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Kindly Share This Story: South Africa’s scandal-tainted former president Jacob Zuma and French arms giant Thales, accused of graft in a case going back more than two decades, will go on trial in May, the High Court ruled Tuesday. Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 30-billion-rand ($2-billion /  1.67-billion-euro) purchase in 1999 of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment from five European arms companies. He allegedly took bribes amounting to four million rand ($270,000 or 224,000 euros) from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales at the time when he was deputy president. Judge Nkosinathi Chili at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg said the matter was certified as trial-ready and would be heard between May 17 and June 20, 2021. Zuma was not present for the announcement. The case was postponed last December, when Thales contested the racketeering charges linked to the arms deal. But a court … [Read more...] about South Africa’s Zuma arms deal corruption case to be heard in May

Famine was almost a thing of the past. It has been nine years since famine was declared on the country level in Somalia in 2011. Before that, you'd have to go back 19 years to find another famine on such a large scale. Famine is a tragedy, but also a technical designation—one we hope to never use. An official declaration of famine means one in five families face extreme food shortages, more than one child in three is dangerously malnourished and six out of every 10,000 people die from hunger each day. Consider what it would mean for you to face those odds. Until recently, global hunger was on the decline, thanks to investments in agriculture, health and nutrition education, and increasingly effective humanitarian aid. After 2011, new early warning systems were developed to help predict famine and prevent mass tragedy. By and large, those approaches have worked—until now. Today four countries are on the brink of famine : Yemen, Burkina Faso, South Sudan and Nigeria. This isn't … [Read more...] about We Must Stop Famine Before it Starts | Opinion

Kindly Share This Story: Senegal’s President Macky Sall said Tuesday that his native country and neighbouring West African states must “prepare to do battle” to stop jihadist expansion beyond the Sahel. In an interview broadcast that day by French radio RFI, the president also urged a more combative role for United Nations peacekeepers in Mali, and ruled out dialogue with jihadists. Sall’s comments come amid growing fears that the violence of the central Sahel will spill over into African coastal states. Jihadist insurgents first began to plague Mali’s north in 2012, but have since spread to the centre of the country, as well as Burkina Faso and Niger. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the conflict and hundreds of thousands have fled heir homes. Senegal, which shares a border with Mali, has so far been spared jihadist attacks. However Senegalese gendarmes this month foiled a jihadist cell in the east of the country, … [Read more...] about Senegal must ready for ‘battle’ with jihadists, says president

Kindly Share This Story: Mohamed Bazoum, named the winner of Niger’s presidential election, worked for years as the right-hand man of outgoing president Mahamadou Issoufou, often doing tough or tedious jobs that earned him little prominence. But that seemingly thankless work became the springboard for his bid for the top job, campaigning as Issoufou’s anointed successor in the country’s elections on December 27 and the Sunday runoff. On Tuesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said in provisional results that Bazoum had been elected with 55.75 percent of the vote, ahead of former president Mahamane Ousmane with 44.25 percent. One of his campaign songs, a feature of presidential elections in Niger, hailed “Bazoum the worker, the hard worker. The man of rural people and the poor. Issoufou’s brother”. As Issoufou’s long-standing friend, Bazoum took on nuts-and-bolts tasks such as managing the Nigerien Party for Democracy and … [Read more...] about Niger’s Mohamed Bazoum steps out of the wings

Kindly Share This Story: Musician and manager of late reggae icon, Majek Fashek, Omenka Uzoma Day popularly known as Uzo has dropped a 2021 music video single he titled, ‘Celebrate! ‘ Still mourning Majek, Uzo who is MD/CEO, Miracle Day Music known as ‘Home of Superstars’ seems to have re-branded and has gone back to being an artiste. Talking about his latest effort shot in Capetown, South Africa  and directed by Nani Chehore, a Zimbabwean, Uzo says: “The world is changing and perhaps might never become what it used to be. New realities, fears, suspicions and confusion is causing anxieties and worries. Keeping safe during a pandemic, staying safe amidst news of banditry and kidnapping, news of insurrection are all countless worries we deal with on a regular basis that sometimes we forget to acknowledge some of our other daily blessings. Renewed hope of a new dawn, joy of a new born, enjoyed friendship, loving families and many more positives vibes … [Read more...] about Majek Fashek’s manager, Uzo drops music video,  ‘Celebrate”