Parents of 82 schoolgirls kept captive for three years by Boko Haram in Nigeria were anxiously awaiting to see them as of Wednesday, May 10. The families have not been given any guarantees as to when they will be able to see the girls, who were released in a prisoner exchange between Boko Haram and the…
Veteran journalist April Ryan perfectly exemplifies the sentiment expressed by the actor Eddie Cantor that “it takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” Ms. Ryan has toiled for exactly 20 years as the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) – an outlet barely known outside the African-American community, but prominent within it as…
The good people of France have spoken against the nationalist and populist proposals of extreme-right politics. Emanuel Macron, a 39-year-old Minister of Finance and former investment banking firm executive will succeed President Francois Hollande, marking a departure from the political stronghold of the French Socialist party. Macron did not win by a landslide; nonetheless, early counting…
A cyber attack eerily similar to the one perpetrated against Hillary Clinton in the United States is being investigated by French law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Hackers apparently gained access to the email servers and computer network used by Emmanuel Macron, the former leading candidate and now French president-elect. Copies of the messages and other…
There was a time when the Syrian Arab Republic was not the site of an out-of-control civil war where government forces carry out chemical weapon attacks against civilians, and where an abominable terrorist organization has set out to destroy rich archaeological treasures dating back several centuries. Less than a decade ago, Syria was a country…
In late 2016, Fadumo Dayib made history when she announced her candidacy for the presidential elections of Somalia, thus marking the first time a female politician aspired to the highest office of the troubled nation. Dayib was not in Somalia at the time of the announcement, which she made from Finland—the nation that welcomed her…
Israeli musician Idan Raichel blends styles to share music with a message of peace. A keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and composer, his music draws from Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African musical styles. His lyrics are almost always in Hebrew and he often uses bits of traditional Hebrew texts. LA Times described what Raichel does as creating “a zesty…
A Prestigious Appointment Recently, Dr. Vera Songwe was appointed as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa (the “ECA”). An economist with extensive experience directing policies relating to the World Bank’s activities in West Africa, she becomes the first African woman to hold the influential position. The United Nations Economic Commission For Africa issued…
The European Union is breathing a little more comfortably after the first round of presidential elections in the French Republic. The two highly controversial and surprising political shifts of 2016—the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America—loomed very high over France as voters headed…
Barack Obama made his first public appearance on Monday since leaving the White House back in January. Surrounded by the youth of America at the University of Chicago, Obama shared his personal experiences of public service at a town hall meeting. Leading the meeting with a statement about how he entered into public service…
