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☆ William Troost-Ekong: Nigeria’s football captain on rollercoaster journey to the AFCON final
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Callum Sutherland | Amanda Davies | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Only six months ago, the Super Eagles skipper had been considering walking away from international football entirely following disagreements with coach José Peseiro. “[It] resulted in us not actually speaking for a few months,” the defender told CNN World Sport’s Amanda Davies in a recent interview. Captain William Troost-Ekong (center, number 5) celebrates after scoring a penalty during Nigeria's AFCON semi-final match against South Africa on February 7, 2024. After dispatching a penalty in regular time, Troost-Ekong made no mistake during the subsequent shoot-out to help send his side into the final in Abidjan. Once again, it was a lead that came courtesy of a Troost-Ekong goal; this time from a powerful header.

Persons: William Troost, José Peseiro, Ekong, Amanda Davies, I’ve, ”, “, AFCON, –, Issouf Sanogo, Sebastian Haller, Les Éléphants, Peseiro Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, Super Eagles, The, Eagles, Equatorial, Guinea Bissau, South, Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, Nigerian Football Federation, English Premier League, Watford, Greek, PAOK Thessaloniki, PAOK Locations: Qatar, Portuguese, Dutch, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, AFP, Cameroon, Angola, Abidjan, “, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Italy

☆ Sébastien Haller: After recovering from testicular cancer, Ivory Coast striker scores winner in AFCON final
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In the quarterfinals against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, once again scoring a last-minute equalizer before grabbing a winner in extra-time. The team’s uncanny ability to come back from the brink had earned them the nickname ‘Zombie Elephants’ and Ivory Coast lived up to its moniker again in the final. After Nigeria had taken a first-half lead through William Troost-Ekong’s header, the host nation fought its way back into the match. Cheered on from the stands by legendary striker Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast equalized just after the hour mark through Franck Kessié. Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and FIFA President Gianni Infantino also watched as Ivory Coast claimed its third AFCON title.

Persons: Sébastien Haller, Ouattara, Haller, Les Éléphants, Coast, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, –, Themba, Faé, William Troost, Didier Drogba, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra’s, “, Ivory Coast’s Adingra, ” Drogba, Arsène Wenger, Gianni Infantino Organizations: CNN, Ivory, Africa, of Nations, German, Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund, Cancer, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Congo, Reuters, Arsenal, FIFA Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory

☆ Host nation Ivory Coast continues miraculous run to AFCON final to set up a matchup against Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The host nation is seeking its third AFCON title, while Nigeria is looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time. ET on Sunday and will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast midfielder Ibrahim Sangare (L) fights for the ball with DR Congo's Simon Banza. Against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, grabbing a last-minute equalizer. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made two saves and striker Kelechi Iheanacho netted the deciding penalty to send Nigeria into the final.

Persons: Ouattara, Ivory, Les Éléphants, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, Ibrahim Sangare, DR Congo's Simon Banza, Franck Fife, Faé, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra, Sébastien Haller, Ivory Coast's, Sia Kambou, William Troost, Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Osimhen, Percy Tau, Teboho Mokoena, Issouf Sanogo, Grant Kekana, Stanley Nwabali, Kelechi Iheanacho Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, beIN Sports USA, DR Congo, Guinea, Equatorial, Coast, Ivory, DR Congo's, Getty, Senegal, Against, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Super Eagles, South Africa Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ivory, Abidjan, South Africa, Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, AFP, Against Mali, Europe, AFCON, Cameroon, Angola, Africa

☆ Africa Cup of Nations: After making disastrous start, host Ivory Coast is on a roll under interim coach and win over Senegal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“We had a difficult start, conceding an early goal, but I told the players at half-time to keep playing the same way, not get confused,” Ivory Coast interim coach Emerse Fae told reporters after the match. “There was a lot of pressure before the match, and match day was too long for me,” he said. Former Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset was remarkably sacked during the tournament after that 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, as the team stood on the brink of an early elimination on home soil. “We must not stop here; we must continue working, maintain this morale, and keep playing match by match,” the coach asserted. Ivory Coast will now play either Mali or Burkina Faso in the quarterfinals.

Persons: Charles Konan, “, Emerse Fae, Fae, ”, Habib Diallo, Pierre Atcho, Edouard Mendy, Kenzo Tribouillard, Atcho, Franck Kessié, Senegal’s Moussa Niakhaté, Kessié, Jean, Louis Gasset, Morocco’s Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, Ivory, Elephants, Senegal, Arsenal, Pepe, AFCON, Former Ivory Coast Locations: Senegal, Ivory, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, AFP, Zambia, Mali, Burkina Faso

BERLIN (AP) — Efforts to fight public sector corruption are faltering around the world, in part because a “global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016," according to a corruption index released Tuesday. Transparency International, which compiles the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, found 23 countries at their worst level since the global ranking began almost three decades ago, including both high-ranking democracies and authoritarian states. The global average was unchanged at 43 for the 12th consecutive year, and more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50. Arab countries’ average score on the index hit an all-time low of 34, and sub-Saharan Africa remained stagnant at 33. Transparency International said that the government's “pervasive control of public institutions facilitates the widespread abuse of power without accountability" while judicial independence is eroding.

Persons: ”, François Valérian, party's Organizations: BERLIN, Transparency, World Bank, Economic, European Union Locations: Iceland, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, United States, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, North Korea, Nicaragua, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, Saharan Africa, Europe, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine

☆ Sub-Saharan Africa just hit 100 World Heritage Sites. UNESCO says that’s not enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

At the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in September, UNESCO announced five new locations had joined the list of World Heritage Sites, taking sub-Saharan Africa’s total over 100 for the first time. Rwanda’s first two World Heritage Sites were named among 42 new entries worldwide. Vegetation in Rwasenkoko, Nyungwe National Park, one or Rwanda's two new UNESCO World Heritage Sites. CNLG/Courtesy UNESCOThere are currently 1,199 World Heritage sites, benefitting from the conservation agreements and tourism that come with that status. One is that some nations were slow to ratify the 1972 World Heritage convention, allowing them to submit applications for World Heritage status.

Persons: CNN —, Rwanda’s, Bale, Vande weghe, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, There’s, ”, Eloundou Assomo, –, Yonas, Assomo, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, World Heritage Committee, UNESCO, Heritage, World, Getty, “, World Heritage Fund Locations: Nyamata, Eastern, Odzala, Republic of Congo, Saharan Africa, Africa, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Guinea, Bissau, Liberia, Sao Tome, Principe , Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwasenkoko, Gisozi, Rwanda, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Uganda, Buganda, Kasubi, Kampala, Ethiopia, Bissagos

☆ Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s teenage star is ‘touched by the wand of God’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Now, after a record-breaking year, almost everyone in world soccer is aware of Lamine Yamal. In April, at 15 years and 290 days, he became the youngest player to appear in a competitive fixture for the Blaugrana. When his star started to shine, questions were asked about which national team he would choose to represent. Unhelpful comparisonsDealing with such praise and adulation could be tricky for Yamal as he navigates the world of professional soccer. Yamal joined the Barcelona youth ranks at the age of seven, according to FIFA.

Persons: It’s, Yamal, Felipe Mondino, Luis de la Fuente, “, De la Fuente, ”, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Barcelona’s, Fati, David Ramos, Pedri, Xavi, ” Xavi, Messi, Ballon Organizations: CNN, Champions League, Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa, Spanish national, Georgia, La Liga, Granada, Barcelona, Spanish, Premier League, Brighton, FIFA, ESPN Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Moroccan, Equatorial Guinea, Nou

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 30 Atlantic countries on four continents committed Monday to bolster coordination on economic development, environmental protection, maritime issues and more, the White House said. The adoption of the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation was completed Monday evening at a meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the start of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting. The White House pitched the forum as a way to improve cooperation between northern and southern Atlantic countries on key issues and come to agreement on a set of principles for the Atlantic region. The activists are pushing world leaders to act with greater haste to curb climate change. Many of the leaders of countries that cause the most heat-trapping carbon pollution will not be in attendance for this year's General Assembly.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, ”, Biden, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres Organizations: Atlantic Cooperation, U.S, Atlantic, Partnership, White, Bank, General Assembly, U.N Locations: Atlantic, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Dominican Republic , Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Spain, Togo, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, New York

☆ DR Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualify for Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania and Mozambique qualified for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with wins on Saturday, but the games were overshadowed by the earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 1,000 people. The Gambia and Congo teams had to evacuate their hotel rooms when the quake hit on Friday and spent the night sleeping next to their respective hotel swimming pools. Mozambique booked their place earlier on Saturday with a last-gasp 3-2 home win over Benin in Maputo. On top of hosts Ivory Coast and Saturday's successful trio, the other finalists are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pierre, Emerick, Jean Noel Amonome, Theo Bongonda, Saturday's, Mark Gleeson, Ken Ferris Organizations: Democratic, Africa, Nations, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Confederation of African Football, DR, Belgium, Congolese, Clesio, Ivory Coast, Thomson Locations: CAPE, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Mozambique, Morocco, Liberia, Gambia, Congo, Marrakech, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Sudan, Gabon, Kinshasa, Mayele, Benin, Maputo, Senegal, Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, Cape Town

☆ China Wants to Challenge U.S. Military Power Around the World - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Craig Singleton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, China is nearing completion of what U.S. officials suspect will be its first overseas military outpost in the Indo-Pacific region. Beyond facilitating Chinese military adventurism in the South China Sea, the new base could provide the People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.) with a staging ground to monitor and influence vital maritime routes like the Malacca Strait, through which an estimated 40 percent of the world’s trade flows. But the base also shines a light on Beijing’s broader embrace of an innovative strategy to challenge American military strength that has potentially grave implications for Washington and its allies. China has plainly stated that these points are designed to “provide support for overseas military operations” and “exert political and military influence” abroad.

Organizations: Ream, Liberation Army Locations: Base, China, South China, Malacca, Washington, Aden . China, Djibouti, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Solomon Islands, South Pacific

☆ Gabon coup: How France's neo-colonial empire in its former territories is disintegrating
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A torn campaign billboard shows ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville on August 31, 2023. AFP/Getty ImagesPropping up ‘democratic dictators’Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”It presents a challenge to France. Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw. “The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose.

Persons: Leon, Charles de Gaulle, Gaulle, Bongo, jubilation, General Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, ’, Oluwole, Elisabeth Borne, Chris Ogunmodede, that’s, Paul Biya, Ogunmodede, ” Ogunmodede, …, ” Ojewale, “, Ndongo Samba Sylla, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: CNN, Military, Gabonese, Agence France, Presse, Gabon, Getty, Institute of Security Studies, autocrats, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, “, Macron Locations: Gabon, France, Gabon’s, Libreville, AFP, Niger, Gabonese, West, Central Africa, Mali, Senegal, Dakar, ”, Niamey, Paris, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Switzerland, Africa, Russia, Commonwealth, Togo, Macron France, Nigeria, “ Africa

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ Man who visited every country without flying has finally returned home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

After nearly ten years of travel, Pedersen successfully visited his 203rd and final country, the Maldives, and began his long-awaited voyage back to Denmark. In early 2020, the intrepid traveler suddenly found himself stuck in Hong Kong for two years with just nine countries left. “I look back at Hong Kong, and it’s a bit of a paradox. Next came a 16-day journey back to Hong Kong, where he returned to hotel quarantine for another two weeks. Pedersen in Hong Kong, where he spent an unexpected two years during the pandemic.

Persons: Torbjørn, Thor ” Pedersen, Pedersen, He’d, ” Pedersen, ”, “, Le, I’ve, He’s, ‘, ’ ”, Maxime Champigneulle, Gunnar Garfors, it’s, It’s, you’ve, he’s, “ There’s, Mike Douglas Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Maersk, “, Port, Le, UN, Danish, Hong, Denmark, Pacific, Tonga, National Museum, Ross Energy, Aarhus . Port Locations: Denmark, Maldives, Danish, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Aarhus, Kenya, Colombia, Australia, Norway, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Nauru, Angola, Ghana, Iceland, Canada, Hong Kong, Everest, Palau, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Pacific, Tuvalu, Fiji, Singapore, Malé, Norwegian, Aarhus ., Aarhus What’s, Suez, Germany

☆ Cambodia leader Hun Sen is set to win another one-sided election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The July 23 election is just a day for Hun Sen to impose (his choices) onto the Cambodian people,” she said. A former Khmer Rouge commander who switched sides, Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades. But in more recent years Hun Sen has turned increasingly autocratic – quashing dissent and jailing critics, forcing many to flee overseas. ‘Future prime minister’Political watchers say this Cambodian election will set the stage for Hun Sen’s transition of power to his son Hun Manet. Hun Manet walks past an honour guard during a military ceremony in Phnom Penh on June 18, 2020.

Persons: Cambodia’s, Hun Sen, –, crackdowns, Hun Sen’s, ”, Mu Sochua, “, …, Bridget Welsh, “ Hun Sen, ” Kenneth Roth, Hun Manet, Tang Chin Sothy, Welsh, ” Hun Manet, Markus Karbaum, ” Karbaum, Phil Robertson, Sam Rainsy, CHARLY TWO, Rainsy, Hun, ” Rainsy, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, Voters, Cambodian People’s Party, “, Women, Veterans ’ Affairs, ” CNN, Human Rights, ‘, Cambodian, US Military Academy, West, New York University, University of Bristol, Getty, Cambodian People's Party, Cambodian National Rescue Party, Party, Human Rights Watch, Facebook, Reuters Locations: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Cambodian, Cambodia, Khmer, China, Phnom Penh, AFP, ”, Sunday’s, Asia

☆ While women's soccer boasts fierce LGBT advocates, FIFA reviews transgender rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge physical advantage that transition does not mitigate. The U.S. women's team, including Rapinoe, famously lost 5-2 to an under-15 FC Dallas boys team in an informal training match in 2017. In much of the world, trans people are just lucky to stay alive. LGBT advocates say the debate over transgender inclusion in women's sport has also made for an increasingly hostile environment for gender diverse people in North America. According to LGBT website Outsports, a record of at least 87 out players will compete at the World Cup, more than double the 38 who played in the 2019 version.

Persons: Megan Rapinoe, Martina Navratilova, Rapinoe, Navratilova, Sue Bird, Joanna Harper, Nilla Fischer, Barbra Banda, Quinn, Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO, You've, Lori Ewing, Nick Mulvenney, Michael Perry Organizations: Athletics, Aquatics, FIFA, trailblazer, WNBA, FC Dallas boys, Reuters, Equatorial, Zambia, Nations, Canada, Toronto Star, England, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Canadian, Equatorial Guinea, North America, Tokyo

☆ Putin’s Options for Dealing With the Wagner Group Aren’t Great - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

(Those who did participate could join Mr. Prigozhin in Belarusian exile.) Even if Wagner fighters do decide to join Russian military units en masse, it won’t be easy for Moscow to integrate them. Another option would be for Mr. Putin to leave Wagner’s overseas operations as is, and install a new leader to replace Mr. Prigozhin. Mr. Prigozhin was revered by Wagner fighters, many of whom may chafe at the prospect of new leadership or a drastic change in organizational culture. Corporation is another Russian private military company, founded by Russian nationalist Igor Mangushev, with some experience abroad, but is much less influential and experienced than Wagner.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, —, Prigozhin’s, Sergei Lavrov, ”, Wagner’s, Igor Mangushev Organizations: Russian, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Central African, Corporation, Gazprom Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic . Russia, Syria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Yemen

☆ UK SFO delays decision on whether to charge Glencore staff until year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The SFO is investigating former employees of Glencore's UK subsidiary Glencore Energy UK Limited over potential criminal offences in relation to its operations in West Africa. The ex-Glencore employees who are under investigation by the SFO have been granted anonymity pending a decision by the SFO on whether to bring criminal charges. Glencore's UK subsidiary last year admitted seven bribery offences related to paying – or failing to prevent the payment of – millions of dollars in bribes to officials in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan. At its sentencing in November, prosecutors told the court that Glencore employees and agents used private jets to transfer cash to pay bribes to officials in Cameroon and South Sudan. Glencore was ordered to pay a total penalty of 276.4 million pounds ($352 million) for its offending, which the sentencing judge described as "endemic" corruption.

Persons: Alexandra Healy, Glencore, Sam Tobin, Christina Fincher Organizations: SFO, Glencore's, Glencore Energy, Limited, Glencore, London's, London's Southwark Crown, Thomson Locations: London, West Africa, London's Southwark, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Sudan

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. sharpened its criticism of Russia's record on human trafficking on Thursday, citing Moscow’s treatment of conscripts and Ukrainian children, in an annual report on countries that Washington says are failing to protect victims. The State Department’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons report kept Russia on a list of "state sponsors" of human trafficking and ranked Russia among the world's worst at addressing the problem. A section on Russia included more criticism than last year of Moscow's detention of people in Ukraine. “There was a government policy or pattern of trafficking of Ukrainian citizens and North Korean workers,” it added. The report put Russia in Tier 3, which groups the worst offenders in human trafficking, where it was last year.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Matt Spetalnick, Simon Lewis, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Criminal, State Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, North, Syria, Russia's, Tier, Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Malaysia, Vietnam

☆ Opinion | The Newest Immigrants Will Change American Spanish. That’s a Good Thing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ilan Stavans | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Today the Spanish language is the fourth-most-spoken language in the world, and it is the most common language spoken in the United States after English. Then there is the Mexican population that lived here long before the United States claimed their land. Each wave infused American Spanish with local flavor. That’s partly because the language spoken in each country has unique characteristics, at the national and the regional level. American Spanish features all of these elements, which depend on the national background and geographic location of the speaker.

☆ Bat lands worldwide are besieged, seeding risk of a new pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

This collision – bats and humans competing for resources on territory long the domain of the bats – could trigger the next pandemic. As people destroy bat habitats worldwide, they are unwittingly helping bat-borne viruses mutate, multiply, and infect other species, including homo sapiens. For millennia, bat viruses lurked across the forests of West Africa and in other undisturbed parts of the world but posed little threat to humanity. They’re potent proliferators: Some roost tightly together and in close quarters with other bat species. Each of the bat viruses analyzed by Reuters has epidemic potential, according to the World Health Organization.

☆ Switzerland indicts former Gambian minister for crimes against humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, April 18 (Reuters) - Switzerland's attorney general has filed an indictment against Gambia's former interior minister for crimes against humanity committed under former authoritarian leader Yahya Jammeh, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Sonko was interior minister from 2006 to 2016, when he fled to Sweden and from there to Switzerland, where he applied for asylum. It will be the country's second ever crimes against humanity trial. "We hope this will generate momentum and that the trial will put pressure on Equatorial Guinea to eventually extradite Jammeh," he added. Gambia, a tiny West African country of 2.5 million, is still reeling from over two decades under former president Jammeh marked by authoritarianism and alleged abuses.

☆ Equatorial Guinea confirms six more Marburg cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 15 (Reuters) - Six additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Marburg disease have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, bringing the total number to 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ Equatorial Guinea confirms 13 Marburg cases after WHO comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, March 29 (Reuters) - Equatorial Guinea has confirmed 13 cases of Marburg disease since the beginning of the epidemic, its health officials said on Wednesday after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the Central African country's government to report new cases officially. Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO. Marburg is passed on to people from fruit bats and is from the same virus family responsible for the deadly Ebola disease. "WHO is aware of additional cases and we have asked the government to report these cases officially to WHO," its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier on Wednesday. There is also an outbreak of Marburg virus in Tanzania, where eight cases including five deaths have been reported in the northwest Kagera region, WHO has said.

☆ Equatorial Guinea confirms eight more Marburg cases - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, March 23 (Reuters) - Eight new confirmed cases of Marburg disease have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. This brings the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to nine and probable cases to 20 since the outbreak of the deadly disease similar to Ebola was declared in February. The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometres (93 miles) apart, suggesting a wider transmission of the virus, the WHO said. Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO. Neighbouring Cameroon also detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease last month despite restricting movement along the border to avoid contagion.

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