Category: Africa

South African court rules ICC withdrawal unconstitutional

In this June 14, 2015 file photo, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir smiles during a visit to Johannesburg, South Africa. A South African court ruled Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017 that the government’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court without parliament’s approval was unconstitutional.

.com | Kidnapped SA photographer’s family distances itself from NGO’s deal claim

The family of missing South African photojournalist, Shiraaz Mohamed, have broken their silence, expressing concerns over claims made by a Cape Town-based NGO that it was negotiating his release. Speaking on behalf of the family, Mohamed’s sister, Sumaya, 36, said the family was concerned about reports that surfaced last Friday, where an organisation called Truth Collective South Africa, told the media that it was working with Mohamed’s abductors, to have him returned home safely and unharmed.

Emerging Markets-Emerging stocks sail to new 19-month highs

Feb 22 Wall Street’s record run helped emerging stocks sail to new 19-month highs on Wednesday with year-to-date gains of over 10 percent, while the rand firmed ahead of a key budget speech by the finance minister. MSCI’s emerging equity index firmed half a percent , led by a 1 percent rise in Hong Kong after New York shares hit record highs and European bourses were boosted by upbeat factory data in Germany and France.

South Sudan and Somalia to receive 100 million UK aid packages

International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced the new packages of UK aid for 2017/18 and called on the global community to step up their support in helping those in need. The Department for International Development said parts of South Sudan were now in famine, adding that in 2017 there was a credible risk of another three famines in Yemen, North East Nigeria and Somalia.

Bodies of 74 migrants wash up on Libya beach: Red Crescent

The bodies of 74 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe have washed up on a beach west of the Libyan capital, the Red Crescent said on Tuesday. Residents of the village of Harcha, outside Zawiya, 45 kilometres from Tripoli, alerted the emergency services after finding a wrecked boat on the beach with bodies inside, the Red Crescent said.

FEATURE-Illegal settlers threaten Zimbabwe’s timber industry

F rom the mountaintop at Skyline in the Chimanimani district of eastern Zimbabwe, a mosaic of scorched trees and timber can be seen stretching for miles on end. Lit by a wave of illegal settlers, the fires regularly rage through the pine and eucalyptus plantations of Manicaland province, destroying vast swathes of timber at enormous cost.

First Ladies root for women empowerment

On her part, Madam Brigitte commended the Kenyan First Lady for spearheading the Beyond zero campaign to reduce maternal and child mortality, saying she is a true model of African motherhood. The Central African Republic First Lady is a champion of Merc More than a Mother, an organization which supports women facing stigma because of infertility.

Burundi ex-deputy leader returns home, criticizes opposition

” A former vice president of Burundi who fled the country after criticizing the ruling party has returned to the country after accusing some of her colleagues in the opposition of being “destructive.” Alice Nzomukunda, who was one of President Pierre Nkurunziza’s deputies between 2005 and 2006, returned to Burundi Monday with two other members of the opposition bloc CNARED, which has been involved in on-off peace talks with the government.

Blast in Somalia kills 34 in Mogadishu marketplace

Somalia’s new president visited victims wounded by the Mogadishu car bomb that on Sunday killed 34. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those who planned the blast. The explosion hit a busy marketplace in the western part of the capital, said police Capt.

Blast in Mogadishu marketplace kills 34

Somalia’s new president visited victims wounded by the Mogadishu car bomb that on Sunday killed 34. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those who planned the blast. “It was a horrific and barbaric attack only aimed at killings civilians,” he said from the scene of the blast.

Islamic extremists denounce Somalia’s new president

A commander of Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels denounced said the country’s recent election of a new president and vowed to continue fighting the government, the first official comment from al-Shabab since the president’s election earlier this month. In an audio message released by al-Shabab’s radio arm Sunday, Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, a senior commander of the extremist group, called Somalia’s new president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed an “apostate” and warned Somalis against supporting him.

At Least 30 Killed In Car Bomb Attack In Somalia

At least 30 people were killed in a huge car bomb blast at a busy market in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, officials said, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency confirmed the incident at Kawo-Gudey in Wadajir district, saying the casualties were both soldiers and civilians.

Islamic extremists denounce Somalia’s new president

A commander of Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels denounced said the country’s recent election of a new president and vowed to continue fighting the government, the first official comment from al-Shabab since the president’s election earlier this month. In an audio message released by al-Shabab’s radio arm Sunday, Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, a senior commander of the extremist group, called Somalia’s new president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed an “apostate” and warned Somalis against supporting him.

.com | Uganda seizes ton of ivory, arrests 2 West African suspects

Ugandan authorities seized a ton of illegal ivory and arrested three west Africans they believe were plotting to ship it abroad, an official said Saturday. The seizure happened late Friday at an “opulent, expansive house” in a suburb of the capital, Kampala, where law enforcement officials had been monitoring the West Africans for several weeks, said Gessa Simplicious, a spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

.com | Cyclone Dineo is still dangerous

The Mozambican government deployed a team to assess the damage in the aftermath of tropical cyclone Dineo this week as mop-up operations began in earnest. At least 116 government buildings, including hospitals, had their roofs blown off and more than 170 000 people were affected when strong winds and downpours swept through the cities of Inhambane and Maxixe, as well the districts of Morrumbene, Massinga, Jangano, Inharrime, Panda, Vilankulo, Funhalonso, Mabote and Homoine.

Street art transforming Dubai’s urban sprawl

The streets of Dubai may be known for architectural superlatives like Burj Khalifa, the highest of the world’s high-rises, and the Middle East’s largest shopping center Dubai Mall. But a group of street artists now also wants to turn the concrete walls of a fast-growing urban sprawl into an open-air museum that celebrates Emirati heritage and speaks to everyone in the multicultural city.

NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya Must Stop Casting Blame and Deceiving The Liberian People

The statement by NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya that the United Nations Development Program is to blame for the purchase of faulty camera equipment for the Voters Registration Exercise, the shortage of Optical Marked Recognition forms as well as his disclosure to Prime FM reporter that NEC, in the face of overwhelming problems, had registered about a million voters in the space of one-week, cannot go without comment.

Politics is local, interest-based, race-based and ethnicity-based

Politics is local, interest-based, race-based and ethnicity-based. If not, why do the Gios and Manos in Nimba County always vote for Senator Prince Johnson; the poor for George Weah and his CDC; and why do we say that Grand Bassa is expected to go to Charles Brumskine; Lofa will go to VP Joe Boakai; and Bong may go to Weah-Taylor or to Cummings-Sulunteh if Sulunteh is VP to Cummings, etc? The same reason Congua were afraid and denied the native majority to right to vote and to form their own political parties from 1847 to 1980.

Drought drives food price spike in East Africa, UN warns

East Africa’s ongoing drought has sharply curbed harvests and drive up the prices of cereals and other staple foods to unusually high levels, posing a heavy burden to households and special risks for pastoralists in the region, the United Nations Agricultural Agency said today. “Sharply increasing prices are severely constraining food access for large numbers of households with alarming consequences in terms of food insecurity,” said Mario Zappacosta, a senior economist for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization , in a news release.

Black Tie & Tales 02.16.17

Dr. Murray “Murf” Klauber didn’t know what to expect on Feb. 8 when he walked through the doors of Michael’s Wine Cellar, but the look of shock on his face said it all when, after giving his son Michael Klauber a hug, he turned around to find 70 of his loved ones ready to celebrate his 90th birthday with him. Klauber’s closest family and friends gathered to surprise him with the party, which had two themes that are close to his heart: South Africa and the Monkey Bar from his former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort.

Nigeria declares pollution in southern city an emergency, closes plant

Nigeria declared an air pollution emergency in a major southern city on Tuesday and closed an asphalt plant there after residents complained about the fumes from its furnaces, in a country plagued by corruption and poor governance. Residents staged a protest in Port Harcourt, a harbor city in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, waving their hands in the air to show the soot stains from touching cars.

Congo police open fire on sect supporters in capital Kinshasa

Police in Democratic Republic of Congo launched an assault on the residence of the leader of a separatist religious sect in Kinshasa early on Tuesday and fired live ammunition and tear gas at his supporters, a Reuters witness said. The assault on the home of Ne Muanda Nsemi, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo sect, began around 4:30 a.m. local time.

Rwanda: Airspace Agreement With Mali to Boost Trade

Trade and tourism between Rwanda and Mali could flourish following a new bilateral Airspace Service Agreement signed yesterday in Kigali. According to the agreement, all air service operations will be conducted under the fifth freedom arrangement, which means an airline has the right to carry passengers from one country to another and from that country to a third country.

Malawi: Asians Dominating Govt Procurement, MP Laments

Racial tensions, linked to the Malawian Asians’ economic dominance, do still exist, but it’s downplayed. However, Karonga central member of parliament Frank Tumpale Mwenifumbo spoke strongly in support of indigenous Malawians and that government should liberate its people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation and economic inequality.

Egypt LNG Market Demand & Supply Analysis, By Region, By Application, …

Thus, from being an exporter of LNG, currently imports LNG to address domestic demand. Moreover, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company secured a long-term contract from Gazprom and Sonatrach to supply 15 BCM of LNG to LNG market are increasing focus on using Floating Storage and Regasification Units for faster commissioning of LNG and to also reduce cost of importing LNG.

When Immigration Is Involved, The Left Doesn’t Care How Many Foreigners Die In Terror Attacks

Immigrants are the ” promise of America ,” and as long as they only kill foreigners, Democrats are happy to welcome them to the U.S. Trump signed an executive order Jan. 27 limiting immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries and indefinitely suspending Syrian refugees from entering the country. Protesters quickly gathered at airports across to protest Trump’s executive order , which he defended Jan. 29 as ” not a Muslim ban .”

.com | Smart ID Card – The real criteria

After queuing for 4h30 at Home Affairs in Malmesbury, I was told by an Official and then the Manager that even though I was born in SA, I don’t qualify for a Smart ID card as my parents were not born here. Online Smart-Card ID criteria makes no mention of this The Manager could not and would not provide me with any paperwork to prove this requirement.

Enlist as voters to determine your future, President to young people

President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the youth to enlist as voters in large numbers, saying their vote will shape the country’s future. President Kenyatta said young people who constitute the largest percentage of the Kenyan population have the ability to determine the quality of leaders the country will have if they register as voters and participate in the coming general election.