Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The long, loud nights of Kinshasa’s street life are set to be shortened by the new governor of DR Congo’s unruly capital, as part of a city-wide crusade against “dirtiness”. In less than a month, the bars spilling out on to the city’s highways and …
Read More »Sweden rejects Chinese embezzlement extradition request
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Sweden’s top court on Tuesday rejected a Beijing extradition request for a Chinese man accused of economic crimes because of risks of persecution and the death penalty in China. Qiao Jianjun, a former official of the Chinese state grain administration, is wanted by Beijing under a …
Read More »Calls for unity in Ethiopia’s Tigray as anti-Abiy sentiment swells
Mekele, Ethiopia | AFP | In his cramped studio, Ethiopian reggae singer Solomon Yikunoamlak plucks his guitar and reads over his latest ballad, a strident call for unity in his native Tigray during a time of national upheaval. It is unusual material for an artist who rose to fame singing love …
Read More »Mubende hospital director pinned over UGX 777m expenditure
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has faulted the Mubende Regional Referral Hospital Director, Alex Andema over a 777.8 million Shillings wrongly expenditure on a stalled building. Andema and other hospital officials on Tuesday appeared before the committee chaired by Budadiri West MP Nathan Nandala Mafabi …
Read More »Heatwave adds to the woes of migrants stranded Bosnia
Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina | AFP | Stranded in Bosnia, thousands of migrants face yet one more hurdle on their journey towards the European Union: the scorching summer heat in the Balkans. Under a leaden sky, Saleh Alhasan and his friends hurry to reach the shade of the woods after failing …
Read More »Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry reels in foreign investors
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s film industry, dubbed Nollywood, has long kept viewers entertained with tales of romance and riches, and now foreign investors are increasingly looking for a part of the action. US giant Netflix, France’s Canal+ and China’s StarTimes are among those making moves in the globe’s second …
Read More »Katikiro warns on proposed coffee law
Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Charles Peter Mayiga, the Katikiro of Buganda Kingdom is pessimistic that once passed into law in its current form, the National Coffee Bill 2018 will dampen farmer’s commitment towards reviving coffee production. Last year, Uganda Coffee Development Authority-UCDA unveiled the National Coffee Bill 2018 …
Read More »In Yakutia, Russia digs for diamonds in permafrost
Mirny, Russia | AFP | Diamonds are forever, and so is the permanently frozen ground of Yakutia in north eastern Siberia, home to huge diamond deposits that ensure Russia’s supremacy in world production of the luxury stone. In the city of Mirny, the sun shines almost continuously during the region’s white …
Read More »African leaders set to sign landmark trade deal at AU Summit
Niamey, Niger | AFP | African leaders will meet Sunday in Niger for the African Union (AU) summit, to sign a landmark free trade agreement, and to discuss looming security and migration crises on the continent. In a “historic” moment for the 55-member bloc, according to its chairman Moussa Faki, heads …
Read More »Tour de Impossible? Pakistan hosts ‘world’s toughest cycle race’
Khunjerab , Pakistan | AFP | Finishing nearly 5,000 metres above sea level after hundreds of kilometres winding past blackened glaciers and snow-capped peaks: a new Pakistani race presents a world-class challenge for cyclists — climbing towards the “Roof of the World”. The Tour de Khunjerab — its name a …
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