The Shimjeon Foundation, a leading South Korean educational charity, has announced a new initiative to grant five full scholarships to students from Ethiopia, enabling them to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies at Kangnam University in South Korea for up to five years.

The program, unveiled in a press release, is open to all Ethiopian students interested in studying in Korea, with priority given to descendants of Korean War veterans. The scholarship covers tuition, room and board, health insurance, and round-trip airfare. For those attending the Kangnam University-affiliated church, an additional monthly missionary stipend of $220 is available.

Founded in 2005 by Dr. Do-Han Yoon, the Shimjeon Foundation is dedicated to fostering global talent and international peace, and is recognized by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over the past two decades, the foundation has supported 118 international students from developing countries and 433 domestic students. The 2025 initiative is part of a broader effort to support 40 students from 16 nations that contributed troops to the Korean War.

Antonio Pedro, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has said that Africa is experiencing significant losses, estimated at around $40 billion annually, due to illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the extractive sector. Such financial losses not only hinder developmental progress but also exacerbate economic injustices, depriving African populations of access to essential resources and underscoring the connection between IFFs and the pursuit of reparatory justice. He argued that IFFs in the extractive sector were one of the symptoms of a serious structural problem compounding Africa’s development, i.e. its excessive dependence on the export of raw materials, an extractivist model and construct inherited from colonial times. He  noted that exporting raw materials was exporting jobs, a luxury that the continent cannot afford given the need to create at least 20 millions jobs annually for the youth. As such, addressing IFFS and its root causes should be at the centre of Africa’s development policy and action.

Mr. Pedro was a panelist at the High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) held on Friday, 30 May 2025, in New York, to draw the curtain on the month-long 2025 African Dialogue Series (ADS), on the theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”  It was organised by the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, and the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the UN, in collaboration with various UN agencies, including the ECA. The Africa Dialogue Series (ADS) is an annual event that brings together global leaders to discuss pressing issues impacting Africa and its diaspora, focused on the AU theme of the year.

World Environment Day 2025 was observed on 5 June. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this year’s campaign focuses on tackling plastic pollution, urging countries, organizations, and individuals to act together to protect the planet.

While plastics have benefits, including energy savings and resource conservation, the rising plastic pollution poses a significant threat to our planet and health.

Around the globe, plastic pollution is contaminating water supplies, food sources, and the air we breathe. As plastics break down, they enter the food chain. Microplastics have been detected in human arteries, lungs, brains, and breast milk.

Global plastic consumption is projected to reach 516 million tonnes this year, and if current consumption patterns continue, it will rise to over 1.2 billion tonnes annually by 2060.