Revelations: US Africom runs a network of drone bases integral to American assassination programmes in Africa
I had begun requesting information in May 2012, so called in additional questions in June and July, and then (as requested) put them in writing. I followed up on the July 9, mentioning my looming deadline and was told that Africom headquarters might have some answers for me on the...
Reprieve from rape and sexual assault charges allows Man United striker Greenwood to consider China move
The staff at Manchester United are reportedly ‘split’ over whether Mason Greenwood should play for the club again with some arguing that he is owed a “duty of care”. The 21-year-old has been facing charges of attempted rape and assault but on Thursday it was announced that the case has...
Chelsea’s $724 million squad mocked, envied and resented in equal measure after drab draw to Fulham
Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali felt the effects of gravity once again as they watched another drab display after pulling off one of the greatest ever football heists. “What a waste of money,” chanted the Fulham supporters who gleefully mocked Chelsea’s world record 2022-23 transfer spend that, at...
Why science is revisiting ‘21 Grams of Life’ theory to back up ‘mystery of flight of human soul’ after death
After centuries questioning the religious mantra that every human body has a soul, scientists are gradually acquiescing to the mystery of metaphysics that supports religious belief that there is something in the human that departs the body moments after death. The phenomenon is known as “The 21 Grams of Life”...
Relegated to irrelevance by UN and the West, Western Sahara people are forced into servitude by international apathy
Fresh fruit and vegetables, sold commercially in the camps’ markets, are largely unaffordable for most Western Sahara refugees. Cheaper, processed food is available, but that has contributed to a “double burden of malnutrition”, which includes obesity among women and under-nutrition in children. Thirty-one-year-old Fatimalo Mustapha Sayed manages a community vegetable...
Double standards: Western Sahara’s ‘frozen conflict’ boiling up again as world is hooked to war in Ukraine
Najla Mohamed-Lamin was at home with her new-born son when she received a call that her youngest brother, Hamdi*, had been hit in a Moroccan drone strike in Western Sahara, a war the international community has effectively chosen to ignore. “There were eight of them. They were just making tea...
Analysts identify complex mixtures of botanical resins, other materials used to embalm Egyptian mummies
Labelled pots found in a 2,500-year-old embalming workshop have revealed the plant and animal extracts used to prepare ancient Egyptian mummies – including ingredients originating hundreds and even thousands of kilometres away. Chemical analysis of the pots’ contents has identified complex mixtures of botanical resins and other substances, some of...
America’s uniformed gangsters: Why debates about police funding are a hot-button electoral issue in US
The Memphis Police Department unit that beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols during a January 7 traffic stop was part of a division that operated with an annual budget of more than $28 million a year from the time of its creation in 2021 until it was disbanded over the weekend. The...
Senior Somali and AU leaders claim national army has ousted al Shabaab rebels from strongholds
A senior Somali minister and the head of ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) are insistent both will continue collaborating in joint military operations in the ongoing battle against al-Shabaab in the East African country. The top ATMIS man Mohamed El-Amine Souef and Daud Aweis, Somali Minister of Information,...
Somalia’s neighbours and troop contributing countries meet to review security in war-torn state
Neighbours of the war-ravaged Somalia met in the Horn of Africa nation’s capital Mogadishu on Wednesday to discuss the security situation in the country and the wider region. The Somalia-frontline states summit was convened in the wake of ongoing targeted and sustained campaign by the Somali Security Forces (SSF) aimed...
Billionaire Richard Branson says family and business need not be separate, following your dreams emboldens your children
As we settle into the year ahead, it was wonderful to see so many enthusiastic submissions for my newsletter this month. As ever, it was a struggle to select just one question to answer, but something about this one from Derek Notnam really heartened me. He asked: What advice do...
