Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Businessman and politician Said Abdullahi Deni was elected president of the semi-autonomous state of Puntland in northern Somalia on Tuesday in a vote by regional lawmakers. Puntland, like much of the rest of Somalia, has suffered from decades of clan warfare and, more recently, terror …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari accepts setbacks in Boko Haram fight
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged setbacks in the fight against Boko Haram as the jihadists launched fresh attacks in the restive northeast. The 76-year-old head of state was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Islamist insurgency, which has killed more than …
Read More »South African train collision kills three, injures 300
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Two passenger trains collided during the morning rush hour in South Africa’s capital city Pretoria Tuesday, killing three people and injuring hundreds, emergency services said. Two critically injured people were airlifted from the scene of the crash in Mountain View, northern Pretoria, spokesman Charles …
Read More »Thousands protest citizenship bill in India’s Assam
Guwahati, India | AFP | Thousands in northeastern India protested Monday against a proposal to grant citizenship to religious minorities in the region, except Muslims, with critics attacking the bill as prejudiced and a sop to Hindus before elections. Protesters burned copies of the legislation in angry marches across Assam …
Read More »Gunmen kill 10 civilians, children, in east DR Congo
Beni, DR Congo | AFP | Ten civilians including children and relatives of soldiers were killed overnight in a raid by armed men in restive eastern DR Congo, officials said Tuesday. “There was an incursion yesterday (Monday) around 23:00… in the village of Mavivi” north of Beni, local administrator Donat …
Read More »KCB auctions Rwanda’s Ubumwe Grande Hotel
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda’s Ubumwe Grande Hotel fetched $34.053 million in as auctioneers that was held on Dec 24 to recover money owed to Kenya Commercial Bank’s Rwandan unit. The winning bid for the property was offered by Umubano Industries. Reports indicate that more than a dozen interested parties …
Read More »Mozambique says working with US over ex-minister arrest
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique said Monday it was working with US and South African authorities after its former finance minister was arrested in Johannesburg over $2 billion in alleged secret loans to Mozambican state companies. Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested on December 29 and will appear in a …
Read More »Egypt to host 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Egypt will host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations between June 15 and July 13, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad Ahmad announced in Dakar Tuesday. The CAF executive committee preferred Egypt to South Africa as replacements for original hosts Cameroon, who were dropped …
Read More »Air Tanzania takes delivery of Airbus A220
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tanzania’s national carrier, Air Tanzania, has delivered its first Airbus A220-300 aircraft, making it the first airline in Africa to take on the type. The name The Wings of Kilimanjaro was given to the aircraft – a fitting name to complement their other aircraft. The airlines acting …
Read More »China says UN observers welcome to Xinjiang, with conditions
Beijing, China | AFP | China said Monday it would welcome UN officials to the restive western region of Xinjiang with the condition that they stay out of the country’s internal affairs. This comes after UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in December her office was seeking access to …
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