quickly than the rest of the world. By 2030, an estimated 118 million Africans are projected to face drought, and rising sea levels threaten coastal regions, potentially displacing millions. Climate change is impeding access to basic necessities: water, power, food, and education. But these challenges also offer extraordinary opportunities for those with an entrepreneurial mindset to tackle climate change, while simultaneously creating significant economic value. 

For instance, how can we enhance the sustainability of smallholder farmers, which comprise 80% of all farms in sub-Saharan Africa and employ 60% of the continent’s workforce? What strategies can be employed by African nations with vast forests—such as Gabon, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, and Congo—to effectively leverage these critical carbon sinks? 

To unlock the full potential of green solutions in Africa, we must nurture entrepreneurship—and this cannot be achieved by governments alone. We need to integrate government incentive schemes, with the opportunities presented by the private sector. It is imperative that we unite philanthropies, policymakers, and businesses. I refer to this movement as “Africapitalism”—a call for partnership led by the private sector, focused on fostering prosperity for all. 

Global warming is not an inevitable fate. Entrepreneurs are inherently problem solvers; they possess the curiosity to explore opportunities and challenges, the creativity to devise innovative solutions, and the determination to transform obstacles into successes. Youth entrepreneurship can be a solution to averting the looming crisis of climate impact. It’s time to harness this power.

source https://time.com/7093611/youth-entrepreneurs-climate-action-africa/

Fighting Florida’s Invasive Python Problem One Step at a Time

Despite miles of ground covered as we drove through the Everglades under the cover of darkness, it was impossible to ignore the fact that we hadn’t spotted a single mammal. The expansive wetlands in South Florida have long had a reputation for being rich in biodiversity and brimming with wildlife. But the sad reality today is that native species like mammals, birds, and reptiles that call the region home are now in perilously short supply. The culprit behind the ecological upheaval is a destructive and unyielding foe—an invasive species that doesn’t belong in the Everglades, but whose successful adaptation to its new environment has had a devastating impact: the Burmese python.

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Invasive species pose a severe global threat that is underappreciated, underestimated, and often unacknowledged, according to a 2023 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). They are considered one of the five most-critical direct drivers of biodiversity loss, according to the report, yet the threat they pose is “too often ignored until it is too late.” Such is the case in South Florida, with the spread of invasive pythons that is proving challenging to contain.

Accompanied by a professional python hunter, I scoured the glades for the snakes with two representatives of innovative footwear brand P448. The company has emerged as an unlikely ally in the battle to control these invasive creatures. Over the past year, it has been working to shed light on the pervasive problem and design a more sustainable shoe—one made with invasive python skin. 

Florida’s new apex predator

Native to Southeast Asia, the Burmese python found its way into the Everglades in the 1980s through the exotic pet trade and irresponsible pet owners releasing them into the wild. This human error, coupled with the snake’s ability to grow rapidly, and lay as many as 100 eggs at a time, is the reason the Everglades is now overrun by the opportunistic creature. Today, conservative estimates from experts suggest there are likely tens of thousands of them out there.

These invasive pythons, capable of reaching over 20 ft. long and weighing as much as 200 lbs., are now the apex predator at the top of the food chain. They have disrupted the local ecosystem by both preying on an array of native species and outcompeting them for food and resources. The U.S. Geological Survey has reported near 100% reductions in small mammal populations like raccoons and opossums since 1997, and some, such as rabbits and foxes have “effectively disappeared” as a result.

On our drive we spotted the odd wading bird or baby alligator—and you can’t help but think that it’s just a matter of time before it falls prey to the generalist predator. Working on the front lines of the battle to remove invasive pythons, Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, has seen first-hand what the pythons are consuming to reach incredible sizes: they have been documented eating over 84 species of animals in Florida, even large ones like deer and alligators.

Kristen Hart, Ph.D. and research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, has been researching invasive Burmese pythons since 2008. As part of this work, she has helped design field studies to better understand the python’s capabilities—and she is quick to highlight just how successfully they have adapted to their new environment. She points to studies that have revealed evolved characteristics such as cold tolerance, and the ability to withstand salt water and extend their habitat beyond freshwater to coastal environments: Pythons have been discovered in marine environments in Naples and the Florida Keys, and have been documented as far as 15.5 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recent report. The snakes even have an “alien-like” capacity to regenerate their own organs and tissues, and are able to adapt their feeding strategies, going as long as six months without food if necessary, though they are not prey-limited at this time, according to Hart. “These abilities show that they’re evolving really quickly, and that this environment is a great fit for them,” says Hart. “But they’re not supposed to be here and are a huge pressure on a system that’s already stressed in many other ways.”

But the python’s impact may not be limited to the Everglades. As the snake’s population spreads northward from where it first established itself in Florida, climate change will likely impact their spread, according to David Lodge, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability at Cornell University. As temperatures increase, so too does the potential range for pythons. Lodge, who has over 40 years researching invasive species under his belt, adds that the full extent of the species’ ecosystem disruption may not be clear. “The impacts are likely to become greater as we see and understand the consequences of losing so many small mammal species.”

Not just that, but invasive species can also contribute to the emergence and spread of zoonotic disease. Helen Roy, a professor at the U.K. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and University of Exeter with over 20 years of experience studying invasive alien species, including as a former co-chair of the IPBES global assessment on invasive alien species, believes “there is an urgent need to raise awareness of the potential risks posed to human health by the transmission of zoonotic diseases by invasive alien species.” The introduction of the Burmese python in South Florida has greatly disrupted the ecosystem there. Because the snakes eat small mammals—which are also the normal host animals for mosquitoes—a recent study found that the insects have had to find a new host: rodents. Rodents seem to provide more fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so populations have thrived—and so has mosquito-borne Everglades virus (EVEV). That increases the risk for humans, too. “It is critical that we increase awareness of the often-underestimated magnitude of future impacts of invasive alien species on human health,” says Roy, “and prioritize the implementation of collaborative initiatives to address them.”

Wearable advocacy

In order to control the invasive python population and safeguard the Everglades, the animals must be captured and humanely killed. It can be a difficult concept to wrap your head around, given that the Burmese python is endangered in Southeast Asia. “We have a lot of respect for the Burmese python, a species that is here through no fault of their own and vulnerable in their native range,” says Bartoszek. “But unfortunately, invasive species management does not always have a happy ending.”

It was our expedition guide, Federico Arrosa, a python removal contractor working for the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), who originally contacted P448 on Instagram after he heard about their latest shoe collection using the skins of invasive lionfish. The company had already been looking into the idea generally when Arrosa reached out with the idea of where to source invasive snake skin for shoes. “I’ve seen first-hand how some of these beautiful skins of these remarkable animals end up going to waste,” says Arrosa, “so when I discovered P448 it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do right by the planet and the animal.”

The invasive species is known to have high levels of mercury and harbor parasites, so it’s not advisable to consume python meat. Meaning the snakes are often thrown out after they’re killed. As part of their Project Sustainability program, P448 tries to find creative sustainability solutions that remove something harmful to the environment and put it to better use. According to Sabrina Cohen, chief product and sustainability officer at P448, waste management is a key sustainability pillar of their Burmese python program, a collection they began producing in 2023 with a focus on replacing higher-impact materials such as those made from petroleum-based plastics with an existing resource. This new take on sustainability sees the skins of Florida’s invasive pythons, a material that would otherwise be discarded as waste, repurposed and given a second life as footwear, complementing other recycled materials such as Global Recycled Standard-certified leather and fabric, recycled thermoplastic rubber, organic cotton laces, and recycled eyelets used in the design of their shoes.

The Burmese python isn’t P448’s first foray into the use of invasive leathers; in addition to their sneakers made with the skins of Lionfish, invasive to the Florida Keys, they have also used Carp, an invasive freshwater species in North America. And a new project is on the horizon using the skins of Ta’ape (Bluestripe Snapper), an invasive species in Hawaii that is outcompeting native fish for food and disrupting the local fishing industry. “P448 challenges itself to look at sustainability in a different way,” says Cohen, noting the curiosity they possess as a brand as they chart new paths in sustainable applications.

With the snakeskin sneakers, the eco-minded brand also saw an opportunity to cast an educational spotlight on the Everglades’ vulnerable ecosystem. Public awareness plays an important role in contributing to the effective management of biological invasions, according to the IPBES, by enhancing peoples’ understanding of the risks associated with invasive alien species in order to prevent new introductions. With their sneakers, P448 aims to do just that, raising awareness for a critical environmental concern among their consumer base and the fashion industry at large, blazing a trail with a new trend in wearable advocacy. One way P448 has been effectively reaching audiences is through their documentary-style film series on invasive species, which have been making their way through the global film festival circuit, allowing viewers to experience the issues through the eyes of environmentalists and hunters at the forefront. Their film on lionfish was recognized as “best technical achievement” at the Seattle International Fashion Film Festival in 2023, and won “best documentary” at the Coupe D’Or Fashion Film Festival Chicago 2023. The brand’s Burmese python film is following in its footsteps as an official selection for the 2024 London Fashion Film Festival.

Lodge believes there is great benefit to making snakeskin apparel such as footwear out of invasive Burmese pythons, particularly if the marketing raises awareness of the source of the skins, and the harm the snakes are doing in Florida. He does, however, caution against scenarios where such a strategy could backfire, noting the potential risk that endangered native populations of Burmese pythons in Asia may be exploited illegally if the trade in skins were to become lucrative. Furthermore, the development of a market in skins could incentivize the further introduction and spread of pythons to establish additional populations to exploit. For P448, this is why global trade compliance is so important. Cohen highlights Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) management as a critical part of their journey, ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants is sustainable and does not endanger their survival. This essentially means prohibiting trade in endangered species and regulating trade in threatened or endangered species. P448’s marketing message emphasizes the critical environmental issue by presenting the facts and spotlighting the direct action they are taking to help drive positive change.

A needle in a haystack

Pythons are elusive creatures that can swim, climb, and burrow underground, making hunting them a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. According to Arrosa, it can be laborious work scanning thick vegetation for any tiny square inch of the distinctive pattern of the python’s skin. “But you generate a ‘snake eye’ almost over time that picks up the shape of a snake or the shiny scales,” he says.

Biologists like Bartoszek, meanwhile, use a slew of tools to track down the species, including using male “scout snakes” to locate breeding female pythons before they have a chance to lay a clutch of eggs. Another tool that Lodge and his collaborators are spearheading is Environmental DNA (or eDNA)—a method that uses water, air, or soil samples to detect the presence and abundance of a species without seeing them, based on the trail of DNA left behind. 

Any willing individual can take to the wetlands to support the cause; the SFWMD accepts applications to become python removal agents through their Python Elimination Program. Nearly 20,000 pythons have been caught in Florida in the last 20 years, and in 2022, 538 pythons were collected for P448’s production purposes, representing a quarter of the total catch for that year. Across three different shoe styles in their collection, those 538 skins produced almost 1,500 pairs. On average, three pairs of shoes can be made from a single skin, depending on its size and pattern.

One step at a time

While the large skins of pythons lend themselves well to engineering a shoe, it isn’t quite as simple as going directly from snake to shoe. According to Cohen, it takes months of research, tannery testing, and trial samples before the python skin is incorporated into a pair of P448 sneakers. Untreated python skin, while delicate, can be quite rigid, requiring that it go through a tanning process combining vegetable tanning with a chrome bath (using chromium) to enhance the snakekin’s pliability and ensure it can withstand the daily wear and tear of a sneaker. This tanning process, which can be water and energy-intensive, presents a challenge for the brand, according to Cohen, as they worked to strike a balance between being as sustainable as possible, without compromising the beauty and durability of the skin. “Sustainability is a conviction, but also a learning journey with its undefined path,” says Cohen.

Curbing the python population, however, is a herculean task. P448 recognizes that the issue is bigger than any one person, company, or group can solve. Its mission is to educate their consumers, and influence the fashion world to follow some of their cues by showcasing their regenerative sustainability practices. 

Given that they are reproducing faster than they can be removed, eradication is currently a pipe dream according to Lodge, who stresses that without greatly increased investments to improve detection technologies, discover more effective control interventions, and support the labor and infrastructure needed, there is little hope of slowing their spread.

After several hours of driving we finally found a 7 ft. python. Arrosa hopped out of the car and wrangled it. Putting my ophidiophobia aside, I gripped its head. I was surprised by how something I long considered so menacing can so quickly relinquish its power and be so submissive in my hand. I forgot for a moment just how skillful a creature it can be and the damage it’s capable of inflicting. I felt a deep respect for the animal as I attempted to reconcile the fact that it must be killed for the greater good. I did, however, take comfort knowing the snake’s stunning scaled hide—with its intricate brown-toned camouflage—could be given a second life in a pair of sneakers that make a strong statement about environmental stewardship.

source https://time.com/7086199/florida-invasive-python-problem-p448-shoes/

Why You Should Eat a Dense Bean Salad Today

Beans are finally having their main-character moment—promoted from taco or chili accouterments to the starring role in salad bowls.

TikTok creator Violet Witchel, 24, popularized the “dense bean salad” earlier this year, and the concept has gone viral, embraced by meal-preppers and dietitians alike for its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and nutritional punch. To make one, mix up the bean(s) of your choice, along with veggies, cheese, and a tasty dressing—no lettuce necessary. Witchel remembers thinking, “Oh, it’s dense” after filling up a bowl, which led to the catchy if curious name. “They have a little bit of everything you need,” she says. “You pretty much immediately feel full—and stay full.”

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These days, Witchel answers to “dense bean girl” and fields messages from dozens of internet strangers a day telling her the salad changed their life. She was recently recognized while out at a bar, and the woman she met referred to Witchel’s fiance as “Mr. Dense Bean Salad.” That captures how thoroughly the salads have overtaken her life—and kitchen. She estimates there are 20 different kinds in her fridge right now, and she’s constantly sending her friends home with bean-filled containers. Many of her followers tell her they had long ago written off beans, only to discover they’re actually—pretty good? “It’s great to have people, as an adult, refind their love for a food they used to hate,” she says.

We asked experts what they like about the trendy salads—and how to make a really good one.

The many health benefits of dense bean salads

The dense bean salad—or DBS, as it’s affectionately called—is a hearty, nutrient-packed entree, thanks in large part to its fiber and protein. A cup of pinto beans, for example, has 18 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein. “Beans are about 60% to 70% carbohydrate, 20% to 30% protein, and very, very low in fat,” says Erica Baty, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Spokane, Wash. Dietary fiber is a complex carb that can’t be fully broken down by the body, which makes it different from the simple carbs in, for example, white bread, pastries, and crackers. “It’s a very beneficial carbohydrate, while also providing that plant-based protein.”

Only 5% of American adults get enough fiber—20 to 35 grams a day for women and 25 to 35 grams a day for men—and having a daily dense bean salad is a great way to meet that goal. “You could potentially be eating up to a cup of beans, and then you throw in all the veggies you’ve got in there, and maybe some healthy quinoa or brown rice,” Baty says. “You very well could meet 30 grams with just a dense bean salad, but being cognizant of fiber intake throughout the day is a great idea.”

Read More: Why Your Diet Needs More Fermented Pickles

Why all the commotion over fiber? For one thing, it will help you feel full for longer on fewer calories, and research suggests it can lead to a decrease in overall daily consumption, making it an effective weight-management strategy. It can also protect against at least three chronic diseases: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. In addition to helping control hemoglobin A1c and blood glucose levels, fiber decreases inflammation, which helps lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. One study found that it can lead to a 5% to 10% reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, while increasing HDL cholesterol. Meanwhile, researchers say that fiber interferes with colon carcinogenesis—which is just one way that it cuts the risk of cancer.

As anyone who’s ever suddenly increased their fiber intake knows, there are also digestive-health benefits, though they may not feel like a good thing at first. Fiber keeps waste moving through your system, reducing the risk of constipation. Plus, “It helps feed the good bacteria in your gut and creates a biodiverse microbiome that can really improve your overall health,” Baty says. If you’re new to it, however, you might experience temporary gastrointestinal distress, like bloating and gas. “Start small—you don’t want to go from eating zero beans ever to 2 cups a day,” Baty advises. Ease in by having half a cup a day most days of the week, and make sure you drink plenty of water—it helps move fiber through your system, she says.

Growing pains aside, it’s hard to go wrong with beans. In addition to their protein and fiber content, they’re full of important nutrients and antioxidants, including iron, magnesium, and folate. Plus, as Baty points out, they’re economical: You can get a can for around $1, which is much cheaper than animal protein. “My dietitian heart is so happy about the dense bean salad,” she says. “If anything is going to go viral, this is great.”

Bean preparation 101

You can either buy canned beans or dried beans—and while which one you go with is mostly a matter of personal preference, there are some considerations to keep in mind. If you’re using canned beans, opt for an unsalted or low-salt variety, and make sure to drain and rinse them well, says Dana Hunnes, a senior clinical dietitian at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “They’ll be a little mushier, but you hardly have to do anything except add the dressing,” she says.

If you’re using dried beans, meanwhile, preparation will be more involved. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) points out, raw and undercooked beans can contain toxic levels of lectin, which is a protein that binds to carbs. If you consume too much, you could have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The FDA recommends soaking beans for a minimum of five hours, and then boiling them for at least 30 minutes.

Read More: 6 Things to Eat to Reduce Your Cancer Risk

The decision doesn’t end at canned vs. dried—most bean aisles feature tons of different varieties. Here’s what to know about some of the most popular kinds.

• Chickpeas: These legumes, also known as garbanzo beans, are commonly used to make hummus and falafel. They’re sturdier than other varieties, says Susan Greeley, a registered dietitian nutritionist who’s an instructor of plant-based culinary arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. They work well in Mediterranean and Greek-style recipes, she says.
• Black beans: Black beans “go nicely in anything,” Greeley notes, including Mexican and Brazilian dishes. They’re smooth and creamy, with a moderate flavor that doesn’t overpower other ingredients.
• Cannellini beans: These white beans are mild and soft. Greeley likes pairing them with fresh basil and tomatoes, red onion, and lemon juice.
• Great Northern beans: These creamy, slightly nutty legumes are among Witchel’s favorites. “They’re really small, and kind of like a starchier bean,” she says. “They soak up the flavor really well.”
• Fava beans: These are “big and dense,” Greeley says, with a sweet, nutty flavor. Enjoy them with tomatoes, roasted carrots, and grilled chicken, she suggests.
• Kidney beans: Expect these kidney-shaped legumes to taste slightly sweet, with a soft texture. They’re a great introductory bean for newbies, Greeley says.
• Butter beans: These beige beans—also known as limas—are shaped like the moon, and, as their name suggests, taste buttery. “There’s a lot of surface area,” Witchel says, which helps the beans take on the flavor of the dressing.

How to make a really good dense bean salad

There are lots of different ways to prepare a dense bean salad—and home cooks are getting creative. Here are some ideas for inspiration.

Sun-dried tomato dense bean salad

Witchel’s favorite recipe includes ingredients like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil and parsley, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella balls—plus, of course, white beans and chickpeas. Two cans of beans yield about five servings that keep in the fridge for four days, she says.

Buffalo chicken dense bean salad

Whip up a bowl of chickpeas, carrots, celery, and buffalo sauce or ranch dressing. “It’s like Buffalo Wild Wings, but a dense bean salad,” Baty says. “The opportunities are endless.”

Late-summer dense bean salad

Combine corn, grilled chicken, white beans, avocado, and tomatoes. You can prepare this any time of year, but as Baty points out, it has “late-summer vibes.”.

Green goddess dense bean salad

Witchel recently sung this recipe’s praises after having one for breakfast. “It was a blended herb dressing with crunchy vegetables, white beans, and chickpeas,” she says. “It’s really good, and you can eat it on the side of stuff, too.”

Tex-Mex dense bean salad

Load up a bowl with black beans, avocado, corn, and bell peppers for this Southern-inspired dish. Consider topping it with a creamy chipotle dressing or zesty vinaigrette, and scooping some up with tortilla chips. “You can’t go wrong,” Greeley says. “You’re full, you’re happy, you’re satisfied—and it’s flavorful and doesn’t break the bank.”

source https://time.com/7086093/dense-bean-salad-fiber-benefits-recipes/

How TIME and Statista Determined the World’s Best Brands of 2024

This year, TIME launches its inaugural list of the World’s Best Brands, in partnership with Statista, a leading international provider of market and consumer data and rankings. Brands play a central role in consumer behavior, shaping preferences, choices, and interactions. The aim of this ranking is to provide an unfiltered view of how customers perceive and interact with brands.

Methodology

The World’s Best Brands ranking recognizes the top brands across the globe, starting with three countries: the U.S., Brazil, and India. In this first phase, Statista conducted an independent survey of more than 22,000 consumers in the United States. Brazil and India, which were each surveyed with 13,500 consumers, will be added in November 2024, and more countries will be involved in this series in the future. The top 5 brands in 66 different categories in each country are awarded.

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From August 2023 to October 2024, Statista collected the data via an online panel service provider to ensure a representative sample. In the survey, respondents were asked to identify industries and specific categories in which they have expertise. In subsequent questions, they were able to select brands they knew (awareness), brands they recognized in the media (social buzz), brands they preferred (likability), brands they used (usage), and brands they would use again (loyalty).

A weighted overall score based on brand awareness, social buzz, likeability, usage, and loyalty was calculated for each brand in each category. The weights of the dimensions were as follows:

• Awareness: 15%
• Social Buzz: 10%
• Likeability: 30%
• Usage: 15%
• Loyalty: 30%

In each category per country, the top-rated brand‘s overall score was set at 100. Based on the score of the top-rated brand, the scores of the following brands were adjusted accordingly. A score of 90, for example, is equivalent to a result that fulfills 90% of the winner’s score. The top 5 brands with the best results in each category, for every target country, were awarded.

See the full U.S. list here.

source https://time.com/7086638/worlds-best-brands-2024-methodology/

King Charles Set to Visit Australia and Samoa on First Royal Tour Abroad Since Cancer Diagnosis

LONDON — King Charles III, who is 75 and battling cancer, will travel halfway around the world to Samoa this month to take his seat as the head of the Commonwealth and highlight the existential threat that climate change poses for Pacific island nations.

He will also return to Australia, a country that played a key role in Charles’ adolescence — giving him the chance to be an almost normal teenager during the six months he spent at Timbertop school outside Melbourne in the 1960s. The visit marks the first time since he assumed the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the monarch is head of state.

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The tour, from Friday to Oct. 26, is a watershed moment for Charles, who is slowly returning to public duties after a hiatus following his cancer diagnosis in early February. The decision to undertake such a long journey is seen as a reflection of his workaholic tendencies and his wish to put his stamp on the monarchy after waiting some seven decades to become king.

“He doesn’t just want to be a sort of caretaker king, waiting in a sense for his own death and the accession of William,’’ said Anna Whitelock, a professor of the history of the monarchy at City University, London, referring to Prince William. “He wants to be active in the world.’’

Charles’ globetrotting itinerary comes as he works to shore up support for the monarchy at home and abroad two years after ascending the throne.

It’s a challenge the king will face in Australia, a country with a strong anti-monarchy movement.

Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Australia with a schedule that includes a visit to Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian War Memorial and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial. The king will also meet with professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer to learn about their work on melanoma, one of Australia’s most common cancers, while the queen’s program will include joining a discussion on domestic violence.

Charles first visited Australia as a 17-year-old, when he spent two terms at Timbertop, chopping wood, going on long hikes and meeting boys who welcomed him, unlike his classmates at Gordonstoun in Scotland. The future king returned to the U.K. a more confident, disciplined young man, according to his biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby.

“Part of this change was in the nature of adolescence, but some of it lay in the opportunity he had been given in Australia to find himself — free from Gordonstoun, away from his parents, away from the British press, away from the suffocating certainties of royal life,” Dimbleby wrote in 1994.

Charles later toured the country as a young prince and visited again soon after he married his first wife, the late Princess Diana.

But this time he returns as king not only of the United Kingdom, but also of Australia. That’s not an easy thing to be.

Around 45% of Australians voted to ditch the monarchy in 1999, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour Party has long aimed to hold a second referendum on the issue. But those plans were put on hold after Australians overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give greater political rights to Indigenous people in a referendum held last year.

While many Australians still favor becoming a republic, it isn’t central to the national debate these days, said Ian Kemish, a former Australian diplomat. People are more focused on the economy, the rising cost of living and the ascendance of China.

The king’s visit helps to bolster ties between Australia and the U.K., which recently signed a tripartite security agreement with the United States. The pact, known as AUKUS, will equip the Australian navy with nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, while also increasing military cooperation and information sharing in other areas.

“In my view, we have bigger fish to fry here in Australia right now than the question of whether we should continue as part of a constitutional monarchy or become a republic,” Kemish said.

As important as Australia is to Charles, his lifelong passion is the environment, and climate change is at the top of the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent nations, most of which have historic ties to the U.K.

Charles has built a reputation as an outspoken environmental campaigner, calling on world leaders to work together to curb the carbon emissions that cause global warming. He will attend the summit for the first time as head of the Commonwealth, a role first championed by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Island nations like Samoa are on the front lines of the climate emergency, with the United Nations saying they are already feeling the effects of rising sea levels, ocean acidification and more intense tropical storms.

Charles is a “genuine eco-warrior” who has earned the respect of people around the world for his stance on climate change, Whitelock said.

“Focusing specifically around environmental issues, I think, will really play to his strengths and show that actually he has a really meaningful role he could play in the Commonwealth,” she said. “And I think he knows that and will absolutely relish that.”

Charles’ presence in Samoa may help focus international attention on the threat faced by Pacific island nations, said Kemish, who once served as Australia’s ambassador to Papua New Guinea.

“These are the countries that will go below the surface of the ocean first and where the impact can be seen most dramatically,’’ Kemish said. “And I think it’s important for global attention to be brought to this part of the world. So, yes, I think a bit more than a photo opportunity. We certainly hope so.”

source https://time.com/7091804/king-charles-australia-samoa-visit/

India Recalls Ambassador From Canada in Growing Dispute Over Assassination of Sikh Activist

NEW DELHI — India said Monday it is recalling its ambassador and other diplomats from Canada, hours after it rejected a Canadian notification that the ambassador was a “person of interest” in the assassination of a Sikh activist last year.

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had also summoned the top Canadian diplomat in New Delhi and told him that “the baseless targeting” of the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, and other diplomats and officials in Canada “was completely unacceptable.”

“We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security,” it said. “Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”

In September last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the accusation as absurd.

In Ottawa, messages left for Canada’s foreign ministry, foreign minister and the prime minister’s office seeking comment were not immediately returned.

source https://time.com/7086578/india-recalls-ambassador-from-canada-dispute-over-sikh-activist-assassination/

Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrated With an Eye On the Election

As Native Americans across the U.S. come together on Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election.

From a voting rally in Minneapolis featuring food, games and raffles to a public talk about the Native vote at Virginia Tech, the holiday, which comes about three weeks before Election Day, will feature a wide array of events geared toward Native voter mobilization and outreach amid a strong recognition of the power of their votes.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

In 2020, Native voters proved decisive in the presidential election. Voter turnout on tribal land in Arizona increased dramatically compared with the previous presidential election, helping Joe Biden win a state that hadn’t supported a Democratic candidate in a White House contest since 1996.

Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, which is involved with at least a dozen of these types of voting events across the country, said this year it’s especially important to mobilize Native voters because the country is selecting the president. But she cautioned that Native people are in no way a monolith in terms of how they vote.

“We’re really all about just getting Native voters out to vote, not telling them how to vote. But sort of understanding that you have a voice and you’re a democracy, a democracy that we helped create,” said Comenote, a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation.

In Arizona, her coalition is partnering with the Phoenix Indian Center to hold a town hall Monday called “Democracy Is Indigenous: Power Of The Native Vote,” which will feature speakers and performances, along with Indigenous artwork centered on democracy.

In Apex, North Carolina, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, the coalition is working with the Triangle Native American Society for an event expected to include a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and a booth with nonpartisan voter information and giveaways.

While not a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day is observed by 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center. It typically takes place on the second Monday in October, which is the same day as the Columbus Day federal holiday.

source https://time.com/7086559/indigenous-peoples-day-2024-celebrations-election/