Embattled President Zelensky of Ukraine devolves into war chaos and creation of ‘IT Army’ to repulse Russia
Ever since Russian forces started their all-out invasion in February, Ukraine has been hailed as an exemplar of how to defend against violent tyranny on the 21st-century battlefield. The country spun up an “IT Army” of volunteer hackers to take down Russian websites, used the Starlink satellite internet system to...
‘Great resignation’ hits academia following wave of departures by mid-career scientists at leading universities
On March 4, Christopher Jackson tweeted that he was leaving the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom to work at Jacobs, a scientific-consulting firm with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, USA. Jackson, a prominent geoscientist, is part of a growing wave of researchers using the #leavingacademia hashtag when announcing their...
Standard gauge railways: How theft of Kenya Railways prime land began, then fuelled by senior government officials
An attempt by two influential cabinet ministers in former President Mwai Kibaki and their sisters to acquire and sell houses belonging to the Kenya Railways Corporation in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa upmarket neighbourhood highlights the manner in which the struggling state corporation was bled dry by ruthless government functionaries and the relatives....
Trump’s anarchic White House: Former president said something to the effect ‘maybe VP Pence should be hanged’
Shortly after hundreds of rioters at the Capitol started chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” on January 6, 2021, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, left the dining room off the Oval Office, walked into his own office and told colleagues that President Donald J. Trump was complaining that the...
Fears of violence in DR Congo rise as Kabila announces intention take back power from President Tshisekedi
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) presidential election is over a year away, but political tensions are escalating in the vast and volatile country as candidates line up and fears grow the vote will be fraudulent. The fears have been fed further by recent announcement that immediate former President Joseph...
Ukraine war: Tale of two atrocities – international relations and barbarity of racism aimed at Africans
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a tale of two atrocities: One engages the attention of the world as an international relations priority, the other, the barbarity of racism, receives little official acknowledgement. This unaddressed crime involves African students in Ukraine, and the anti-Black hate they have faced trying to flee...
Second coming: New Somalia president Mohamud returns to power, but has to grapple with terrorism
Last Sunday, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made history as the first person to be elected president twice in Somalia’s nascent democracy after a landslide victory against the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, aka Farmaajo. In a contest of more than 36 candidates, both men made it to the third round of what...
Letter from Zimbabwe: Political change in a country where the military is so embedded in the state is no easy matter
I went home to Zimbabwe in December 2021 after over a year as a senior aid worker in Afghanistan, a period of intense turmoil and uncertainty, probably one of the most challenging assignments of my career. Yet Zimbabwe, my country, is also stuck in a political and economic crisis, and...
Ties that bind us: After Russia attacked Ukraine, weak links in finance and supply chains were easily weaponised
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, nobody expected that the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and other nations would isolate Russia from the global economy in retaliation. Instead of limited and largely symbolic sanctions, which were all Russia faced when it annexed Crimea and...
Public fetes for Uganda President Museveni’s son send clearest signal he’s preparing to succeed his father
Public fetes celebrating the son of Uganda’s leader are raising concern that he is aiming for the presidency after years of apparently being groomed to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni, who has held power since 1986. Three events marking Lt-Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s 48th birthday have been held in recent...
