Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took to state TV on Monday in his first speech since returning from a long medical absence in Britain, in a bid to dampen mounting separatist tensions in the country. The 74-year-old, who received treatment for an undisclosed condition in London, appeared …
Read More »South Africa online rhino horn auction delayed by two days
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A controversial online auction of rhino horn set to open Monday has been delayed by two days after a legal challenge delayed the South African permit for the sale, the organisers announced. Outraged conservationists say the three-day auctoin could undermine the global ban on rhino …
Read More »BBC Pidgin takes to the airwaves in Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Imagine a language without an alphabet, held together without grammar or spelling, which changes every day but is nonetheless spoken and understood by more than 75 million Nigerians. So how would a global mega-broadcaster like the BBC go about reaching this vast, young and un-tapped audience? …
Read More »South Africa gives go-ahead to rhino horn auction
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court on Sunday gave the go-ahead for an online auction of rhino horns that has outraged conservationists. South African authorities had moved to ban the three-day auction which they feared would undermine the global ban on rhino trade, refusing to issue a …
Read More »Thirteen dead in fresh C. Africa clashes
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Thirteen people have been killed in a town in Central African Republic, a local doctor said Sunday, as the toll from sectarian violence that has sparked fears of genocide continued to rise. The clashes took place in Bria, in the centre of the country …
Read More »Another CHAN shock as Ghana crash
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Burkina Faso upset Ghana 2-1 Sunday as a shock-riddled weekend of 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying continued. Defending champions the Democratic Republic of Congo and the team they beat in the 2016 final, Mali, were dumped out of the competition for home-based footballers Saturday. …
Read More »Return to winning ways, Barca’s homage to victims – Valverde
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde conceded it was vital for his side to help lift spirits in the Catalan capital by beating Real Betis 2-0 in their La Liga opener on Sunday. Twin terrorist attacks on Thursday killed 14 people and wounded around 120 in Barcelona’s bustling …
Read More »Brilliant Neymar dazzles again in PSG romp
Paris, France | AFP | Neymar starred from beginning to end on his home debut for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring twice in a 6-2 thumping of Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday. The Brazilian superstar had a hand in everything else his new side did at the Parc des Princes as they …
Read More »Rwanda, Egypt cement relations
Agenda includes River Nile waters Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi, who recently, completed a four-country tour of Africa, was in Kigali, Rwanda on Aug.15 and held bilateral talks with President Paul Kagame. One of the top issues on Al-Sisi’s agenda is the issue of the River Nile Basin and Egypt’s …
Read More »‘It could have been me’: S.Leone struggles to recover from disaster
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Gathered in a Freetown church, worshippers struggled Sunday to come to terms with the devastation wrought by the flooding and mudslide that struck the Sierra Leone capital six days ago, as the arduous search for bodies continued. “I just close my eyes and imagine, I …
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