DR Congo: Unresolved local conflicts, presence of foreign armies and poorly paid soldiers weaken combatants’ trust
A slow rollout of the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Community Recovery and Stabilisation Programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been undermined trust. Although President Felix Tshisekedi first called for a new DDR programme in 2019, the initiative is not yet operational, even with provincial and national coordinators appointed over...
What is holding back rebel rollout of demobilisation programme in eastern DRC?
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been encouraged to accelerate the rollout of a new programme to demobilise rebel fighters amid surging conflict with armed groups, including the M23, which has seized yet more territory in eastern parts of the country. But there are limited funds for the programme, which...
How tech guru Elizabeth Holmes wooed investors with empty promises and idealism, then conned her way to prison
Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to just over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors by falsely claiming her technology could detect diseases from a drop of blood. The sentencing of the former Theranos CEO marks the end of the young founder’s Silicon Valley saga – one in which she...
Fifa on red alert over fears of imminent match-fixing involving Qatar after ‘an unusually high number of spot-kicks’
Hot on the heels concerns raised about human rights issues in Qatar Fifa was on Saturday warned of imminent plot to fix matches involving the host nation to ensure that the it progressed to the next round. Of the 32 teams taking part in the elite football tournament, Qatar is...
Why COP27 conference was extended as carbon compensation remained a sticking point
It’s official: the climate change talks that were expected to finish on Friday were extended at least into Saturday as member countries pushed to tie up loose ends in the decisions made. The sticking issue was compensation of non-emitters carbon – mainly developing countries in Africa and Latin America. The...
