AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | An explosion wounded at least one person in central Nairobi on Saturday, a police source said, with the Kenyan capital still on edge nearly two weeks after a jihadist attack that killed 21 people. The wounded person was one of the street-cart vendors who sell …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  British renewable energy firm, BBOXX, has secured $31 million investment from the Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) fund for African expansion. The firm said it will also use the cash to roll out its solar platform that incorporates photovoltaics, battery systems, real-time analytics and the …

  Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday suspended the country’s top judge just weeks from elections, triggering condemnation from opposition parties who accused him of “an act of dictatorship” and mounting “a judicial coup”. The former military ruler, 76, is seeking re-election at polls on February …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi vowed to enhance DR Congo’s respect for human rights on Thursday after he was sworn in as president, the country’s first-ever peaceful handover of power. Tshisekedi took the oath of office flanked by outgoing head of state Joseph Kabila, whose 18-year …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Africa’s arms market is likely to grow by 50 percent over the next five years, analyst Stephane Konan said at a four-day trade show in Ivory Coast. “The African market in defence represents only a drop of water in relation to the world market: 42.6 …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Nearly a million dollars in cash was stolen from a suitcase owned by ousted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, state media reported Friday, as three suspects including a relative of the former leader face trial for the theft. According to updated court papers Mugabe had filled …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has said that the security and conflict situation in the IGAD Sub-region is rapidly improving. IGAD is a trade block comprising of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. Dr Koang Tutlam Dung, the Representative …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Mohsen al-Khayami has for years watched sadly as his once lucrative craft business dwindled and fellow artisans deserted the ancient art known as Khayamiya, or tentmaking, for better paying jobs. The 68 year-old, a master of one of Egypt’s most traditional crafts, has been handstitching the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s new president Thursday after an election fraught with delays and doubts. Here is a recap. – Two-year delay – After being postponed three times, the elections go ahead on December 30, 2018 to chose …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In the Ago Egun Bariga area of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, there is no road, no electricity, no running water and no rubbish collection. Now that high grass has blocked access to the water, there is no work either. The people of Ago Egun Bariga have …