West Africa has become playground for foreign armies as European and Russian militaries tussle for grip of the region
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the withdrawal of Barkhane and Takuba forces from Mali, but expressed commitment to “continue … joint action against terrorism in the Sahel region, particularly in Niger and the Gulf of Guinea. Presenting a common front, Macron announced this at a press conference that included...
China sets out space agenda with emphasis on missions with science at their heart, rather than technology development
China has had a bumper few years in space exploration, and its ambitions are about to get bolder. The China National Space Administration has released an overview of its plans for the next five years, which include launching a robotic craft to an asteroid, building a space telescope to rival...
Aubameyang puts former coach to shame with a hattrick as Barcelona sees off Valencia in La Liga clash
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s career at Barcelona is off and running as the former Arsenal striker scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Valencia on Sunday. After joining as a free agent in the closing stages of the January transfer window, Aubameyang failed to score in his first three appearances for...
How hackers supported by Russian breached classified information, compromised American defence
Hackers backed by the Russian government have breached the networks of multiple US defines contractors in a sustained campaign that has revealed sensitive information about US weapons-development communications infrastructure, the federal government has revealed. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis,...
Smartphone is your enemy No.1: How stepping back from connectivity restored Adam Weiss’s focus in the lab
In early 2021, I hit a rut in my studies. As a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago in Illinois, I work at the interface of polymer chemistry and immunology, using synthetic strategies to design safer, more effective materials for vaccine and gene delivery. Although I had been productive...
How President Aristide was hoisted to and ousted from power by criminal gangs that call the shots in Haiti
The rise – and fall – of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who saw himself as a champion of Haiti’s poor, represented a turning point for gangs in the island nation, particularly those in areas such as Cité Soleil where the grinding poverty contrasts sharply to that of the wealth...
Haiti, once a prosperous Black nation, is now a playground for criminal gangs patronised by power elites
Haiti was once one of the wealthiest colonies in the Americas, but centuries of colonial exploitation, foreign interventions, government mismanagement and natural disasters have contributed to more than half of today’s 11.4 million population living below the poverty line. The poverty, power imbalances and a lack of education have left...
Haiti criminal gangs: Gun violence is part of the island nation’s political culture – often deployed to support or quell opposition
the outskirts of Haiti’s capital, gunfire crackles in the seaside shantytown of Cité Soleil. Children playing soccer freeze for a moment. Down the street, a teenager bandages the hand he injured during a gunfight with a rival gang. The number of gangs in Port-au-Prince has grown from roughly three dozen...
Kenya Defence Forces keen on bolstering its fleet by acquiring more MD 530 helicopters from the US
Kenya has expressed interest in acquiring additional MD 530 helicopters from the United States, the US Army has revealed. A US Army spokesman told Janes magazine that India, Kenya, and Lebanon have shown interest in procuring new MD 530s. “We are working towards resuming production for Kenya as part of...
South Sudan’s war horrors in Equatoria: Unborn babies were ripped out of women’s womb, bodies being dumped in wells
Politicians from South Sudan capital, Juba, have accused of supporting the formation of an Avungura-led militia in Western Equatoria reportedly backed by troops loyal to President Salva Kiir’s party, while a mostly Balanda militia was created with alleged support from opposition forces. Both sides want to manage the state ahead...
