How romantic romp with ex-Gabon president Bongo landed his love – former French beauty queen in hot soup
Nearly 13 years after the death of former Gabon President Omar Bongo, an investigation into the circumstances under which the strongman gifted a former French beauty queen of Rwandan origin, Sonia Rolland, has commenced in Paris. According to CNN, President Bongo and the former Miss France, had a romantic relationship...
Dubai police arrest Gupta brothers linked to former South African President Zuma looting case
Dubai police announced on Tuesday they arrested two brothers from the Gupta family, wanted over allegedly looting state money with former South African President Jacob Zuma. The arrest of Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who had lived for years in the sheikhdom, was the latest major extradition arrest by authorities in...
In Nigeria’s disappearing forests where loggers outnumber trees, a million hectares were rendered barren in 20 years
Deep in a forest in Nigeria’s Ebute Ipare village, Egbontoluwa Marigi sized up a tall mahogany tree, methodically cut it down with his axe and machete and as it fell with a crackling sound, he surveyed the forest for the next tree. Around him, the stumps dotting the swampy forest...
Kenya elections: Azimio manifesto is rich on rhetoric, bereft of substance and is a continuation of failed presidency
Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga – a leading candidate in the 2022 presidential election – unveiled his manifesto he says has the ingredients to revamp an economy battered by a decade of brazen theft by members of the outgoing government. Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government is synonymous with public...
Abandoned by own government, stigmatised by their communities: the horror tale of India’s Kashmiri counterinsurgents
Faisal Fayaz was just 10 months old when his father was killed by a landmine in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district in the winter of 2000. Like several thousand other Kashmiri men, Fayaz Ahmad Mir had spent years as a counterinsurgent – working alongside Indian authorities to fight Kashmiri militants battling...
United Nations adopts resolution to combat piracy in Gulf of Guinea, dubbed most dangerous waters in the world
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution on combating piracy in West Africa. Norway and Ghana introduced the initiative and led the negotiation process leading up to the resolution, the Norwegian government said in a press release dated May 13. “The waters off West Africa are the...
Arsenal risk losing their star winger Saka as Man City and Liverpool plot to peel him away from Emirates
Premier League champions Manchester City are increasing their efforts to sign Arsenal star Bukayo Saka. But in a quick rejoinder, former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has warned that Saka may not have time at Man City to realise his full potential. Walcott says he believes Saka should stay at Arsenal...
UKs ‘most wanted woman’ returns from Spain, faces 17 years in jail for $1.3 billion laundering crime
United Kingdom’s “most wanted woman” criminal will be repatriated from Spain after more than 10 years on the run from financial fraud charges in her motherland. British tabloid Metro reports that Sarah Panitzke, 48, had had resisted repatriation, claiming she wanted to serve prison term in Spain, which regards her...
Opposition groups in DR Congo want Kinshasa to cut ties with Rwanda for ‘supporting’ M23 rebels
Opposition groups in the DR Congo are calling for the government to cut diplomatic ties with Rwanda. Leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party in DRC Martin Madidi Fayulu, says root causes and funders of rebel groups must be addressed adequately. To address the long-standing tensions between neighbours...
Parcelling TV content: Like any business plan, ‘sachetisation’ doesn’t guarantee success, survival or growth
What do we learn from football viewing centres? It is a perfect example of sachetisation, a business concept that has taken Africa by storm and making access to information easier and cheaper. For a Nigerian football fan to diligently watch their team play every week, they need to be able...
