London, United Kingdom | AFP | A 3,000-year-old quartzite head of Egyptian “Boy King” Tutankhamun was auctioned off for $6 million on Thursday in London despite an outcry from Cairo. Christie’s auction house sold the 28.5-centimetre (11-inch) relic for £4,746,250 ($5,970,000, 5,290,000 euros) at one of its most controversial auctions in …
Read More »Sudan generals, protesters in day two of talks on disputed issue
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s ruling generals and protest leaders began a second day of talks Thursday on the unresolved issue of forming a new governing body, in negotiations held after weeks of standoff following a deadly crackdown on protesters. Sudan has been rocked by a political crisis since the …
Read More »Critical condition: Liberia’s hospitals battle deadly shortages
SUAKOKO, Liberia | AFP | A young woman lies in intensive care at Liberia’s Phebe Hospital. Her mother comes running in with the drugs she needs, but the doctor shakes his head. It is too late. “When patients come, we are obliged to send (family members) out to get drugs. …
Read More »Deadly air strike on Libya migrant centre sparks outrage
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Outrage and calls for an independent probe mounted Wednesday as 44 migrants were killed in an air strike on a detention centre in Libya that the UN said could constitute a war crime. UN chief Antonio Guterres denounced the “horrendous” attack and demanded an independent investigation, …
Read More »Sudan protesters, generals resume talks over civilian rule
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s protest leaders and ruling generals resumed talks Wednesday over forming a new governing body, the first such negotiations since a deadly crackdown on demonstrators last month. The dialogue came after African Union and Ethiopian mediators called on the two sides Tuesday to resume long stalled …
Read More »From a lake high in Madagascar, Africa’s own caviar
Mantasoa, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascar, renowned for its unique wildlife and vanilla production, has a new claim to fame — the island nation is Africa’s first and only source of caviar. The business is an unlikely project in a country beset by grinding poverty, but its owners are determined …
Read More »Ethiopia, AU mediators call for Sudan talks
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | African Union and Ethiopian mediators Tuesday invited Sudan’s ruling generals and protest leaders to resume talks, as they seek a breakthrough on creating a new governing body for the country. The call to attend talks planned for Wednesday comes as tension remains high between the two …
Read More »Afreximbank shareholders to earn $69million
The bank’s assets grew 15% to $15 billion in 2018 Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Shareholders of Africa Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) are set to earn $69million as dividends following record growth in profits in 2018. Last year, shareholders earned $57.53million. The decision was reached during the Annual General Meeting …
Read More »Sudan protesters call for civil disobedience on July 14
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese protest leaders called for a one-day nationwide “civil disobedience” campaign on July 14, in an announcement on Monday a day after they organised mass protests against the ruling generals that rocked the country. The move, which aims to increase pressure on the ruling generals …
Read More »Mauritania constitutional council confirms election winner Ghazouani
Nouakchott, Mauritania | AFP | Ex-general Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was declared the official winner Monday of presidential elections in Mauritania that opposition candidates claim were unfair. The Constitutional Council, the final authority on Mauritania’s founding law, rejected an opposition challenge and confirmed the CENI electoral commission’s announcement that Ghazouani had …
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