A new Covid variant believed to be a mutation of Omicron detected in Botswana, but its transmissibility still unknown
A new variant of Covid-19 discovered in Botswana is believed to be a mutation of the Omicron variant first detected in southern Africa late last year. The Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness are watching a variant called Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, which has already been detected in three other...
Climate change: East African 1,500-kilometre oil pipeline hits the headwinds as 17 financial companies pull out
Climate activists are urging more banks and insurers not to back the controversial $5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline that is primed to transport oil from the Hoima oilfields in Uganda to the Tanzanian coastal city of Tanga. Influential climate activists Vanessa Nakate and Hilda Nakabuye have lent their...
South Sudan President Kiir integrates rival’s officers into army as he looks to boost long-running peace process
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has ordered military officers loyal to Vice President Riek Machar to be officially integrated into a unified command of the army, state media has said. The move announced on Tuesday is a central pillar of the peace process in the Horn of Africa nation. Kiir...
Public confidence in police worldwide is on rapid decline with discrimination and racism cited as main causes
Public trust in the police as enforcers of law and order is on a rapid decline all over the world, with a new study showing that ordinary citizens and people of colour are more likely to suffer discrimination in the hands of security personnel. In the United Kingdom, for example,...
Ukraine averts power blackouts after Russia’s Sandworm hackers target, again, transmission station near capital Kyiv
More than half a decade has passed since the notorious Russian hackers known as Sandworm targeted an electrical transmission station north of Kyiv a week before Christmas in 2016, using a unique, automated piece of code to interact directly with the station’s circuit-breakers and turn off the lights to a...
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,...
