Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | In a week of new experiences for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, a comprehensive Champions League 5-1 aggregate exit at the quarter-final stage to Liverpool was an all too familiar feeling. City have now lost three consecutive games under Guardiola for the first time – having …
Read More »S.Africa bids emotional farewell to ‘Mama Winnie’ Mandela
Soweto, South Africa | AFP | Thousands of mourners flocked Wednesday to the heart of South Africa’s sprawling Soweto township, a centre of anti-apartheid resistance, to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela’s former wife and struggle hero Winnie Mandela. Her grandson Bambatha Mandela described Winnie, who died on April 2 after a …
Read More »ARTS: The politics of black hair
When girls’ hair was cut to reduce their desirability to men Kampala, Uganda | KATHOMI GATWIRI | When I was growing up in a village in Kenya, we kept our hair short. Sometimes my grandmother cut it with scissors, other times with a razor blade. “It’s manageable when it’s short,” my …
Read More »Top music videos including ‘Despacito’ defaced by hackers
New York, United States | AFP | Some of the most popular music videos on YouTube including mega-hit “Despacito” momentarily disappeared Tuesday in an apparent hacking. Fans looking for videos by top artists including Drake, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift found the footage removed and replaced by messages that included “Free …
Read More »COMMENT: New global youth movement
Using digital tools, it exposes gaps between the promise of opportunity and reality of unequal chances COMMENT | GORDON BROWN | The recent March for Our Lives in the United States inspired millions not just across America, but also around the world. Until the nationwide demonstrations on March 24, most people …
Read More »What social media platforms and search engines know about you
New York, United States | AFP | The Facebook scandal involving the harvesting of data from tens of millions of users has raised a lot of questions about social media and search engines. As Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the US Congress this week on protecting user data, …
Read More »Trump praises Xi’s ‘kind words,’ predicts ‘great progress’ on trade
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Tuesday seized on seemingly conciliatory remarks from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, praising Beijing’s “kind words” as a breakthrough in the looming trade war between the two countries. “Very thankful for President Xi of China’s kind words on tarrifs [sic] and …
Read More »Bill Clinton hails ‘genius’ of N.Ireland peace deal 20 years on
Belfast, United Kingdom | AFP | Former US president Bill Clinton on Tuesday celebrated the “genius” of the Northern Ireland peace deal 20 years ago, as he joined key political figures in Belfast to mark the anniversary of the historic accord. “The Good Friday Agreement is the work of genius that’s …
Read More »Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is not a monopoly
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told lawmakers Tuesday that he does not believe his company is a monopoly. Zuckerberg rejected the suggestion in a Senate hearing that the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, has exclusive control over its market. “It …
Read More »Samsung denies Olympics bid corruption allegations
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korean tech giant Samsung on Tuesday denied allegations it illegally lobbied International Olympic Committee members to vote for Pyeongchang to host the 2018 Winter Olympics over the German and French cities of Munich and Annecy. Corruption allegations surrounding Pyeongchang’s successful Olympic bid have …
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