Africa's week in pictures: 14-20 May 2021
A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond:
All photos subject to copyright.
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ReutersEU parliament freezes China deal ratification until Beijing lifts sanctions
The resolution to freeze ratification passed with 599 votes in favour, 30 votes against and 58 abstentions. The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, agreed by negotiators in December after seven years of talks, aimed to put EU companies on an equal footing in China and cement Beijing's status as a trusted trading partner.
- Reuters
'Mama, Baba, Boom!': Toddlers and families learn to live with Gaza bombardment
The Mashharawi family have already fled their home to a relative's apartment in the Gaza Strip and are prepared for another dash at any time. For more than a week, since a conflict erupted with Israel, they have retreated each evening to the windowless corridor, with vital documents and other items packed and ready to grab. Diplomacy towards a ceasefire between Israel's military and Palestinian militants in Gaza has yet to deliver an end to the unrelenting exchange of fire, running through the day and night.
- The Conversation
Employees are feeling burned over broken work-from-home promises and corporate culture ‘BS’ as employers try to bring them back to the office
Some workers aren’t that excited about a return to the office. Antonio Sanchez Albacete/EyeEm via Getty ImagesAs vaccinations and relaxed health guidelines make returning to the office a reality for more companies, there seems to be a disconnect between managers and their workers over remote work. A good example of this is a recent op-ed written by the CEO of a Washington, D.C., magazine that suggested workers could lose benefits like health care if they insist on continuing to work remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. The staff reacted by refusing to publish for a day. While the CEO later apologized, she isn’t alone in appearing to bungle the transition back to the office after over a year in which tens of millions of employees were forced to work from home. A recent survey of full-time corporate or government employees found that two-thirds say their employers either have not communicated a post-pandemic office strategy or have only vaguely done so. As workforce scholars, we are interested in teasing out how workers are dealing with this situation. Our recent research found that this failure to communicate clearly is hurting morale, culture and retention. Workers relocating We first began investigating workers’ pandemic experiences in July 2020 as shelter-in-place orders shuttered offices and remote work was widespread. At the time, we wanted to know how workers were using their newfound freedom to potentially work virtually from anywhere. We analyzed a dataset that a business and technology newsletter attained from surveying its 585,000 active readers. It asked them whether they planned to relocate during the next six months and to share their story about why and where from and to. After a review, we had just under 3,000 responses, including 1,361 people who were planning to relocate or had recently done so. We systematically coded these responses to understand their motives and, based on distances moved, the degree of ongoing remote-work policy they would likely need. We found that a segment of these employees would require a full remote-work arrangement based on the distance moved from their office, and another portion would face a longer commute. Woven throughout this was the explicit or implicit expectation of some degree of ongoing remote work among many of the workers who moved during the pandemic. In other words, many of these workers were moving on the assumption – or promise – that they’d be able to keep working remotely at least some of the time after the pandemic ended. Or they seemed willing to quit if their employer didn’t oblige. One of authors explains the research. We wanted to see how these expectations were being met as the pandemic started to wind down in March 2021. So we searched online communities in Reddit to see what workers were saying. One forum proved particularly useful. A member asked, “Has your employer made remote work permanent yet or is it still in the air?” and went on to share his own experience. This post generated 101 responses with a good amount of detail on what their respective individual companies were doing. While this qualitative data is only a small sample that is not necessarily representative of the U.S. population at large, these posts allowed us to delve into a richer understanding of how workers feel, which a simple stat can’t provide. We found a disconnect between workers and management that starts with but goes beyond the issue of the remote-work policy itself. Broadly speaking, we found three recurring themes in these anonymous posts. 1. Broken remote-work promises Others have also found that people are taking advantage of pandemic-related remote work to relocate to a city at a distance large enough that it would require partial or full-time remote work after people return to the office. A recent survey by consulting firm PwC found that almost a quarter of workers were considering or planning to move more than 50 miles from one of their employer’s main offices. The survey also found 12% have already made such a move during the pandemic without getting a new job. Our early findings suggested some workers would quit their current job rather than give up their new location if required by their employer, and we saw this actually start to occur in March. One worker planned a move from Phoenix to Tulsa with her fiancé to get a bigger place with cheaper rent after her company went remote. She later had to leave her job for the move, even though “they told me they would allow me to work from home, then said never mind about it.” Another worker indicated the promise to work remotely was only implicit, but he still had his hopes up when leaders “gassed us up for months saying we’d likely be able to keep working from home and come in occasionally” and then changed their minds and demanded employees return to the office once vaccinated. 2. Confused remote-work policies Another constant refrain we read in the worker comments was disappointment in their company’s remote-work policy – or lack thereof. Whether workers said they were staying remote for now, returning to the office or still unsure, we found that nearly a quarter of the people in our sample said their leaders were not giving them meaningful explanations of what was driving the policy. Even worse, the explanations sometimes felt confusing or insulting. One worker complained that the manager “wanted butts in seats because we couldn’t be trusted to [work from home] even though we’d been doing it since last March,” adding: “I’m giving my notice on Monday.” Another, whose company issued a two-week timeline for all to return to the office, griped: “Our leadership felt people weren’t as productive at home. While as a company we’ve hit most of our goals for the year. … Makes no sense.” After a long period of office shutterings, it stands to reason workers would need time to readjust to office life, a point expressed in recent survey results. Employers that quickly flip the switch in calling workers back and do so with poor clarifying rationale risk appearing tone-deaf. It suggests a lack of trust in productivity at a time when many workers report putting in more effort than ever and being strained by the increased digital intensity of their job – that is, the growing number of online meetings and chats. And even when companies said they wouldn’t require a return to the office, workers still faulted them for their motives, which many employees described as financially motivated. “We are going hybrid,” one worker wrote. “I personally don’t think the company is doing it for us. … I think they realized how efficient and how much money they are saving.” Only a small minority of workers in our sample said their company asked for input on what employees actually want from a future remote work policy. Given that leaders are rightly concerned about company culture, we believe they are missing a key opportunity to engage with workers on the issue and show their policy rationales aren’t only about dollars and cents. 3. Corporate culture ‘BS’ Management gurus such as Peter Drucker and other scholars have found that corporate culture is very important to binding together workers in an organization, especially in times of stress. A company’s culture is essentially its values and beliefs shared among its members. That’s harder to foster when everyone is working remotely. That’s likely why corporate human resource executives rank maintaining organizational culture as their top workforce priority for 2021. But many of the forum posts we reviewed suggested that employer efforts to do that during the pandemic by orchestrating team outings and other get-togethers were actually pushing workers away, and that this type of “culture building” was not welcome. [Like what you’ve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter.] One worker’s company “had everyone come into the office for an outdoor luncheon a week ago,” according to a post, adding: “Idiots.” Surveys have found that what workers want most from management, on the issue of corporate culture, are more remote-work resources, updated policies on flexibility and more communication from leadership. As another worker put it, “I can tell you, most people really don’t give 2 flips about ‘company culture’ and think it’s BS.”This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Kimberly Merriman, University of Massachusetts Lowell; David Greenway, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Tamara Montag-Smit, University of Massachusetts Lowell. Read more:Workers are looking for direction from management – and any map is better than no mapWhat inspired digital nomads to flee America’s big cities may spur legions of remote workers to do the same The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
- Reuters Videos
'Protect us': French police protest attacks on officers
The discontent within the police will trouble President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to show voters he is strong on law and order ahead of next year's election, when the far-right leader Marine Le Pen is expected to mount the biggest challenge.Police unions complain that the government is failing to protect officers from daily attacks that leave some afraid of doing their jobs in certain towns and cities.The protest took place after a month-long period which saw a policeman killed during an anti-narcotics operation and a police force employee stabbed to death outside her commissariat.However, human rights groups and ethnic minority associations have frequently levelled accusations of brutality and systemic racism against the police force itself.
- Reuters
S.Korea says to run mix-and-match trial of COVID-19 vaccines
South Korea on Thursday said it will conduct a clinical trial that mixes COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca Plc with those from Pfizer Inc and others. The decision comes as a growing number of countries look into using different COVID-19 vaccines for first and second doses amid supply delays and safety concerns that have slowed their vaccination campaigns. A health official said the trial will include around 500 military personnel who were vaccinated with a first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot.
- Architectural Digest
Channing Tatum Buys $5.6 Million Midcentury Farmhouse in Brentwood
The two-story property was constructed almost entirely out of wood and stone in 1950
- List Wire
2020-21 NBA regular-season stats leaders
What players and teams led the way when it came to statistical categories during the 2020-21 NBA season?
- The Independent
‘Lori Lightfoot is a monster’: Tucker Carlson compares Chicago mayor to Nazi over policy favouring Black journalists
‘Yes, that was a Nazi reference. It was deserved,’ says Carlson
- Simply Wall St.
Should Richelieu Hardware (TSE:RCH) Be Disappointed With Their 71% Profit?
When we invest, we're generally looking for stocks that outperform the market average. And the truth is, you can make...
- Carmudi
Geely PH to open 13 dealerships ‘soon’
After some of its plans to expand its network locally were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP) announced that it is still keen on opening 13 more dealerships. The local distributor of Geely vehicles in the country said that it was about to “open 15 dealerships last year and 15 more in 2021” but the pandemic happened. “Operating a young business became a struggle and SGAP’s dealership expansion plans were either pushed back or cancelled.” In a statement, SGAP shared that the 13 dealerships that it is about to open soon is eyed to “bring convenience to many and (will make Geely) accessible to more people as soon as possible.” Recently, SGAP appointed new dealers that are opening showrooms soon in Bacolod, Dagupan, Marilao, Bacolor, and Sumulong. Aside from that the company is also looking at opening in San Fernando, Pampanga; Marikina; Las Piñas; Marilao, Bulacan; Tacloban City; Taytay and Cainta. All these dealership will be complementing the existing dealerships in North EDSA, Quezon Avenue, Makati, Baliwag, Cagayan de Oro, Imus, Cebu City, General Santos City, Davao City, Zamboanga City and Lipa City. Newly minted SGAP President and Chief Executive Officer Yosuke Nishi said that expansion initiatives will be more assertive this 2021. “We are taking a more aggressive approach in reaching out to more customers in the country this year as we keep up with our target network expansion schedules which were stalled by the long-standing global crisis,” Nishi said. “As the crisis is seen to take longer, this year will definitely be another tough year to battle for many businesses. On the brighter side of things, I would like to believe that Geely was introduced in the Philippines at the right time, at a point where buyers are now demanding for more high tech and safety features in cars they wish to purchase yet still reasonably priced,” he added. Meanwhile, SGAP said it will be introducing new models in the second half of the year. Photos from Sojitz G Auto Philippines Also read: Geely opens virtual showrooms for SGAP-owned dealerships Will Geely bring back the Emgrand next year? Geely Azkarra, Coolray to be offered with N95 Air Filters in PH
- The State
Naked woman found tied to ‘heavy equipment’ after sexual assault, Illinois police say
An Illinois man tied a woman to equipment at his workplace and sexually assaulted her, officials say.
- The Independent
Gohmert admits people think he's 'the dumbest guy in Congress' in speech immediately mocked for its stupidity
Critics on Twitter ask if Texas Republican is ‘the dumbest guy? Or just the most aware dumbest guy?’ after rambling in front of Congress
- INSIDER
Prince Harry says Meghan Markle encouraged him to seek therapy in response to an argument they had
Prince Harry detailed his struggles with mental health in "The Me You Can't See," a new documentary series which he co-created.
- Business Insider
Ghosted by Tesla: Customers say Tesla's ultrasleek, expensive Solar Roofs and panels come with nightmare customer service, often leaving them with unanswered calls and emails for months on end
Insider spoke with 14 Tesla Solar Roof and solar panel customers. Tesla's lack of communication "is infuriating for a $60,000 product," one said.
- Business Insider
Chris Cuomo apologized to his CNN colleagues on-air over news he coached his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, through sexual-harassment allegations
"It was a mistake because I put my colleagues here ... in a bad spot," Chris Cuomo said. "I am sorry for that."
- Business Insider
10 Things in Politics: Trump's legal jeopardy has GOP worried
And the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding.
- The Telegraph
Boko Haram leader behind kidnapping of 300 girls seriously injured after trying to blow himself up
The notorious leader of Islamist terror group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has been seriously injured with some reporting he is dead after trying to blow himself up, according to intelligence sources. Shekau, the man behind the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping in 2014, tried to kill himself to avoid capture when a rival group supported by the Islamic State surrounded him on Wednesday, sources told AFP. In a confidential briefing leaked to Nigerian media and seen by The Daily Telegraph, the country's intelligence services said: "Shekau detonated a bomb and killed himself when he observed that the ISWAP fighters wanted to capture him alive." But an intelligence source told AFP Shekau had managed to escape with some men after the attack. In 2016, men from Boko Haram defected to create a splinter group, known as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). While Shekau revelled in indiscriminate brutality, ISWAP refused to kill Muslim civilians in a ploy to more successfuly recruit from local communities. Bulama Bukarti, a Boko Haram specialist at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, told The Telegraph that if confirmed, Shekau's death would be "a huge milestone, a turning point in Boko Haram's history." "If his death exacerbates the infighting, it means more killings on both sides and that would be positive news for counterterrorism. If his death leads to the reunification of Boko Haram, then it will become a unified force and they will continue to pursue civilian-friendly policy." The brutal leader has been reported dead several times in the past, but each time he has issued statements or videos to rebut the claims. The cleric became the group's leader in 2010 and launched a sadistic campaign of terror across the Lake Chad region into southern Niger, northern Cameroon and Chad. Hamstrung by low morale, a lack of resources and decades of corruption, the Nigerian military struggled to stop Boko Haram's advance. "Shekau defied the Nigerian armed forces for 12 years, if it's true it speaks volumes about how alarmingly powerful ISWAP is," Mr Bukarti added. Despite frequent declarations of victory by the Nigerian government, Boko Haram and their breakaway group, ISWAP, have proved extraordinarily resilient. Reportedly, the jihadists have killed thousands of local soldiers over the last two years. More than 40,000 people have been killed and over two million have fled their homes due to the conflict in northeast Nigeria. Fighting has spread to parts of neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
- The Week
Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon joke about Greg Pence's no vote on solving Mike Pence's attempted murder
"Last night the House voted 252-175 to form a commission that would investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots," Jimmy Fallon said on Thursday's Tonight Show. "Not only did 175 Republicans vote against the commission, they also want to make Jan. 6 'Bring Your Insane Rioter to Work Day.'" The commission bill "now heads to the Senate, where it needs support of 10 Republicans," he said. "Come on, there's a better chance of 10 dentists supporting Mountain Dew Cake Smash." "Get this, Mike Pence's brother Greg Pence voted no," Fallon laughed. "People said, 'Don't you care that they tried to kill your brother?' And he was like 'No's before bros!' That will make for a fun family barbecue this summer: 'Mother, ask Judas how he wants his meat patty.'" The Late Show suggested this year's Pence Thanksgiving will be awkward, to the tune of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family." Apparently, "Republicans don't want to find out why they were almost murdered because it could hurt them politically," believing "a Jan. 6 probe could undercut their midterm message," Stephen Colbert sighed at The Late Show. Rep. Tim Ryan's (D-Ohio) explained his bafflement at this strategy on the House floor. "Wow, what an impassioned speech," Colbert marveled. "That guy should run for president." (The joke is, he just did.) "The new new thing in Washington now that's dividing Congress is the mask mandate in the House of Representatives — Democrats want it, so Republicans, naturally, don't," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. "It look a while, but we finally found the one thing House Republicans aren't willing to cover up: their faces. And the main reason these masks are still needed, the only reason they need them on the floor of the House, is because less than half of House Republicans are vaccinated." He explained how certain unvaccinated people are total "freeloaders." Jeff Bezos is auctioning off a seat on his Blue Origin space tourism flight, and the current high bid is $2.8 million, Kimmel said. "Who has $2.8 million and might need to get off the planet fast?" Maybe the rich guy in deepening legal peril. Donald Trump will "finally get to meet all the illegal aliens he's been screaming about," he joked. The former president's former lawyer suggested he'll feed his kids to the wolves to save his own skin, Kimmel said. "The saddest part is going to be when Trump forgets to pin a crime on Tiffany." More stories from theweek.comAngelina Jolie stands perfectly still, unshowered, covered in bees for World Bee DayWhat the left gets wrong about the Israel-Palestine conflictTexas executes Quintin Jones for 1999 murder, says it forgot to let the media witness execution
- LA Times
Column: Michael Cohen gets to laugh last
Let Liz Cheney and Michael Cohen, two former Trumpites who came out from under the former president's control, show a swath of abused Republicans the rewards of doing the right thing.
- Associated Press Videos
US farmers are getting paid to plant cover crops
Farming techniques that are good for the soil may also play an important role in fighting climate change (May 21)