Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The flashy governor of Nairobi on Monday pleaded not guilty to over 30 charges of money laundering, receiving bribes and conflict of interest in a court appearance held under tight security. Governor Mike , the latest top official to be hauled in on corruption charges in …
Read More »Rwanda begins vaccinating against Ebola
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwanda on Sunday started a voluntary Ebola vaccination programme at its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly virus from its neighbour. All countries in high-risk areas, even if not hit by Ebola, had been …
Read More »Nairobi governor arrested for ‘economic crimes’
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The flashy governor of Nairobi was arrested Friday shortly after Kenya’s chief prosecutor ordered he be detained to face charges of economic crimes. Governor Mike Sonko is the latest in a string of top officials — including Finance Minister Henry Rotch — to be hauled in …
Read More »UN appeals for aid to help millions of Zimbabweans buy food
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The United Nations on Thursday called for some $200 million in extra funding to help four million Zimbabweans unable to buy food due to drought and triple-digit inflation. The southern African country has been hit by a poor harvest and an entrenched economic crisis that has …
Read More »Rwanda announces partnership with French club PSG in battle for tourists
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda has added another European club to promote its tourism and products like coffee by announcing a partnership with French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The club announced today that Visit Rwanda will also be displayed at the Parc des Princes Stadium where fans of …
Read More »US to name ambassador to Sudan for first time in 23 years
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States said Wednesday it would name an ambassador to Sudan for the first time in 23 years, during a visit to Washington by the country’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The two nations will proceed with an exchange of ambassadors, Secretary of State …
Read More »Babies born on floor as Zimbabwe’s health system totters
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The floor is dusty, the walls filthy and the furniture decrepit, but for two weeks last month a tiny flat in a Harare township was transformed into a maternity clinic where scores of babies were born. Its owner, 69-year-old Esther Gwena, says she helped to deliver …
Read More »Radio show helps ordinary Nigerians take on officials
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Early each morning, a crowd gathers outside Ahmad Isah’s radio studio in Nigeria’s capital Abuja hoping to share their problems over the airwaves. For those waiting — men and women, young and old — Isah’s Brekete (very big in Pidgin English) Family show offers a rare …
Read More »Africa’s largest power dam stokes Nile River tensions
Paris, France | AFP | Ethiopia’s construction of a massive power dam on the Blue Nile is raising tensions with Egypt, which depends on the river for 90 percent of its water supply. As the neighbours and Sudan met in Cairo for talks Monday and Tuesday on the potential …
Read More »Sudan cinema flickers back to life after Bashir ouster
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Talal Afifi has worked for years to revive Sudanese cinema which has languished through decades of authoritarian rule. With the fall of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, he sees new hope. Bashir’s Islamist-backed rule of 30 years had seen cinemas shuttered and US sanctions prevent imports of …
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