Gambia’s government used a court order Monday to seize assets belonging to exiled former President Yahya Jammeh.

They include nearly 90 bank accounts and 14 companies linked to Jammeh.

Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou says Jammeh stole $50 million in public funds before fleeing Gambia for Equatorial Guinea in January.

Jammeh and his associates have been unavailable for comment since he left the country.

Jammeh ruled Gambia for 22 years before losing December’s presidential election to Adama Barrow. He contested the results for several weeks before giving up and fleeing the country.

His long-ruling political party lost April’s parliamentary elections to the opposition United Democratic Party.

Along with allegations of looting public funds, investigators in Gambia are also probing a number of disappearances under the Jammeh government.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

Several hundred middle school and high school students from Senegal and surrounding countries spent last week in Dakar building robots. Organizers of the annual robotics competition say the goal is to encourage African governments and private donors to invest more in science and math education throughout the continent.

The hum of tiny machines fills a fenced-off obstacle course, as small robots compete to gather mock natural resources such as diamonds and gold.

The robots were built by teams of young people gathered in Dakar for the annual Pan-African Robotics Competition.

‘Made in Africa’

The event’s founder, Sidy Ndao, says this year’s theme is “Made in Africa,” and focuses on how robotics developed in Africa could help local economies.

“We have noticed that most countries that have developed in the likes of the United States have based their development on manufacturing and industrialization, and African countries on the other hand are left behind in this race,” Ndao said. “So we thought it would be a good idea to inspire the kids to tell them about the importance of manufacturing, the importance of industry, and the importance of creation and product development.”

During the week, the students were split into three groups.

The first group worked on robots that could automate warehouses. The second created machines that could mine natural resources, and the third group was tasked to come up with a new African product and describe how to build it.

Building a robot a team effort

Seventeen-year-old Rokyaha Cisse from Senegal helped her team develop a robot that sends sound waves into the ground to detect the presence of metals and then start digging.

Cisse says it is very interesting and fun, and they are learning new things, as well as having their first opportunity to handle robots.

As part of a younger team, Aboubacar Savage from Gambia said their robot communicates with computers.

“It is a robot that whatever you draw into the computer, it translates it and draws it in real life,” Savage said. “It is kind of hard. And there is so much competition, but we are trying. I have learned how to assemble a robot. I have learned how to program into a computer.”

The event’s founder, Ndao, is originally from Senegal, but is now a professor at the University of Nebraska’s Lincoln College of Engineering in the United States.

“I have realized how much the kids love robotics and how much they love science,” Ndao said “You can tell because when it is time for lunch, we have to convince them to actually leave, and then [when] it is time to go home, nobody wants to leave.”

Outsourced jobs cost Africa billions

A winning team was named in each category, but Ndao hopes the real winners will be science and technology in Africa.

The organizers of the Next Einstein Forum, which held its annual global gathering last year in Senegal, said Africa is currently missing out on $4 billion a year by having to outsource jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to expatriates.

Ndao said African governments and private investors need to urgently invest more on education in those fields, in particular at the university level.
…

From: MeNeedIt

The circus billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth” has come to an end after 146 years.

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus gave its final performance Sunday in Uniondale, New York, 50 kilometers east of New York City.

Ringling Brothers has its origins in the 19th century with showman P.T. Barnum. 

Circus executives said the wild animals, acrobats, clowns and other circus acts that had entertained audiences for over a century could not withstand the 21st century competition of IPhones, the internet and video games.

A decline in ticket sales increased when the circus removed the elephants in May 2016, following years of protests from animal rights activists who said forcing animals to perform and transporting them around the country was abuse.

In January, Feld Entertainment, Ringling’s parent company, announced the unthinkable – the circus would close.

Sunday night the circus received a standing ovation, prompting ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson to say, “I thought the circus was antiquated?  You mean you love the circus?”  He led the circus performers, crew and audience through an emotional rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
…

From: MeNeedIt

The European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said on Sunday he was confident an agreement between Athens and its creditors could be found at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Monday in Brussels.

Athens needs funds to repay 7.5 billion euros ($8.4 billion) of debt maturing in July.

“We are very close to an overall agreement,” Moscovici told France Inter radio.

“Greece has assumed its responsibilities,” he said, referring to measures on pension cuts, tax hikes and reforms adopted on Thursday by the Greek Parliament.

“I now wish that we, the partners of Greece, also take our responsibilities,” he said.

Moscovici said his optimism over a deal was partly linked to the fact Germany was now aware of the need to find a structural solution to Greece’s problems.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed during a call on Wednesday that a deal was “feasible” by Monday.
…

From: MeNeedIt

The World Health Organization’s regional chief for Africa says prospects for rapidly controlling the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Democratic Republic of Congo are good. WHO reports 29 suspected cases, including three deaths since the outbreak was discovered in a remote region of DRC on April 22.

The World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa does not underestimate the difficulties that lie ahead in bringing this latest outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo to an end.

Matshidiso Moeti notes the outbreak is centered in a remote area where it is difficult to operate and to bring in the personnel and material needed to contain this deadly disease. But, she tells VOA she is very encouraged by the speed with which the government and its national and international partners have responded to this crisis.

“But, I am quite optimistic because this is a government that is experienced at this and which has got off to a very quick start and we are already on the ground with the partners,” she said. “We are getting logistic support from WFP [World Food Program] and from the U.N. mission. So, I am quite optimistic.”

This is the eighth recorded outbreak of Ebola in DRC since 1976. The deadly virus was first detected in Bas-Uele Province, a densely-forested area in northeastern Congo near the border with the Central African Republic.

Moeti calls the remoteness of the area a mixed blessing.

“It is, of course, an area from which we are not expecting rapid expansion of the outbreak to other localities due to population movement as happened in West Africa. Although, we are keeping a close eye on the Central African Republic…where we are concerned that there is insecurity there. There is some population movement there,” she said.

Moeti adds it is difficult to operate and carry out surveillance or investigations in this area because roads for car traffic do not exist. She says the government has fixed up a landing strip to enable helicopters to fly in the experts and material needed to combat this deadly disease.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

Recent studies suggest that as many as 400 million people around the world do not have access to basic health care. In some cases it’s because of conflict, but in some cases it’s just geography: humans live in some very far away places, Siberia for instance. That’s where the medical ship comes in handy. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
…

From: MeNeedIt

Lions, tigers and clowns, no more. Oh my. It’s curtains for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

This weekend is the last chance for fans to see death-defying acrobats, exotic animals and flashy costumes as the circus ends its 146-year reign as one of the world’s biggest big tops.

Ringling’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, announced in January that it would take its final bow this year. On Saturday afternoon, under cloudy skies, fans streamed into the Nassau Coliseum in suburban New York to pay their last respects to the iconic show.

‘An adult today’

“I’m becoming an adult today,” said 46-year-old Heather Greenberg, of New York City. “I can’t go to the circus with my daddy anymore.”

Greenberg and her parents, and her three children, along with her sister and extended family — 12 in all — clowned around, laughing and joking, as they walked into the show.

Her sister, Dawn Mirowitz, 42, of Dix Hills, New York, sobered as she pondered a future without the Ringling Brothers circus.

“We’ll never get a chance to take our grandchildren to the circus,” she said.

Higher costs, smaller crowds

Feld executives say declining attendance and high operating costs are among reasons for closing.

Ringling had two touring circuses this season, one ending its run earlier this month in Providence, Rhode Island.

The final shows of what was long promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth” are being staged at the Nassau Coliseum in suburban New York. There are three scheduled shows Saturday and three Sunday. For those who can’t make it, the final circus show Sunday night will be streamed live on Facebook Live and on the circus’ website.

One last show

Clarissa Williams, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mom from West Hempstead, New York, was taking her 8-year-old daughter, Nylah, to the show.

“I’m thankful we get to see it before it leaves,” she said. “I pray that when they end, they take the animals and put them in a safe, sacred place.”

A spokesman for the circus says homes have been found for the animals that were owned by Ringling, including the tigers, horses and camels.
…

From: MeNeedIt

Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, married millionaire hedge fund manager James Matthews on Saturday in Englefield, England.

Prince William and Prince Harry were on hand for the lavish ceremony at a 12th century church in rural England. The wedding party also included William’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Middleton was accompanied by her father as they arrived at the church in a vintage convertible. A large number of reporters and on-lookers gathered outside the church grounds, braving sporadic rain to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

The ceremony was to be followed by a private reception at Middleton’s parents’ estate nearby.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

An American institution, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth,” is closing Sunday after 146 years.

“After a lot of discussion, my family decided that with the decline in ticket sales, it was just the right business decision to close Ringling Brothers,” said Alana Feld, the executive vice president at Feld Entertainment, the owner of the iconic circus.

Elephants and ticket sales

Company officials cited decreasing sales after the circus ended its popular display of elephants for the closure, as well as changing entertainment tastes, high operating costs and prolonged battles with animal rights groups over using animals in the show.

Feld said the elephants have been moved to an elephant conservation center in Florida while the other animals have found new homes, some with the presenters they have been working with for years.

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson said that when the announcement came out in January that the circus would soon be closing, “all I thought about was the fans.

“I thought about future generations, that really they don’t have this type of entertainment that is this pure and this intriguing and with this high level of artistry. There’s nothing out there [like this],” he said.

The circus has been a staple outing for families for much of the 20th century. The show traveled each year to cities across the country to display exotic animals, flashy costumes and high-flying acrobats.

Entertainment tastes change

Company officials say that in the past two decades youths have become more interested in movies, television, internet games and cell phone texting with friends.

Comedic clown Davis Vassallo said it was “a dream to be part of this show, the greatest show on Earth.

“I cannot even describe how happy it was for me to be part of [this show] and I’m sad of course to wake up from this amazing dream,” he said.

Animal rights groups have long been protesting the use of animals in the circus and welcomed the company’s decision earlier this year to close the show.

Ringling’s last traveling circus will perform Sunday in Uniondale, New York.
…

From: MeNeedIt

About 3 million Americans will enter the job pool this year as graduation ceremonies get underway at various colleges and universities across the United States. With unemployment at a 10-year low, 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for new grads. But as Mil Arcega reports, success for many will depend on a desire to keep learning and a willingness to go where the jobs are.
…

From: MeNeedIt

This time of the year, Hollywood rolls out its big-budget films. Monsters and superheroes are framed by spectacular special effects on IMAX screens, and the industry’s big stars flex their muscles, figuratively and literally.

Most of these movies promise chills and thrills for not a small fee at the box office, and though they are not usually Oscar heavyweights, they are meant to quench theatergoers’ summer thirst for adventure. Some of the industry’s big-budget flicks look promising for their originality and good acting and for their revival of classic movie franchises.  

Filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to his iconic Alien franchise with his new Alien: Covenant. It takes place 10 years after his 2012 Alien film Prometheus, which did not fare that well among the diehard fans of the sci-fi horror franchise because it veered off the monster plot line of the genre.

Now, in Alien: Covenant, Scott returns to his fiendishly intelligent and indestructible xenophorms preying on humans on a distant planet. To the delight of Alien fans, Alien: Covenant bursts out following the same formula as the original Alien film almost 40 years ago.

Crew members of a colony ship are lured to an unknown planet after they receive a human signal. When they land, they discover Earthlike living conditions, but what looks at first like a haven soon turns into hell. The crew is decimated by the horrific acid-dripping crustaceans.

Katherine Waterston, who plays Daniels, a terraform expert and captain of the ship, resembles Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, the heroine of the original films. The designs of the creatures are as horrific and awesome as ever, and the 3-D IMAX technology adds detail to the gruesomeness of their attacks.

Michael Fassbender adds a Shakespearean tone with his dual role of two identical-looking “synthetics,” as artificial intelligence is called in the film. The upgraded synthetic, Walter, is part of the crew and human-friendly, while David, the first version stranded on the planet, is ruthless and destructive.

The film’s story line is meant as a prequel to Scott’s original Alien trilogy and the opening chapter to new Alien sci-fi horror installments. And though Scott sacrifices originality for form, Alien fans will probably love it, and Hollywood will likely cash in.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

After the unexpected success of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, filmmaker James Gunn makes a bigger, flashier sequel with the same cast, as the guardians are embroiled in new adventures. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mixes action with raunchy humor and relies on the successful chemistry among the cast of bankable actors such as Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

The impressive visuals and 1970s rock music aim to attract moviegoers of all ages, a formula that has proven very successful for the movie industry. So far the sequel has grossed over $630 million.

Wonder Woman

One of the most anticipated superhero blockbusters this summer is Wonder Woman. As a woman herself, director Patty Jenkins creates a dynamic female superhero, an Amazon princess who leaves her realm to go and fight a war to end all wars.

Wonder Woman is fleshed out by actress-model Gal Gadot, who also served as a combat instructor in the Israeli army. Gadot promises to make this DC Comics superhero memorable for many sequels to come. Chris Pine plays Colonel Steve Trevor, a male sidekick, offering Wonder Woman all the adulation and adoration she deserves. If Wonder Woman is meant to show female moxie, Gadot has got it.

The Mummy

Tom Cruz headlines the revamped The Mummy and shows off some wicked stunts while chasing the resurrected malevolent creature in ancient tunnels under modern London. Sofia Butella plays a convincing mummy, a role first played by Boris Karloff in 1932. This is the first time the mummy is fleshed out by a woman. Butella plays ancient Egyptian Princess Ahmanet who wakes up from the dead and unleashes her rage on humanity because her father broke his promise to her and did not make her Pharaoh.

War for the Planet of the Apes

In War for the Planet of the Apes, Andrew Serkis reprises the role as simian leader Caesar in a motion capture suit (which creates a special effect that blends human and ape features), who rises against humans to avenge his kind. Woody Harrelson plays the diabolical colonel set to destroy Caesar and the apes once and for all. 

The success of this franchise, mainly due to special effects and Serkis’ fine acting, has whetted Hollywood’s appetite for another robust box office in the middle of summer.
…

From: MeNeedIt

This time of the year, Hollywood rolls out its big-budget films. Monsters and superheroes are framed by spectacular special effects on IMAX screens, and the industry’s big stars flex their muscles, figuratively and literally. This summer, some of the industry’s monster flicks look promising. VOA’s Penelope Poulou reports.
…

From: MeNeedIt