A troubling new United Nations finding has turned attention to a record ransom payment. UN monitors say an estimated $50 million ransom paid to free a hostage kidnapped in Mali in late 2025 has since helped fuel a wider al-Qaeda offensive across West Africa. This story matters for South Africans watching events unfold on the […]
DR Congo Ebola outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic ever recorded in the country. According to the official figures, there have been 4,381 confirmed cases with 2,011 deaths. The Ebola outbreak is spreading across five provinces in the eastern region of the […]
Authorities in Uganda are set to press charges against half dozen Chinese nationals who escaped from institutional quarantine about a month ago. In all, there are six Chines and two Ugandan co-conspirators expected to be arraigned before the Nakawa Magistrates court according to a local journalist, Mujuni Raymond. The suspects are: Huang Haigiang, Li Chaochyan, […]
A compulsory face mask order kicked into effect in Guinea over the weekend (April 18) as part of government’s efforts to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. In the capital, Conakry, police officers conducted checks at major intersections and imposed a fine of 30,000 Guinean francs equivalent to 3 euros on offenders. In the […]
The United States Government through its mission in Nigeria has extended condolences to the family of late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. Kyari, who died on Friday after succumbing to the COVID-19 virus was buried on Saturday afternoon. The US mission in Nigeria via a message on its social media page described him as ‘dedicated […]
The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, is dead. Mr Kyari died of coronavirus and was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Lagos for the disease. His death was announced by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a Tweet early on Saturday. “Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, passes […]
Nearly eight out of ten South Africans say their household income has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, while one out of ten has already lost their jobs, according to new research from consumer credit reporting agency, TransUnion An additional 7 percent of South African adults expect their household income to decline in the future, […]
Zimbabwe must prepare 500 other people who were expelled from Botswana after having encountered difficulties due to the strict blacklisting rules of COVID-19. After a 28-day blockade of the Government of Botswana and a proposal for a six-month emergency, many Zimbabweans in the country can no longer afford the initial work of supporting them and […]
Breaking: Lagos identifies 119 people with COVID-19 symptom during the recently activated house to house search The Lagos state government says it has identified 119 people with COVID-19 symptoms during the recently activated house-to-house search. This was disclosed by Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health in Lagos state at a media briefing on Tuesday, April 14. […]
In Nigeria, we are taking a two step approach. First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here, and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners,” President Buhari disclosed on Sunday in a statement. The Presidential Task Force led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation is […]
Nigeria has recorded another 13 new cases of Coronavirus, taking the national figures to 318. According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Lagos accounted for 11 of the 13 new cases, with Delta and Kano recording one case each. “13 new cases of #COVID-19 have been reported; 11 in Lagos, 1 in Delta […]
Moroccans have been ordered to wear facial masks in a desperate attempt to curb spread of the coronavirus. The order was given by the Kingdom to enforce a national state of health emergency. “We are extremely happy and proud today to tell you that the company has succeeded in converting these machines that used to […]
The Ethiopian Parliament has today approved the five-month state of emergency declared to fight coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Council of Ministers led by PM Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday declared the measure to control the spread of the virus and reduce its impact on the country. Abiebie Adanech, Attorney general disclosed yesterday that the COVID-19 State […]
President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months The suspension includes one month of which will be unpaid, the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. Her suspension follows social media outrage over an image posted by deputy minster of education Mduduzi Manana of […]
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta explained further why he had not locked down the entire country averring that it was in the interest of the greater public good. According to him, doing so will mean depriving a sizeable number of the population from feeding. He stresses that it would be the last resort if current containment […]
The former head of the rebel government that overthrew Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 Mahmud Jibril died on Sunday of the coronavirus, his party confirmed. Jibril, 68, was in Cairo where he had been hospitalised for two weeks, said Khaled al-Mrimi, secretary of the Alliance of National Forces party founded by Jibril in 2012. […]
Nigeria plans to create a 500 billion naira ($1.39 billion)coronavirus fund to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure to tackle the virus, the government said on Saturday. Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Senate President Ahmad Lawan agreed in a meeting that the crisis intervention fund would pull in cash as loans […]
The International Monetary Fund has warned that Zimbabwe needs urgent aid as the coronavirus exacerbates the impact a food shortage following the worst drought in nearly four decades. The southern African nation needs hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid in coming months to fend off a humanitarian crisis that’s likely to leave more […]
Police in South Africa on Thursday forced the evacuation of hundreds of foreign migrants who had been sheltering in a church premise for months. Wearing riot gear, the police officers broke down the front door of the church and forced their way. The migrants refused to leave the church, demanding that the government relocates them. […]
Six persons were at midnight killed and one trapped after a Dangote Cement truck crushed a passenger vehicle in Epe. The silo truck said to fallen on a commercial taxi carrying seven persons just after the long bridge inwards Epe Expressway killing six of the occupants on the spot. The taxi, an OPEL car with […]