Ronaldo and De Jong transfer sagas aside, CR7 and Barcelona are earning Man United sympathy
Manchester United have been at the sharp end of two transfer sagas, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s self-centredness has not been their fault. So, has this been a successful pre-season for Manchester United or not? Opinion is divided. On the one hand, the appointment of Erik ten Hag seems to...
Retired president Mbeki’s stinging critique warns South Africa is on verge of ‘Arab Spring’ uprising
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki recently launched a sharp critique of the governing African National Congress (ANC) for failure to address what it has labelled the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Mbeki, who led the party from 1997 to 2007, said the government seemed to have no...
Oil drilling: ‘Rebellious’ DR Congo says national economic interest takes precedent over environment
In May, Didier Budimbu, Congo’s minister of hydrocarbons, said the country, which currently produces about 25,000 barrels of oil a day, has the potential to produce up to one million barrels. At current prices that’s the equivalent of $32 billion a year, which more than half of Congo’s GDP. Tosi...
Despite marquee signings, EPL hivemind verdict is: Arteta will be Arteta and Arsenal will be Arsenal
The pre-season hivemind has Arsenal as the weakest of the Big Six and that’s mainly a judgement on Mikel Arteta. It’s not a perfect system, but I’ve always enjoyed perusing pre-season odds as a way of gauging expectations for the season. Sure, Liverpool and Manchester United will always be a...
Why young Americans are against ‘geriatric oligarchy’ of politicians who ‘stay in office way past their prime’
As he campaigns for a Manhattan congressional seat against fellow Democrats twice his age, 38-year-old Suraj Patel harnesses the frustration of his generation toward those who have held office for decades. In his telling, Representatives Jerry Nadler, 75, and Carolyn Maloney, 76, are part of a crop of Democrats who...
Cristiano Ronaldo: From hot cake to unwanted brand, iconic player may have overstayed his welcome
Cristiano Ronaldo is all about the mythology building. It’s explicit in that relentless demand for betterment and in the endless chase for records and trophies. This has always been a player who’s given the impression of having one eye on his legacy. He never just wanted to be the greatest....
He’s not at sell-by date, why Arsenal loan returnee Saliba has Gunners’ fans cooing over the centre-back
Living in the north, we largely have to judge Arsenal fans on what we see on Twitter. And that leaves us with the impression that Arsenal fans are fickle, prone to extremes of giddiness and glumness, argumentative and entirely split on whether Mikel Arteta and his process should be trusted...
Presidential candidate who promises to legalise cannabis, export snakes is stealing the show in Kenya
Less than three weeks before Kenya holds a presidential election, analysts say the unexpected, growing popularity of one candidate could deliver some unpredictability to the outcome. George Wajackoyah ranks a distant third behind front-runners Raila Odinga and William Ruto. But according to one poll, his platform to legalise marijuana and...
Cameroon’s war economy: ‘This is no longer a struggle for the common man, but an economic venture’
Five years into a deadly separatist conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, hopes of finding a negotiated settlement seem more distant than ever as both the government and secessionist rebels dig in, according to civil society activists. It’s a conflict marked by spikes of extreme violence that invariably target civilians. The...
Violence against women: Media and researchers should stop revelling in calling South Africa ‘rape capital’
Researchers and journalists in South Africa tend to portray sexual violence as an ever-worsening crisis, focusing on either the latest police statistics or the most violent and horrific recent incidents. Since the late 1970s, the media has displayed a near obsession with reporting rape numbers and gruesome case details. The...
