Facebook brand crisis: New name might give the company a facelift, but that doesn’t book a rebrand
When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, in 2004, it was a mere directory of students at Harvard: The Face Book. Two decades, 90 acquisitions and billions of dollars later, Facebook has become a household name. Now it wants a new one. Zuckerberg is expected to announce a new name for the...
Flooding of ‘worst thing in my lifetime’ scale ravage war-beat, food-stressed South Sudan
The worst flooding that parts of South Sudan have seen in 60 years now surrounds his home of mud and grass. His field of sorghum, which fed his family, is under water. Surrounding mud dykes have collapsed. Other people have fled. Only Yel Aguer Deng’s family and a few neighbours...
How ivory trading to finance civil wars led to evolution of tuskless herds of elephants in Africa
African elephants have evolved towards tusklessness in an area where they were intensively hunted for ivory, finds a study of elephants’ traits and genetics in Mozambique. The results, published on October 21, in Science, could have implications for the recovery of elephant populations in the country. Ivory trading was used...
Digitisation of Africa’s maritime industry exposes it to increased cyber security threats
The number of cyber-attacks around the world continues to grow and this includes those targeted at the maritime sector. Commercial maritime companies, navies and governments must decide how prepared they are to protect their waters and ports from cyber threats, with African littoral states also forced to confront these new...
Arteta revels in Arsenal win against Villa: We attacked aggressively, won every duel, were creative, a threat
Mikel Arteta highlighted the attributes that contributed to an impressive win for Arsenal against Aston Villa and used it as evidence that some of his younger players are ready. Arsenal produced one of their best performances of Arteta’s reign to beat Villa 3-1. Thomas Partey kicked things off with his...
A leap into hellish Mogadishu, then I realise Daadab camp in Kenya may be heaven on earth
‘I’ve been caught three times in explosions and gun battles already, and I worry that one day my luck might run out.’ I can’t take this city anymore – I need to get out. I’ve spent 10 months trying to build a better future for myself, and now I admit...
‘Trafficking in human beings for organ removal’ is big business in North and West Africa – Interpol
Trafficking in human beings for organ removal (THBOR) – a worldwide illicit occurrence – has reached phenomenal levels in North and West Africa, according to International Police (Interpol). Interpol links the phenomenon to impoverished communities and displaced populations, which the agency says are at “greater risk of exploitation.” The Lyon-headquartered...
Vaccine boosters are contentious because they’re framed as shock additions to regimens tested in clinical trials
The US is by no means alone in its pursuit of boosters. France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates have all opened booster shot campaigns to large numbers of their residents, or announced plans to do so. However, campaigns intended to protect the most vulnerable...
Vaccine apartheid: When US says ‘Boosters for All’ it sets tone for rich countries to ignore poor world
I the next few days, an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to debate who should receive booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, a follow-up to last week’s Food and Drug Administration committee meeting. By the end of this week,...
Government impunity and weak civil society have given way to state surveillance in Africa
African governments are using new technology and laws to increase surveillance of opposition figures, researchers warned on Thursday, calling for restrictions on the sale of tracking tools and tougher privacy protections. Existing laws have largely failed to stop state surveillance across the continent, from monitoring academics in Egypt to tracking...
