It has the opportunity, tools, and experience to lift thousands out of extreme poverty globally COMMENT | ASIT K. BISWAS , KRIS HARTLEY | In September, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released a status report tracking progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data, which were meant to …
Read More »Nigeria’s former oil minister blasted over court bid
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A Nigerian judge on Wednesday accused the country’s former oil minister of trying to “avoid justice” in Britain, as he dismissed an application for her to face corruption charges back home. Judge Rilwan Aikawa told the Federal High Court in Lagos that an attempt by Diezani …
Read More »S.Sudan’s Kiir in Sudan to ease ‘tense’ relations
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | South Sudanese President Salva Kiir began Wednesday a two-day visit to Sudan aimed at resolving border disputes and addressing mutual accusations of supporting rebels in each other’s territory. It is Kiir’s third visit to Khartoum since the Christian majority south split from the Muslim north in …
Read More »Mugabe calls for return of death penalty
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday called for the return of the death penalty, after more than 50 people applied for the vacant position of hangman. Capital punishment is on the statute book in Zimbabwe, but no one has been executed since 2005 when the country’s …
Read More »COMMENT: Superstar sex predators
A psychological explanation for those seeking to understand the apparent nexus of success and abuse COMMENT | RAJ PERSAUD ,PETER BRUGGEN | The Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal shows no sign of winding down. Just the opposite: police in the United Kingdom are now investigating several allegations involving the Oscar-winning …
Read More »Six central African countries seal deal on free movement
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Six countries in central and western Africa have breathed life into long-running plans to allow visa-free movement of people among their nations. At a summit in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena, the countries formally declared late Tuesday that the scheme had now been ratified by all …
Read More »S.African football president denies raping ex-MP
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |South Africa’s football association president Danny Jordaan on Wednesday denied raping a former lawmaker and singer who made allegations as part of the #MeToo social media movement against sexual assault. Jennifer Ferguson claimed online that Jordaan, who was responsible for organising the 2010 World Cup …
Read More »Title-holder Mahrez excluded from CAF nominees
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Reigning African Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez of Algeria failed to make the 30-nominee list of contenders announced Wednesday for the 2017 award. The winger was a key figure in the Leicester City side that defied 5,000-1 odds and stunned the football world by …
Read More »Russians also used Instagram for US election disinformation
Washington, United States | AFP | The Russian-led effort to spread misinformation and sow discord ahead of the 2016 US election also used the social network Instagram, parent company Facebook acknowledged in Congress Wednesday. Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch told a hearing that Instagram posts by suspect Russian accounts were seen …
Read More »Nadal seals year-end No.1 ranking for 4th time
Paris, France | AFP | Rafael Nadal secured the year-end world number one ranking with a 7-5, 6-3 second-round victory over South Korean Hyeon Chung at the Paris Masters on Wednesday. The 16-time Grand Slam champion is the oldest man to finish a season at the top of the rankings at …
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