Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The election 25 years ago of South Africa’s first black president, the late Nelson Mandela, who inspired the struggle against apartheid, was a time of soaring hope that the bruised country would reconcile after decades of discrimination and inequality. “You have mandated us to …
Read More »From comic to commander-in-chief: challenges for new Ukraine leader
Kiev, Ukraine | AFP | Ukraine’s election has catapulted Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old standup comedian and television star with no political experience, into the nation’s top job. As leader of a country dependent on international aid and battling separatists, Zelensky will have to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, deep …
Read More »Streaming helps boost 2018 music industry sales
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Worldwide music sales rose by nearly 10 percent in 2018, a fourth consecutive year of growth fuelled by online streaming, according to figures released on Tuesday by an industry body. Revenues reached $19.1 billion last year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which …
Read More »Illness costs Africa hundreds of millions every year: WHO
Praia, Cape Verde | AFP | The World Health Organization has estimated that disease strips hundreds of millions of dollars from Africa’s economic output, as the burden of untreated disease hugely outweighs the potential expense of healthcare. In a report published at the end of a three-day UN forum for …
Read More »China’s Xi insists new Silk Road runs both ways as Italy signs up
Rome, Italy | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping sought Friday to allay Western unease over his new Silk Road initiative by emphasising the vast infrastructure project’s two-way nature as he kicked off a whistlestop European tour in Rome. Italy has rolled out the red carpet for Xi, who …
Read More »Jobless millions to haunt India election
New Delhi, India | AFP | Vishal Chowdhary is young, bright and armed with an MBA. But he has spent two years struggling to find work in India’s sluggish jobs market — a major headache for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of looming elections. The government’s failure to create enough …
Read More »‘Nearly a third’ of British billionaires moved to tax havens
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Nearly a third of Britain’s billionaires have either moved or are relocating to tax havens, where some have broken UK law by bankrolling political parties, a major investigation said on Thursday. The Times newspaper published a series of reports detailing allegations of Britain’s ultra-rich …
Read More »Total unveils ‘significant’ offshore S. African gas find
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | French energy giant Total unveiled Thursday a “significant” gas discovery off the coast of South Africa, an event that President Cyril Ramaphosa called a game-changer. The find could boost the nation’s struggling economy and reduce reliance on imports. “Total has made a significant …
Read More »Ensuring basic income
The breakdown of welfare state income distribution systems has created 8 giants to be battled COMMENT | Guy Standing | Project Syndicate| In 1942, William Beveridge issued an epoch-defining report that established a model for welfare states in the post-war era. He recognised that the old social protection system had …
Read More »Pound falls as May plans fresh Brexit assault
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The pound dropped Monday following weak UK construction data and as Prime Minister Theresa May seeks to try and finally unlock the Brexit stalemate. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index, featuring large multinationals earning in dollars and euros, climbed to a two-month high above 7,000 points thanks to the weaker …
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