DINNER PARTY INTEL...

The topics you have to be able to discuss this week

1. Oil riches for Kenya?

Kenya has joined the ranks of oil-exporting countries. It sent off its first shipment of crude oil from the Mombasa port this week to a Chinese buyer. Commercial production is years away — it must still build the infrastructure needed to unlock its full potential, including a pipeline to get the oil to port. The communities of Turkan a—th e impoverishedregion where the deposits were found— expect to benefit. A petroleum bill signed into law in March allocates 20% of revenues to local government, 5% to the communities living where oil was found and 75% to the central government.

“I’m an environmentalist, a lot of people don’t understand that. I have done more environmental impact statements probably than anybody that’s ... ever been president. And I think I know more about the environment than most people.” US President Donald Trump, responding to a question about climate change after skipping a G7 session on the issue

2. Painful verdict for J&J

A US court has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $572.1m to the state of Oklahoma for its part in fuelling an opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing addictive painkillers. The sum is substantially less than expected, after the state’s attorney-general filed the lawsuit seeking $17bn to address the impact of the drug crisis on Oklahoma. J&J will appeal the decision.

The case is considered a bellwether for other litigation over the addiction crisis. There are about 2,000 outstanding lawsuits against drugmakers and distributors in the country.

3. Reviving a rhino

The world’s last male northern white rhino, called Sudan, died in Kenya in March. But scientists hope his death won’t signal the end of his kind. Eggs from the world’s last two females have been fertilised artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangeredanimals. The surviving females are Sudan’s daughterand granddaughter. The sperm used in the process had been harvested from two bulls andkept frozen. If everything goes to plan, an embryo could be transferred to a surrogate mother from the other subspecies —th e southern white rhin o—wh ich could carry the foetus to birth.