Kenya’s diamonds smuggling legend Kamlesh Pattni pulls another rabbit from the hat in Zimbabwe, sucks in President Mnangagwa
A gold smuggler implicated in a scandal that robbed Kenya of 10 per cent of its GDP in the 1990s has moved his smuggling operations to Zimbabwe and Dubai, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) can reveal. Kamlesh Pattni was involved in the so-called Goldenberg scam, a gold smuggling operation that...
Collapse of US’ second largest bank in history – Silicon Valley Bank – stokes jitters in world economies
A week-and-a-half after the second-largest bank failure in American history ignited uncertainty throughout the global economy, experts warn bank failures and the stabilisation measures taken by the Federal Reserve and Wall Street are creating even greater bank consolidation – and might further pave the way for a central bank digital...
War-torn Ukraine donates 30,000 metric tonnes of wheat to support 5.4 million Kenyans hit by drought
Kenya has received 30,000 metric tonnes of wheat from Ukraine to support families affected by drought and famine. The donation is part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Grain from Ukraine humanitarian programme. The fifth maize shipment from Ukraine was received on Monday by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, together with Dr...
Facebook content moderators sue Meta for sacking 260 staff in a ‘union-busting operation’
A group of Facebook content moderators in Kenya is taking the platform’s parent company Meta and two outsourcing companies to court, a tech rights group said Monday. A total of 43 workers for outsourcing company Sama, who moderated Facebook content, are bringing the lawsuit for what they allege was unlawful...
High risk of child poisoning forces Pfizer to recall four million packages of migraine prescription drug – US media
NBC News reported: Pfizer is recalling more than four million packages of the Nurtec ODT prescription migraine medication over a risk of poisoning children due to a failure to meet child-resistant packaging safety requirements. The company is recalling around 4.2 million units of Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) 75mg orally disintegrating tablets,...
Private equity: How US Democratic Party’s fundraisers found themselves jobless in just minutes after tea-break
Less than two years after a British private equity firm acquired the campaign tech firm that holds the Democratic Party’s most sensitive data, the new parent company laid off at least 140 people. In a companywide email on January 12, Mark Layden, the chief executive of Bonterra, the new merged...
Richard Branson: When hiring, avoid requiring minimum education and experience; look for skill and character
Thank you, as ever, to everyone who shared such great questions for my Ask Richard Newsletter this month. I chose this question from Karen Morgan, as I have a lot of thoughts on the matter. I also paraphrased her question a little bit to fit into a headline, but I...
US Vice President Kamala Harris visits Africa as Russia and China deepen roots on the continent
US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Africa later this month, her office announced on Monday, becoming the most senior Biden administration official to visit the continent. Her trip comes as the administration seeks to bolster its relationships with African countries, as competitors like Russia and China have made...
WhatsApp fights bill that compels tech firms to use non-existent ‘accredited technology’ to rein in child abuse
The head of Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service is currently in the UK to whip up a row with the government about end-to-end encryption. Speaking to journalists in London on Thursday, Will Cathcart, did everything but compare the UK’s proposed new internet law to the erosion of online privacy in countries...
Big Pharma tyranny: Hungry US corporates are now bullying Mexico into buying GMO maize
Today under a new – free but not fair – trade agreement, the US aims to force Mexico to not only accept genetically modified corn but also to overturn their ban on the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), a probable carcinogen. Corporate money has always corrupted the political process in order to...
