DRC peace talks due to start in Nairobi next week as fighting intensifies in mineral-rich country
Talks aimed at bringing peace to eastern DR Congo, home to dozens of armed militias including the M23, are due to begin in Nairobi on November 21, the East African Community (EAC) has announced. The announcement came as troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo clashed anew with M23 rebels...
Kenyan troops to DRC are in the central nation ‘for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration’
Kenya is the latest addition to troop contributing countries aiming to end hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At the weekend, President William Ruto’s country became the first East African Community (EAC) bloc member to deploy in the DRC. The deployment will, according to a Kenya Defence Forces...
Democrats in razor-thin command of Senate as Speaker Nancy Pelosi hints at Biden second term
Democrats have managed to retain at least their razor-thin majority in the Senate, securing President Joe Biden’s influence on the judiciary and a small glimmer of hope for what remains of his agenda. Nevada Sen Catherine Cortez Masto successfully defended her seat from Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, much to the...
War in Ukraine is sobering reminder to Europe to ramp up electricity production from renewable sources
The war on Ukraine – a major exporter of natural gas – has wreaked havoc on energy markets in Europe. Faced with imminent energy shortages, governments have ramped up coal use and expanded import of liquified natural gas from other nations. The International Energy Agency estimates that coal use in...
How, why Black voters in Georgia faced waves of disinformation and misinformation in US midterm polls
Monday morning, the team at A-B Partners, a Washington DC political-communications firm that works with progressive groups, gathered on Zoom. They had less than 24 hours before the Election Day polls opened for a series of contests around the country that Democrats, at least, were billing as a last chance...
Eight months after Russia launched catastrophic invasion of Ukraine, it’s cyberwarfare is now grotesque
Since Russia launched its catastrophic full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, the cyberwar that it has long waged against its neighbour has entered a new era too – one in which Russia has at times seemed to be trying to determine the role of its hacking operations in the midst...
Poverty in the mind: US midterm elections pursuit of mirage packaged as economy and right to life
Yep, in a world in which inflation and oil prices reached disastrous levels this year, the latest polls seem to indicate that the Republicans may be taking advantage of that reality – or do I mean un-reality? – just as the midterm elections loom. Forget the fact that, as a...
Scandal-plagued former UK PM Boris Johnson backed by some Tory MPs to replace disgraced Liz Truss
Barely two hours after UK Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation – just 44 days in office – her predecessor, scandal-plagued Boris Johnson is reportedly being backed to recapture the seat he was forced out of two months ago. According to the Telegraph, Boris Johnson is expected to stand...
With Russia running low on options in Ukraine, there are fears Putin plans to detonate nuclear warhead over Black Sea
Fears are growing that Vladimir Putin will launch a nuclear show of force by detonating a deadly warhead over the Black Sea. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace dashed to Washington for crisis talks yesterday amid mounting concern that Mad Vlad’s finger is inching toward the trigger. A security source told The...
Trumpism isn’t going away and Obama, for all his virtues, is an imperfect analyst of Trumpism
The last few days of any president’s term are bound to spark moments of melancholy reflection – perhaps for Barack Obama even more so than most commanders in chief. Imagine Obama in the third week of January 2017: He had made history as the first Black US president; he had...
