Human rights defenders around the world are asking if Nigeria has been captured by a rogue body of intelligence operatives who overrule judicial orders and have kept activists locked behind bars for such “crimes” as freedom of speech. This week, Nigerians marked the anniversary of the death of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight colleagues…

An outspoken human rights lawyer in a new book is calling for European and US institutions to return treasures taken from subjugated peoples by “conquerors or colonial masters.” In the new book by Geoffrey Robertson, the British Museum is accused of exhibiting “pilfered cultural property” and urged to ‘wash its hands of blood and return…

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The ancestral home of modern humans is in Botswana, according to a new study by researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. Although some of the oldest skeletal remains suggest an eastern African origin, Southern Africa is home to contemporary populations that represent the…

If you’re worried about robocalls offering a dubious sale of bitcoins, a new technology aimed at political dissidents will chill you to the bone. Pegasus, an all-seeing spyware, worms its way into phones and starts transmitting the owner’s location, encrypted chats, travel plans – and even the voices of people you meet – to servers…

England’s most prestigious literary prize has been awarded to Bernadine Evaristo, an Anglo-Nigerian writer, for her eighth work of fiction, to be shared with Margaret Atwood , author of “The Testaments” in a surprise double award approved by the judging panel. Of Nigerian and British parentage, Evaristo is the first black woman to win the…

As shocking images were viewed around the world of Ugandan police and soldiers beating and gassing students at the renowned Makerere University, President Yoweri Museveni was forced to acknowledge that his security forces were out of control. “The military is not trained to quell demonstrations,” he began. “They are trained to kill. Those students are…

Hopes for a lasting peace between longtime rivals Frelimo and Renamo are fading fast as a recent vote for president of the southern nation of Mozambique has been muddied by claims of fraud, unjustified use of state resources, as well as sporadic violence including the murder of an election observer. “An unlevel playing field was…

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has heavily criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to limit further the ability of American citizens to travel to Cuba. CBC leaders said Trump’s actions would negatively affect the U.S. economy. They also called the decision another personal attack by the president…

Taking advantage of the Russia-Africa summit and the presence of dozens of African leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin advanced his goal of expanding Moscow’s geopolitical clout. At the two-day summit in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the Russian president resurrected old bonds forged by the Soviet Union with the result that arms shipments…

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Did African Union Ambassador to the United States Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao lose her job because of her outspokenness about France’s continued profiting off of her beloved Africa? Or, is Her Excellency being shown the door because certain powers are exasperated that she’s exposed another “scramble for Africa?”…