London, United Kingdom | AFP | British short-haul carrier Monarch Airlines went bust Monday in the biggest airline failure in Britain, prompting the government to take emergency action to return home 110,000 stranded passengers. Monarch and its holidays business went into administration, with KPMG appointed to oversee the financial chaos …
Read More »Nigerian inflight operator sells its stake in Rwanda operation
Nigeria’s leading airline catering service provider, Newrest ASL Nigeria Plc, has divested its stake in its Rwandan subsidiary; ASL Rwanda Ltd. Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | In a Sept.22 notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the board of directors of Newrest ASL informed its shareholders and other stakeholders that …
Read More »Ghanaian villagers profit from monkey business
Tafi Atome, Ghana | AFP | The villagers of Tafi Atome, in Ghana’s Volta Region, grew up listening to tales of their spiritual links to the 1,000 or so mona monkeys that inhabit the surrounding lush forest. But they have also turned that reverence into revenue, by making the cheeky primates …
Read More »Africa poaching now a war, task force warns
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | The fight against poaching must be treated as a war, Africa’s leading anti-poaching coalition said Thursday, as it called for the illicit wildlife trade to be monitored like global conflicts. Enact, an EU-funded anti-poaching analytical taskforce that includes Interpol, called for the expansion of a …
Read More »Nine stray elephants electrocuted in Botswana
Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | Nine elephants were electrocuted in a freak accident in Botswana after one of them knocked into an electricity pole and the high-voltage power line fell on them, a local official said Tuesday. The herd is believed to have broken out of the northeastern Makgadikgadi Pans Game …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Kenya Airways now to fly to US
THIS WEEK: Kenya Airways now to fly to US Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, can now fly to the United States after it was granted permit to operate direct flights. The permit became effective Se 05, according to the order issued by the US Department …
Read More »Report finds staggering decline in Canada wildlife
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Half of the vertebrate populations in Canada are in staggering decline, despite the country’s vast outback, according to a WWF report Thursday that highlighted threats to beluga whales and caribou. The World Wildlife Fund in its Living Planet Report pointed to 451 shrinking animal populations out …
Read More »When Rwanda named baby mountain gorillas
Rwanda Development Board (RDB) on Sept.01 held the annual gorilla naming ceremony at Kinigi in Musanze District, northern Rwanda. This year marks the 13th edition of the annual flagship event, locally known as Kwita Izina. It is the flagship of Rwanda’s conservation efforts and brings together conservation enthusiasts from all …
Read More »Culture, creativity on display as PM Rugunda opens JAMAFEST 2017
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 3rd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat organised Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni Festival (JAMAFEST) entered day two Sunday, with the highlight being the official opening of the culural festival by Uganda Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. The main objective of the …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Rwanda, South African firms sign deal to boost tourism
Kigali, Rwanda | THIS WEEK | In an effort to promote Rwanda as a conference hub, a South African firm, Crystal Events Africa, has entered into an agreement with Ikaze Professional Conference Organisers to market the east African country as a top conferences centre and must-visit tourist destination on the continent. “The …
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