The Monocle Minute

A few weeks ago, I visited Djibouti on a magazine assignment, which went askew thanks to a bureaucratic snarl-up that obliged the photographer and me to spend a night at Djibouti Airport. It provided me with an intimate acquaintance with the local mosquitoes.

Djibouti has a big problem with malaria. This has grown worse following the arrival a decade ago of a pestilential mosquito species: Anopheles stephensi, originally from Asia. Djibouti, with a population of a little more than 1.1 million, believed that it had all but banished malaria but now reports cases in the tens of thousands annually. Despite being crammed full of Doxycycline, I was still pleased to observe, on eventually reaching our hotel, the daily dousing of the grounds with powerful insecticide.

I was even more pleased to read, shortly after returning, of the release of a swarm of genetically modified Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes in the Djibouti City suburb of Ambouli. The altered bugs are males, implanted with a gene that will prevent their female offspring from surviving to adulthood (only female mosquitoes bite). The idea is that this will eventually breed Anopheles stephensi out of existence.

The scheme is led by US-UK firm Oxitec, supported by the Gates Foundation, and is a worthy quality-of-life initiative. In 2022, the last year for which the WHO has figures, 249 million people worldwide contracted malaria, 94 per cent of whom live in Africa. More than 600,000 may have died. By some estimates, malaria costs the continent €11bn every year in lost GDP. An Africa freed from malaria is likelier to become prosperous, therefore peaceful, therefore less of everyone else’s concern.

When we think of quality of life, we think of improvements in places that are already agreeable. One of the best investments any wealthy country can make in its own quality of life is to invest in someone else’s.

Andrew Mueller is a contributing editor at Monocle and presenter of‘The Foreign Desk’. For more opinion, analysis and insight,subscribeto Monocle today.

Muhammad Yunus has been named the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, following an uprising that led to the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. But who is he? Yunus has dedicated his life to alleviating poverty. In 1983 he founded Grameen Bank, through which he pioneered microcredit (the provision of small loans to those too impoverished to borrow from a traditional bank). In 2006, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His book A World of Three Zeros argues that we need a new economic system based on a more realistic vision of human nature.

In 2018, Yunus appeared on Monocle Radio’s Meet the Writers to discuss his book A World of Three Zeros with Georgina Godwin. “Along with microcredit, we did something else,” said Yunus. “We tried to address problems beyond the financial ones: healthcare, housing, sanitation, malnutrition in children. Every time I see a problem, I create a business in order to solve it.” It remains to be seen whether he can transfer this entrepreneurial success to the political world and solve the problems caused by years of authoritarian rule in Bangladesh. For now at least, its people have put their faith in him.

For a deep dive into the mind of Bangladesh’s new head of government, tune in to episode 110 of ‘Meet the Writers’ on Monocle Radio.

Cathay Pacific has placed an order for 30 next-generation A330-900neos from Airbus, with the right to acquire more than 30 additional aircraft in future. For Cathay, the order marks a near return to volumes last seen before the coronavirus pandemic, when service was reduced to a trickle through Hong Kong.

Now, with travel demand up and the HK hub bustling once again, it has announced a €12bn investment to modernise its fleet and upgrade its onboard experience. An important, if somewhat less exciting, part of that is replacing its ageing fleet of 43 A330-300s, which are primarily used for regional flights and shorter long-haul routes. The new A330neos will reduce fuel burn, grow travel capacity and offer a better experience to passengers.

Cate Campbell represented Australia at four Olympic Games and won eight medals: four gold, one silver and three bronze. She spoke to the Monocle Radio team in Paris about the bittersweet feeling of being a spectator and how a healthy dose of trash-talking can be good for sport.

You hoped to compete in Paris. Are you finding a way to enjoy it as a spectator?
It’s really interesting and wonderful to be able to see the other side of the Games. When you’re an athlete, you are so focused. You live between the Olympic Village and your competition venue – and that’s pretty much it. Now, however, I’m staying in the heart of Paris and I get to see the city come alive. It has been bittersweet; there have definitely been times when I have been at the pool and wished that I was on the other side of the barrier, standing behind the starting blocks. But being in the crowd and cheering for our incredible athletes has been a pretty good consolation prize.

You have been pursuing a bit of an Australia-US swimming rivalry via social media with Michael Phelps. How does the Olympics feel about good old-fashioned trash talk?
Sport is built on rivalries. It’s how we get the best out of ourselves. Australia and the US have been going toe to toe for many, many years. So it’s all in good faith – and it’s all good fun. I have reached out to Michael Phelps personally to make sure that there was no real beef. He completely agrees with me. It has been a great thing for the sport.

A tiny number of people compete at the Olympics. A small fraction of them win a medal. Almost nobody wins eight. Does it ever strike you how remarkable that is?
Oh, definitely. I dreamt of going to the Olympics when I was nine years old. The fact that I have been able to represent my country so many times, that I’ve been able to stand on Olympic podiums that many times, is beyond what that nine-year-old child could have ever envisioned. One of the beautiful things about children is that they have wild imaginations and they set themselves lofty goals. It’s as we become older, more realistic and a bit more cynical that we put limitations on ourselves.

For our full interview with Cate Campbell, listen to yesterday’s edition of ‘Monocle in Paris’ on Monocle Radio.

CEO Neel Bradham talks about Parador, a leading company in the luxury interior-design space, who is working to expand the brand’s international presence. We discuss the value of balancing its flooring legacy with the entrepreneurial mindset needed for new markets.