Politics
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Arrested Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga freed
Zimbabwean top writer and Booker Prize nominee, Tsitsi Dangarembga, was freed on bail on Saturday following her arrest during anti-government protests a day earlier, an AFP journalist in court said. Dangarembga, 61, was charged with incitement to commit violence and breaching anti-coronavirus health regulations after staging a two-women demonstration in Harare which coincided with the second anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s disputed election. She was taken away from a street corner in the upmarket Harare suburb of Borrowdale alongside another protester and hauled into a truck full of police armed with AK-47 rifles and riot gear. Police had banned the protests called by opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume, head of a small party called Transform Zimbabwe, against alleged stat...
Senate President congratulates new NBA president
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, congratulates Olumide Akpata on his election as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). Lawan also congratulates the other newly elected members of the executive and the entire members of the Association over the smooth conduct of their elections. The Senate President notes that Akpata and his team had convinced their learned colleagues that they possess the experience, integrity and capacity to lead their revered Association and must now strive to live up to the high expectations. He describes the NBA as a pillar of democracy given the pivotal role of the legal profession in ensuring order and justice in the polity. Lawan says the National Assembly and particularly the Senate looks forward to working with the NBA under its new leaders...
Security forces head off anti-government protests in Zimbabwe
Streets were deserted and businesses shut in Zimbabwe’s two main cities on Friday after security forces were deployed to prevent anti-government marches called by activists over corruption and economic hardship. Protesters stayed away. Job Sikhala, an opposition lawmaker and one of the protest organisers, said the heavy security presence showed a state afraid of its citizens. He added: “Protracted demonstrations will be the way forward.” He is among more than a dozen activists who are in hiding and who police say they are seeking for promoting Friday’s protests. In Bulawayo and central Harare, the capital, businesses were shut as police and soldiers patrolled the streets. Shops also stayed shut in some Harare townships, including Mbare – a hotbed of past protests. President Emmerson Mnanga...
French World Cup star refuses to quit Barcelona
France and Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti does not want to quit the Camp Nou this summer and will fight for his place to stay at the club. According to Diario Sport, the central defender wants to see through his current deal at the club through to the summer of 2023 and attempt to force his way back into the starting XI. Umtiti has had decreasing prominence at the club in recent seasons, primarily due to injury issues surrounding a recurring knee problem. The Cameroon-born defender has lost his place in the France international side with Clement Lenglet – his Barca teammate – often preferred in both line-ups, while Gerard Pique is still first choice central defender at the Camp Nou. Umtiti’s contract at Barcelona runs through to the summer of 2023 and he is still keen to fight for his fi...
Lille wish Victor Osimhen best of luck at Napoli
French club, LOSC Lille have issued an official statement to wish former player, Victor Osimhen, the very best of luck after the Nigeria striker completed his move to Napoli. Napoli signed Osimhen from Lille in a €80million deal after the Italian side fended off competition from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea to land the Nigerian international. The 21-year-old was in stellar form for the Ligue 1 side with the forward scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances as Lille finished the 2019-20 season in fourth place. Lille owner, Gerard Lopez revealed getting ‘multiple offers’ for the Super Eagles ace before manager, Christophe Galtier, confirmed last month that Osimhen will be moving on. Osimhen only signed for the French Ligue 1 club last year from Sporting Charleroi after impressing on loan at the B...
OECD: South Africa economy could contract 8.2% if second coronavirus wave hits
South Africa’s economy could contract 8.2% this year, and grow just 0.6% in 2021, if a second wave of COVID-19 cases hits the country and its main trading partners, the OECD said on Friday. If a second wave of infections is avoided, the economy will contract 7.5% in 2020 before rebounding 2.5% next year, the OECD said in a report on Africa’s most industrialised economy. South Africa was in recession before the pandemic struck, with recurring power cuts by struggling state utility Eskom and weak business confidence dampening economic activity. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has promised to fast-track reforms to raise economic growth potential, but some investors are becoming restless about the pace of change. “South Africa cannot afford to delay reforms. It is essential to undertake...
Trump to Ban TikTok in the US
Donald Trump intends to ban TikTok in the US as soon as Saturday. Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night, Trump announced he would use emergency economic powers or an executive order to enforce the ban. Trump also said he is against the idea of a US-based company acquiring the Chinese-owned TikTok. Earlier on Friday, it was revealed that Microsoft had entered into negotiations to purchase the popular video sharing app. TikTok is estimated to have upwards of 65 million active users in the US and consistently ranks as among the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store. However, US government officials have expressed concerns over the amount of data collected by TikTok compared to other prominent social media platforms, especially given that TikTok is owned by...
CloudFabric: Leading DCNs into the Intelligence Era
The world is now entering into the era of the digital economy, leaving the industrial era behind with the emergence and rapid development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). According to a survey conducted by global research and advisory firm Gartner, 75% of large enterprises have already transferred their principal strategic focus onto digital transformation. And while the most critical production elements were land and labor in the agricultural era, and capital and technology in the industrial era, data and intelligence have now replaced these industries in the digital economy. A significant amount of data has and is still being generated during digital transformation, which has become a core asset for enterprises. However, data is not an end in and of itself. Rather, it ...
Mastercard and Microsoft Partner to Empower Fintech Innovation
Mastercard and Microsoft have partnered to shape the future of digital commerce, drive startup innovation and enable financial inclusion. Capitalizing on Mastercard’s global network and leveraging Azure’s global reach, the collaboration will enable Mastercard’s ecosystem of partners to explore the use of emerging innovations and new commerce capabilities such as devices that enable digital payments in new ways. Through access to Azure technologies, augmented and virtual reality and Internet of Things, fintech partners will be empowered to create new user experiences to advance how consumers, businesses and governments exchange value. “We are thrilled to deepen our longstanding relationship with Microsoft by advancing the research, development and scaling of new technologies and business mo...
Huawei Overtakes Samsung and Apple in Worldwide Smartphone Shipments
Huawei has shipped more smartphones worldwide than any other tech manufacturer – marking the first quarter in nine years that Samsung or Apple has not led the market. According to a report by Canalys, “Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices, down 5% year on year. But second-placed Samsung shipped 53.7 million smartphones, a 30% fall against Q2 2019.” “This is a remarkable result that few people would have predicted a year ago,” says Canalys Senior Analyst, Ben Stanton. “If it wasn’t for COVID-19, it wouldn’t have happened. Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business. Samsung has a very small presence in China, with less than 1% market share, and has seen its core markets, such as Brazil, India, the United States and Europe, ravaged by o...
Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga arrested during banned protests
Police in Zimbabwe on Friday arrested internationally-acclaimed novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga as they enforced a ban on protests coinciding with the anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s election. Dangarembga, 61, was taken away in a police truck as she demonstrated in the upmarket Harare suburb of Borrowdale alongside another protester, an AFP photographer saw. Streets in the centre of the city were largely deserted as police and soldiers set up checkpoints to prevent entry. Opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume, head of a small party called Transform Zimbabwe, had called for demonstrations against alleged state corruption and the country’s slumping economy The protests were timed to coincide with the second anniversary of Mnangagwa’s election, which the opposition says was a fraud...
NDDC warns job seekers to beware of scammers
Pool Photo The Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is once again compelled to alert members of the public of the activities of scammers offering placements in non-existent empowerment programmes purportedly being run by the Commission. In a press statement by Charles Obi Odili, Director, Corporate Affairs said: “We have received several inquiries from potential victims, who were deceived into believing that the NDDC was currently running different training and skill acquisition programmes. The hapless job-seekers are being asked by these scammers to pay some enrollment fees into fake accounts. “These criminals, who claim to be representing officials of the NDDC, deploy all sorts of devious means to dupe innocent people seeking for means of earning a living. Members ...
