First person: In Gaza starving people live among the dead and are trapped in a land reduced to rubble
A 25-kg bag of wheat flour can sell for $150. In an enclave where farmers once harvested citrus, vegetables and strawberries, I saw small peppers selling at a Gaza City market for $195 a kilo. Nobody was buying. Nobody could afford them.
Slaughtered by Islamist extremists or Russian mercenaries, Burkina Faso’s 2.5 million displaced people are further abandoned by UN
For decades, the Fulani were neglected by the central government, and some did join Islamist fighters. As a result, Fulani civilians are often targeted both by the extremists – affiliated with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group – and by rival pro-government forces.
Two weeks before Biden leaves office FBI says it had strong evidence Covid leaked from lab but US government quashed it
Journalist Paul D. Thacker, a former US Senate investigator, told The Defender the report “further reinforces what we have long known, that the intelligence community has not released all the information on Covid origins, despite a law” – the Covid-19 Origin Act of 2023 – “signed by Biden, requiring them to do so.”
France’s ex-president Sarkozy goes on trial for illicit campaign funding, influence peddling by Libya’s Gaddafi
The case emerged in March 2011, when a Libyan news agency reported that the Gaddaffi government had financed Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. In an interview, Gaddaffi himself said “it’s thanks to us that he reached the presidency. We provided him with the funds that allowed him to win,” without providing any amount or other details.
US Congress certifies Trump election victory with Harris presiding in total contrast of January 6, 2020 chaos
Four years ago, then-Vice President Mike Pence had to preside over Biden’s victory. In 2001, then-Vice President Al Gore had the same dubious distinction following a bitter battle between him and George W. Bush that ended so close that the US Supreme Court ultimately had to put a stop to the legal challenges, leading to Bush being declared the winner.
Purchasing Managers’ Index shows Kenya private sector activity expanded marginally in December
The economy is estimated to have grown 5.2 per cent in 2024 and projected to expand 5.4 per centin 2025, the finance ministry says. The economy grew 5.6 per cent in 2023.
More than 170 armed-robbery convicts to be executed as crime skyrockets in Congo
Congo abolished the death sentence in 1981, but it was reinstated in 2006. The last execution took place in 2003.
Uganda’s military chief, who’s also President Museveni’s son, wants to behead opposition leader
Bobi Wine, whose legal name is Robert Kyagulanyi and who finished second to Museveni in the 2021 presidential election, responded on X that he did not take the threat lightly, saying there had been several previous attempts on his life.
How Kenya police hide extrajudicial killings: During demos undercover officers identify ringleaders, get their phone numbers, then hunt them down
Thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets in nationwide protests against tax hikes and political corruption, starting in late June. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said 42 people were killed during a police response that rights groups say involved firing live rounds.
Under-resourced Kenyan police deployed in Haiti sigh with relief as Central American troops arrive to bolster fight against gangs
El Salvador had in August promised 78 soldiers for medical evacuation operations as well as three helicopters – much needed by Haitian security forces contending with mountainous terrain and highways scattered with gang-controlled checkpoints.
