Russia’s technologically advanced warship Moskva was barely a year old when Ukrainian army destroyed it
Russia faced yet another military setback this week following reports that one of the country’s most advanced tanks in service, the T-90M, was destroyed just days after it was deployed to Ukraine. Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko first posted a picture of the charred vehicle on Wednesday from the Kharkiv region,...
Experts warn US to expect Moscow retaliation after emerged it gave Ukraine intelligence used to sink Russia’s largest warship
Intelligence shared by the US helped Ukraine sink the Russian cruiser Moskva, US officials told NBC News, confirming an American role in perhaps the most embarrassing blow to Vladimir Putin’s troubled invasion of Ukraine. A guided missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510, the Moskva was the flagship of Russia’s...
How Kenya’s murky politics has spawned a new industry of influencers who parrot criticism, promote viral conspiracies
In a nondescript office north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, social media influencer Ian James Mwai constantly glances at his two mobile phones, wary of missing an opportunity to promote the political party he works for. The 23-year-old is in the vanguard of the growing ranks of influencers feverishly punching keyboards...
After decades in the grip of dictatorship, The Gambia is now at the deep end of insecurity and violent crime
After two decades of dictatorship, The Gambia embraced democracy with President Adama Barrow’s 2016 election victory. But as is often the case in transitions from autocracy to democracy, stability remains elusive and economic growth insufficient to alleviate structural problems like high unemployment. Barrow was re-elected in December 2021, and a...
Richard Branson Musings: How can parents help dyslexic children thrive, and schools better support dyslexic students?
It has been nothing short of amazing to see the response from our campaign with Made By Dyslexia and LinkedIn to add ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ as a recognised skill on the platform. For my newsletter this month, I invited people to ask me any questions they have about dyslexia, and to...
Freedom of expression champions in South Sudan call for protection of local media practitioners
Entities advocating for the rights of journalists in South Sudan called for the protection of media practitioners as the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day, om May 3. This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme is “Journalism under Digital Siege.” In the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters...
While Namibian judiciary protects media, Eritrean president adjudged world’s worst media freedom assaulter
Across Africa, laws and customs respecting the media vary considerably. As the world marked World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday, the occasion offered moments of reflection on the brightest and darkest situations for the continent’s news media. On the positive side is the southwest African nation of Namibia, ranked the...
Defiant Liverpool manager Klopp doesn’t care whether he’ll play Man City or Madrid in Champions League final
Jurgen Klopp anticipated the line of questioning and answered before the interviewer could finish when the subject of Liverpool’s Champions League final opponent arose. Liverpool secured passage to their third Champions League final in five years, though it was far from smooth sailing in Spain. Villarreal halved Liverpool’s aggregate lead...
AI on the cusp of generating fluent language from data processed by emerging technologies, but for the better
Machine-learning algorithms that generate fluent language from vast amounts of text could change how science is done – but not necessarily for the better, says Shobita Parthasarathy, a specialist in the governance of emerging technologies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In a report published on April 27,...
New ISS report says dramatic surge in criminal activities of unknown gunmen in Nigeria does not occur in a vacuum
Insecurity in Nigeria is growing in scale, spread and sophistication, according to recently published research findings by the International Security Studies (ISS). The report says a total of 1,486 people in the country were victims of insecurity in January 2022, with 915 killed and 571 kidnapped. “While no zone or...
