Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday reported a surge in summary “executions” in the country, notably in the southern Kasai region. In 2017, “state agents” carried out 1,176 extra-judicial killings, “including at least 89 women and 213 children,” the United …

Hong Kong, China | AFP | The dollar took another beating on Thursday after two of Donald Trump’s top cabinet members talked down the currency and hinted at a more belligerent trade policy. The sell-off in the greenback especially hit exporters on Japan’s Nikkei index, which tumbled for a second straight …

Why Africa should not celebrate the ban of   ivory markets even if ending poaching is noble COMMENT | GERALD MBANDA | China, which for decades has been the world’s largest ivory market, is hailed for her recent ban on ivory trade and shutting down more than 150 ivory factories and shops …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron told the world’s business elite in Davos on Wednesday that France was back as a European powerhouse under his reformist government. “France is back at the core of Europe,” Macron said in English in a highly anticipated speech, before switching to French …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s government on Wednesday hit back at claims that President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure had been a failure but refused to say if he would seek re-election. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday called for Buhari to step down as he had a poor grasp of economics, …

A pan Africanist’s comment on the on-going debate between the clergy and Museveni COMMENT | KANT ATEENYI KANYARUSOKE | President Museveni’s year-end address might have rubbed some religious leaders the wrong way. Particularly, Archbishop Kizito Lwanga of Kampala Catholic Archdiocese and Euro-Africa’s David Kayumba were most succinct in their responses. As …

Lansing, United States | AFP | Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing scores of young girls under the guise of medical treatment. “I’ve just signed your death warrant,” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said as she handed down …

New York, United States | AFP | Pop legend Elton John on Wednesday announced a final tour, saying he intends to stop traveling to spend more time with his family. The 70-year-old British entertainer, revealing his plans at a gala New York event, said he planned to “go out with a …

News outlets must set their own agendas, rather than wasting resources on pursuing someone else’s COMMENT | ALEXANDRA BORCHARDT | In the debate over the future of journalism, “fake news” has taken center stage, with storylines featuring a ranting American president, Russian communication “bots,” and betrayal and subterfuge competing for public …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | Britain’s planned departure from the European Union is “a mistake, not a disaster”, former premier David Cameron said during a conversation caught on camera in Davos Wednesday. Cameron stepped back from frontline British politics in the wake of the historic 2016 referendum, but was caught airing …