Africa’s oil and gas should power creation of good jobs on the continent
For decades, many of Africa’s oil- and gas-producing countries have followed a predictable pattern. They treated their oil and gas primarily as raw materials that is sold abroad for quick profit rather than as a means of supporting changes in the economy of the nation as a whole. This pattern...
President Donald Trump plans to go into exile to skip Joe Biden’s swearing-in
Having failed to arm-twist election officials to generate data that would place him ahead of his rival in the November 3 presidential poll, outgoing US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to go into exile in Scotland to skip Joe Biden’s inauguration. According to Scottish Sunday Post newspaper, “US President...
US bans Communist students with military link, says they steal billions of dollars
The US government has finally issued an official policy on the inadmissibility of foreigners affiliated with Communist or totalitarian parties. The critical new rule appears to be the Trump administration’s response to an epidemic of Communists, mainly from China, that have stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded scientific research while...
Egyptian bank hires tech firm Temenos to drive digital, financial growth
Egypt’s Arab Investment Bank has picked technology company Temenos Infinity to provide a range of digital customer experience and grow digital customer base. Temenos, a banking software company, confirmed entering the contract with AIB in the first week of 2021 with a promise “to power its digital customer experience” for...
Travel restrictions have no bearing on coronavirus spread – researchers
As countries in Europe rush to close their borders to the United Kingdom to prevent transmission of a new – and potentially more transmissible – variant of SARS-CoV-2, research has estimated the effect of international travel restrictions on Covid-19 spread earlier in the pandemic. Models have found that strict border...
Opinion: Marginalised groups were ‘mistreated’ by Wikipedia’s editing corps
More than decade ago, I wrote an essay comparing Wikipedia to a vibrant city, how it “can send you down unlikely alleyways” via the many links embedded on a single page: There are the links to articles about other people or places mentioned; links to categories of articles on similar...
Wikipedia’s major challenge: Reliability and sturdiness of its community of editors
Facts are stubborn things. And that stubbornness was a vital asset for Wikipedia in 2020, as it unapologetically banned from its pages disinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic and the presidential election. The contrast was sharp with global digital platforms like Facebook and YouTube, which slowly, and often ineffectually, responded to...
UK court rules out Julian Assange’s extradition to the US, citing suicide risk
Since Wikileaks began releasing massive troves of US military and State Department secrets more than 10 years ago, Julian Assange has maintained that the American government would eventually seek to put him in a US prison. In a surprise twist, he may escape that fate – not because his organisation’s...
Universal Music Group picks new team to oversee its business in Africa
World leading record company Universal Music Group (UMG) has strengthened further its position in the industry as a force in Africa by appointing an expansion team to oversee its business Sub-Saharan Africa. These appointments underscore UMG’s ongoing support for Africa’s domestic music ecosystems, while also creating new opportunities for African...
Ethiopia ready to build a 100mw wind power plant
Siemens Gamesa has signed its first wind power project in Ethiopia with state-owned electricity company Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and in the process strengthened its leadership in Africa as the East African nation embarks on expansion of its green energy capacity to meet ambitious renewable targets. The 100mw Assela wind...
