Several institutions in Norway have been targeted by hackers believed to be linked to Russia, the security service (PST) has warned. The Labour Party, defence and foreign ministries and the security service itself were among those hit, it said. On Friday Norway announced it had chosen Germany’s Thyssenkrupp (TKMS) to deliver four submarines to its … Read more
In 2015 five Hong Kong booksellers disappeared and later resurfaced in mainland China in the hands of Chinese authorities. Now, there are concerns that Chinese tycoon Xiao Jianhua, who has not been seen since last week, has met a similar fate. The first murmur came from overseas. Mingjing News, a New York-based site that specialises … Read more
Ivorian civil servants resumed work on Monday after three weeks of downing downing tools. According the RFI news site, union officials said that five of their six demands had been met and were willing to give dialogue another chance. The west African nation which employs over 200,000 civil servants, has faced a wave of labour … Read more
Apple is to put up the price it charges for apps in the UK, India and Turkey. UK costs will numerically match those of the US, meaning that a program that costs $0.99 will now be 99p. That represents a 25% rise over the previous currency conversion, which was 79p. “Price tiers on the App … Read more
Musa Saidykhan still feels the ache in the scars knotting across his back when the temperature drops every winter in his two-storey home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The father of four, then the editor of the widely read Independent newspaper, fled The Gambia in 2006 after he was tortured by agents of President Yahya Jammeh’s … Read more
Debbie Reynolds, who starred opposite Gene Kelly in the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain, has died a day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher. The US actress, 84, had been rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke. Her son, Todd Fisher, said the stress of his sister’s death had been too much … Read more
US police investigating a murder have tussled with Amazon over access to data gathered by one of its Echo speakers. The voice-controlled device was found near to a hot tub where the victim was found dead amid signs of a struggle. According to court filings, Amazon was issued with two search warrants but refused to … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump may be willing to start a trade war with Beijing, but his political ascension has been as much a source of mirth in China as disquiet. The latest exhibit: A local journalist in the eastern city of Hangzhou noticed that a golden pheasant in Hangzhou Safari Park had plumage on its head … Read more
Members of the alt-right movement differ on many points, but are generally outspoken in their attacks on multiculturalism, globalisation and immigration. Their targets include political correctness and feminism, and they have typically characterised themselves as being anti-establishment. The election of Donald Trump – a presidential candidate supported by much of the alt-right – could change … Read more
The world woke up to the most shocking news of the world when the unpredictable happened as Mrs Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Presidential hopeful in the US Elections who was tipped to become the first Female President of the most influential democracy in the world got the presidency slipping through her fingers. The global media, … Read more
The billionaire daughter of Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has strongly defended his decision to appoint her as the head of the state oil firm, Reuters news agency reports. Isabel dos Santos said she had been chosen to lead Sonagol because of expertise and competence, and dismissed criticism as “political games” being played ahead … Read more
Liberia has been repeatedly cut off from the internet by hackers targeting its only link to the global network. Recurrent attacks up to 3 November flooded the cable link with data, making net access intermittent. Researchers said the attacks showed hackers trying different ways to use massive networks of hijacked machines to overwhelm high-value targets. … Read more
Daasebre Prof Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area has debunked a publication and its content -captioned “Daasebre Oti Boateng endorses Mahama” which appeared on Ghanaweb news site as representing his position nor that of the New Juaben Traditional Council during his courtesy call to the President of the Republic, John Dramani … Read more
In South Africa, all attention yesterday was focused on what Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had to say in parliament. With the economy under pressure, questions over education funding and the finance minister himself embroiled in a political row, Mr Gordhan’s mini-budget statement was eagerly awaited. But this morning, South Africans are waking up to the … Read more
Isabel dos Santos is the richest woman in Africa, according to Forbes magazine The Angolan Supreme court has demanded that President Jose Eduardo dos Santos explain why he made his daughter the boss of state oil company Sonangol, reports the news site Rede Angola. A petition challenging whether the appointment of Isabel dos Santos was … Read more
Heavy rains brought flooding to parts of Hong Kong this week, but that was not enough not to stop one elderly man from enjoying his newspaper and coffee. A photo showing the old man sitting unaffected in a flooded Starbucks outlet in Chai Wan district went viral after TV Most shared it on their Facebook … Read more
ISIS is facing a ‘state of collapse’ in its largest city Military vehicles of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are seen southeast of Mosul As the great powers jam the door of Mosul for the last big battle, many of the Islamic State terrorists themselves cannot wait to get out of town. “Mosul on Thursday looked … Read more
Two Americans have been arrested and charged for allegedly helping to hack high-ranking US government officials. The US Department of Justice said Andrew Otto Boggs and Justin Gray Liverman were part of the “Crackas With Attitude” group blamed for the attacks. Email accounts of the CIA’s director, the chief of National Intelligence and many others, … Read more
South Africa is considering banning an openly homophobic American preacher from traveling to the country, as a war of words between the home affairs minister and the preacher broke out. Steven L. Anderson, the pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, is due to travel to South Africa for what he describes as … Read more
For seven years, Boko Haram has terrorized northeast Nigeria and surrounding countries, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. Despite the Nigerian government claiming a “technical” victory over the militant group after retaking much of its territory, Boko Haram still has a massive capacity for inflicting destruction and casualties. In the first nine months of … Read more