On the trail of QAnon: How Trump turned conspiracy theory research upside down
For people around the world, the now-iconic images of a man in a horned headdress roaming the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection came as a shock. For Kate Starbird, the images were frighteningly familiar. ‘QAnon Shaman’ – the online persona of Jacob Anthony Chansley, or Jake Angeli –...
New report says Trump stole $400m from campaign fund
Former US President Donald Trump has shifted money from campaign donors into his personal businesses, Forbes magazine reports in new revelations that are expected to further stoke resentment of his Republican party sympathisers. The Trump Organisation is heavily indebted, reportedly owing around $400 million. Campaign donor money was moved both...
Covid’s mental-health toll: How scientists are tracking a surge in depression
As the Covid-19 pandemic enters its second year, new fast-spreading variants have caused a surge in infections in many countries, and renewed lockdowns. The devastation of the pandemic — millions of deaths, economic strife and unprecedented curbs on social interaction – has already had a marked effect on people’s mental...
African Union, Fifa pledge to enhance collaboration in sports and education
African Union and Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) have vowed to further grow the positive momentum of collaboration between both organisations in the past two years for the benefit of Africa. Speaking during a conference call that preceded the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of...
It’s time Trump learnt what happens when the law stops being polite and gets real
This week, we start the second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump. For those of you who have been sent here by a family member trying to save you from Newsmax, here’s a quick recap of how we got here: After losing his bid for re-election, Trump spent two-and-a-half months...
WHO rolls off construction of South Sudan’s public health emergencies centre
The African Development Bank (ADB) has kicked off the construction of the second phase of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in South Sudan. The ground-breaking ceremony that was presided over by South Sudan Minister of Health Elizabeth Acuei Yol in the presence of ADB country manager for South...
Report: Vaccines helping curb infections, admissions among older people in Israel
Good news from Israel. Researchers are seeing signs that Covid-19 vaccines are helping to curb infections and hospitalisations among older people, almost six weeks after shots were rolled out in that group. The country is the first to release data showing vaccines working in such a large group of people,...
Jeff Bezos, world’s second richest man retires from his company to ‘fix the Planet’
What happens when the world’s second wealthiest human suddenly switches careers? If you’re Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos, you can now spend more time with your Rich Person Pursuits. On Tuesday, Bezos announced that he’s stepping down as Amazon’s boss and will focus on The Washington Post, which...
Pumping the body with diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes
The world is getting fatter. It is a general trend, but one that’s especially well illustrated in the United States. As of 2018, 42 per cent of US adults were obese – almost three times more than in 1980 and prior decades, according to government statistics. With that comes rising...
Spike in the number of scientists studying Covid awes researchers
For many researchers, the choice to spend decades working in a lab or in the field comes from a desire to help – to expand understanding of how life works or to improve human health. So, when Covid-19 emerged, many scientists dropped what they were doing and switched their focus...
