OUIDAH, Benin (Reuters) – Modeste Zinsou, manager of Benin’s Python Temple, gently drapes a live snake around a visitor’s neck at the country’s annual voodoo festival, as spectators learn about the reptiles’ sacred connection to voodoo spirituality. Practitioners like Zinsou seek to combat negative stereotypes of voodoo, a 500-year-old religion that celebrates a rich pantheon …
Benin festival seeks to dispel voodoo stereotypes Read More »
By Nyasha Chingono HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party wants to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office by two years until 2030, a party spokesman said on Tuesday. He gave no details of how this could be achieved or whether constitutional changes would be sought to enable the 82-year-old Zanu-PF leader to stay …
Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF wants to extend president’s term by two years Read More »
By Sfundo Parakozov JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -At least 400 illegal miners remained trapped underground in South Africa two months after a police raid, a group working on behalf of the miners said on Monday, which provided footage of dozens of dead bodies and emaciated men in the mine. A spokesperson for the South Africa Police Service …
Footage shows trapped miners, dead bodies underground after South Africa raid Read More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department approved a foreign military sale to Zambia of military helicopters and related logistics support for an estimated cost of $100 million, the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday. The principal contractor will be Bell Textron, located in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the Pentagon. “The State Department …
US State Department approves military helicopter sale to Zambia for $100 million Read More »
By Eltayeb Siddig WAD MADANI, Sudan (Reuters) – Civilians and soldiers celebrated in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan’s El Gezira state, after it was recaptured by the Sudanese army from the paramilitary Rapid Support Services, marking a possible turning point in a devastating near two-year civil war. “We are so happy, we can’t express …
Celebrations in Sudan’s Wad Madani as army takes over strategic city Read More »
By Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI (Reuters) – Suspected Islamist militants killed 40 farmers in an attack on the Dumba community in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State on Sunday, a senior state official said on Monday. The militants were believed to belong to the armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who …
Militants kill at least 40 farmers in Nigeria’s Borno state Read More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) -A prominent Tanzanian activist has been released after being “kidnapped” on Sunday by three armed men on the streets of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, her husband said, accusing Tanzania’s national intelligence service of responsibility. Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a human rights defender critical of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was kidnapped by three armed men …
Tanzanian activist released after being ‘kidnapped’ in Kenya’s capital Read More »
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Ugandan military prosecutors on Monday added a charge of “treachery” – which carries the death penalty – to the list of violations of military law they say were committed by a prominent opposition figure. Kiiza Besigye, a veteran political foe of President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for almost 40 …
Ugandan opposition figure hit with extra charge carrying death penalty Read More »
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain and Mauritius said on Monday there had been good progress in talks to finalise a deal over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including a U.S.-British military base, with London hoping for sign-off before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Britain struck a deal in October to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius …
UK and Mauritius say good progress made in Chagos Islands talks Read More »
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigeria’s air force said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties during a weekend air strike that targeted armed gangs in the northwest, the latest military operation where innocent people may have been accidentally killed. The army and air force have increasingly used aerial assaults against the growing threat in the …
Nigeria’s air force investigates civilian deaths after air strike Read More »
