Kansa University jury finds chemical engineer of Chinese heritage guilty of clandestine ties with Beijing
University of Kansas (KU) chemical engineer Feng ‘Franklin’ Tao, who was accused of hiding ties to a Chinese university, has been found guilty of wire fraud and making false statements to the US government. On April 7, a jury for the US district court of Kansas found that Tao, currently...
AU’s misses opportunity to discuss change in EU funding, opens doors for increased European militarism and interventionism
The African Union (AU) has missed a vital opportunity to discuss a change in European funding for peace and security. The European Union (EU) announced the move in 2021 as part of its new defence package. Under the new arrangement, the European Peace Facility (EPF) replaces the African Peace Facility...
Kenya’s president inaugurates Kenya Air Force Aviation Centre of Excellence that will also serve private firms
Kenya’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned the Kenya Air Force’s new Aviation Centre of Excellence (ACE), which will be used by the Kenya Defence Forces, government agencies and civilian companies as well as other East African nations. The ceremony took place at Laikipia Air...
US intelligence says Biden acted faster, decisively to counter Russian hackers compared to predecessors
Since Russia launched its full-blown invasion of Ukraine in late February, a wave of predictable cyberattacks has accompanied that offensive, striking everything from Ukrainian government agencies to satellite networks, with mixed results. Less expected, however, was the cyber counteroffensive from the US government – not in the form of retaliatory...
Somalia boosts its maritime capabilities with $3 million project for its police in capital Mogadishu
Somalia’s maritime capabilities received a major boost on March 30 with the inauguration of a new, state-of-the-art facility for the Somali Police Force (SPF) in the capital, Mogadishu, funded by the European Union and developed by the United Nations. “In recent years Somalia has expanded its maritime law enforcement capability,...
How black woman judge overcame Republican racist opposition to become first US Supreme Court justice
Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court in a milestone for the United States and a victory for President Joe Biden, who made good on a campaign promise as he seeks to infuse the federal judiciary...
South Sudan’s president and deputy shake hands to reenergise ‘revitalised peace agreement’
Recent ‘revisit’ of the revitalised peace agreement signed between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and First Deputy President Riek Machar has given a fillip to hopes of free and fair elections, although a cloud of doubt still hangs over the possibility of the polls happening soon within the timeframe provided...
South Africa present wants outdated UN Security Council democratised to strip rich nations of veto power
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa this week told the country’s senior diplomats the current formation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is “outdated and unrepresentative”. He told high commissioners, ambassadors and others representing South Africa abroad that the Russia-Ukraine conflict “exposed the inability of the UNSC in fulfilling its...
Marriage equality: Republicans are never happier than when bashing something they don’t understand
As the Supreme Court prepares to strike a blow against Roe v. Wade, it’s beginning to look like Republicans will make Obergefell v. Hodges their next target. Republicans are never happier than when they’re bashing something they don’t understand, so the party’s current genitals-obsessed transphobia is totally on-brand. Attacking the...
New report by maritime risk company says piracy in northern Indian Ocean, off Somali coast has reduced significantly
Piracy in the northern Indian Ocean has decreased over the last decade, and now the greatest threat to seafarers in the region is state-backed threats against shipping, particularly in the waters around Yemen, a new report reveals. In Dryad Global’s annual report for 2021/22, the maritime risk company notes that...
