AFRICA

Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | The central bank of South Sudan on Wednesday restricted public institutions and the private sector to transact business only in the local currency, the South Sudanese pound (SSP), amid the current volatile exchange rate which has seen the local pound depreciates against the U.S. dollar. …

United Nations | Xinhua | UN peacekeepers have discovered mass graves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) containing the bodies of 42 civilians, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. The victims, including 12 women and six children, were discovered in the village of Nyamamba in the country’s eastern Ituri …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The average number of children a Kenyan woman is bearing has dropped from 6.7 in 1989 to 3.4 in 2022, thanks to greater use of modern contraceptive methods, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) released Tuesday. Compiled by the Kenya National Bureau …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | TikTok, a short video-sharing platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, awarded last weekend TikTok creators from across sub-Saharan Africa for the immense talent and creativity they brought to the platform in the past year. TikTok’s inaugural award ceremony took place in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, following …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The Kenyan football governing body has provisionally suspended 15 individuals from the game over allegations of match-fixing. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) said in a statement issued on Friday evening that it has received confidential reports alleging the involvement of various players and officials in match-fixing activities …

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | The Somali government said Saturday that it had closed 250 bank accounts belonging to al-Shabab to cut off the militant group’s funding sources. Additionally, 70 mobile money accounts of the militants were shut down as part of the government’s efforts to block their financial flow, …

A number of African governments are introducing tax cuts and other incentives to boost the e-mobility industry and drive the demand for eco-friendly vehicles Tunis, Tunisia | BIRD AGENCY | Tunisia has become the latest country to introduce e-mobility incentives as governments across Africa bet on tax breaks and other …

Cairo, Egypt | XINHUA |  An ancient royal tomb was unearthed at the Western Wadis (Valleys) of the Theban Necropolis on the west bank of Nile River in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, said the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Saturday. The tomb, unveiled by a joint …

Mpondwe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A suspected bomb has exploded inside a church in Lhubira, DR Congo. The explosion happened on Sunday leaving unspecified number of casualties. The church reportedly belonging to the Born again faith is about 3 kms from the Ugandan border. Traces of blood and wounded …

Gaborone, Botswana | Xinhua | Botswana has discovered the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, said a government official in a press release issued on Friday. “Only one case of the Omicron sublineage XBB.1.5 has so far been detected in Botswana,” said Malepa Dibonwa, the acting spokesperson in Botswana’s Ministry of Health. The new …