The South African government announced on Friday that it would inject 47 billion rand (2.3 billion euros) into the troubled state-owned Transnet group, which manages the port of Durban, the country’s largest, and which is suffering from massive container congestion. The aid will take the form of a guarantee mechanism …
Read More »Togo opposition alerts about “constitutional vacuum”, calls for talks with govt ahead of vote
Togo’s government on Monday (Nov. 27) said the next legislative and regional elections would take place “at the latest ” at the end of the first quarter of 2024. This delay was criticized Tuesday (Nov. 28) by the coordinator of the DMP coalition of opposition parties. Brigitte Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson criticizes …
Read More »Gaza ceasefire D1: Hamas, Israel carry out first swap of hostages and prisoners
**Hamas on Friday (Nov.24) released 24 hostages it held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire that offered a small glimmer of relief to both sides.** Israelis cheered as 13 Israeli women and children …
Read More »Chad struggles with soaring refugee crisis
Chad accommodates over one million refugees, constituting one of Africa’s largest and rapidly growing refugee populations. Ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan has propelled hundreds of thousands across the border, exacerbating humanitarian needs while resources to address them are diminishing. Sudanese refugee numbers in Chad have doubled in the last six …
Read More »Egypt: EU commission president discusses Gaza humanitarian crisis
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Saturday that she opposed the “forced displacement of Palestinians” during a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Von der Leyen expressed gratitude to Egypt for its crucial role in providing and facilitating humanitarian aid to vulnerable Palestinians in …
Read More »Vote counting underway in first round of Madagascar presidential elections
Counting is underway in Madagascar after the first round of voting in the country’s highly contested presidential elections which took place on Thursday following weeks of violent protests. Ten out of the 12 opposition candidates called for citizens to boycott the vote, saying the conditions for a fair election had …
Read More »Nigeria: the ruling party consolidates its hegemony by winning local elections
Nigeria’s ruling party emerged victorious in two of the country’s three states that were electing their governors on Saturday, in polls marred by violence and accusations of electoral fraud. These elections are traditionally hotly contested in a country where governors have extensive powers, and despite the deployment of large security …
Read More »US approves vaccine against mosquito-borne chikungunya virus
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first vaccine against chikungunya, developed by the European group Valneva, health authorities said. The mosquito-borne disease, which causes fever and joint pains and can be fatal to newborns. Even although deaths are rare, it is seen as an “emerging …
Read More »Kenya dam owner to compensate 2018 flooding victims
The families of the victims of the 2018 dam disaster in Kenya have reached an out-of-court settlement with the owner of the facility. In an agreement mediated by Kenya’s Human Rights Commission, the owner agreed to pay Ksh1.2 million ($8,000) for adults and Ksh800,000 ($5,300) for minors lost in the …
Read More »Ghana’s ruling party votes to elect candidate for 2024 ballot
Ghana’s ruling party voted on Saturday in primaries to elect its candidate for next year’s presidential ballot, with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia widely favoured to win. The West African country is undergoing its worst economic trouble in years, and the crisis is set to dominate the election campaign ahead of …
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