Guns may be silent, but Ethiopia’s once bustling Abala town remans home to stray dogs and scavenging baboons
here’s almost no one left in Abala, a once-bustling town on the border of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray and Afar regions. Its streets are empty, given over to stray dogs and troops of baboons that scavenge undisturbed among the abandoned houses. Last week, we became the first international media outlet to...
Big interview: Ukraine President Zelensky says sanctions against Russia will be effective if applied uniformly
In this wide-ranging interview, which has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Big Tech to do more to pull out of Russia, praised Elon Musk’s Starlink and explained why modern leaders have to appeal to the distracted social media generation. “We just live...
Embattled President Zelensky of Ukraine devolves into war chaos and creation of ‘IT Army’ to repulse Russia
Ever since Russian forces started their all-out invasion in February, Ukraine has been hailed as an exemplar of how to defend against violent tyranny on the 21st-century battlefield. The country spun up an “IT Army” of volunteer hackers to take down Russian websites, used the Starlink satellite internet system to...
Arsenal clear favourites to re-resign old boy Serge Gnabry as Bayern Munich, Madrid cool interest
Real Madrid has no interest in signing Bayern Munich contract rebel Serge Gnabry, according to reports. Gnabry has just one year remaining on his current deal at the Allianz, but has thus far failed to come to any agreement over an extension. Bayern president Herbert Hainer offered a glimpse into...
‘I’ll return to Emirates to play, prove that I’m good,’ Arsenal’s want-away centre-back warns manager Arteta
William Saliba has vowed to prove his mettle at Arsenal in a declaration that suggests he has softened his hard-line stance on returning to his parent club this summer. The defender, 21, enjoyed a brilliant season on loan at Olympic Marseille and was crowned the Young Player of the Season...
‘Great resignation’ hits academia following wave of departures by mid-career scientists at leading universities
On March 4, Christopher Jackson tweeted that he was leaving the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom to work at Jacobs, a scientific-consulting firm with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, USA. Jackson, a prominent geoscientist, is part of a growing wave of researchers using the #leavingacademia hashtag when announcing their...
Covid: Withdrawing masks, social-distancing puts more people at risk as vaccines protect only 15 per cent of vulnerable people
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 lowers the risk of long Covid after infection by only about 15 per cent, according to a study of more than 13 million people. That’s the largest cohort that has yet been used to examine how much vaccines protect against the condition, but it is unlikely to...
US enacts law to punish Africa countries for lack of support for the Washington-led efforts to punish Russia
A United States bill that would oblige Washington to punish African governments that abet Russian “malign” activities on the continent is sailing through Congress. The Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act passed the House of Representatives on April 27 by a huge, bipartisan 419-9 majority and is now sure...
Protesters back in the streets on third anniversary of the deadly 2019 crackdown in Sudan
Khartoum residents took to the streets again last week to protest the Sudanese military regime and demand justice for the victims of a 2019 deadly sit-in Demonstrators in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of the city blocked main roads, determined to voice their opposition. The fresh rally also came ahead...
Star Wars: When white cinema fans turn to social media to hurl racist slurs at black movie screen queens and kings
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi, a member of an old order of beings known for their stoicism. Suffice it to say, if you’ve upset one of them, you’ve made a grievous error. Yet here is Ewan McGregor, the man inside Kenobi’s robes, looking directly at the camera – and he...
