By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s government has asked the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to lift sanctions that will have severe consequences for the population, it said on Monday. West Africa’s 15-nation ECOWAS bloc and the UEMOA regional monetary union both imposed sanctions on Mali on Jan. 9 after the military …
Mali asks West African monetary union to lift “inhumane” sanctions Read More »
DOUALA (Reuters) – Cameroon has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in its West region, the government said. The H5N1 diagnosis followed a significant number of bird deaths at a poultry farm in Kongso, in the area of Bamoungoum, said a statement by the regional governor dated on Sunday. Culling is under …
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan will host a high-level delegation from Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region this week, the government said on Monday, as the island pursues diplomacy in Africa in the face of Chinese pressure to limit its international footprint. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its …
Taiwan to host Somaliland ministers in Africa diplomacy push Read More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s police and intelligence services failed to anticipate and disrupt days of arson and looting last year in which more than 300 people died, a report into the unrest commissioned by the president and released on Monday found. The violence was sparked by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for …
South Africa failed to foresee, disrupt deadly unrest, report says Read More »
By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) – The European Union on Monday demanded punishment for perpetrators of torture in Uganda after images of a recently detained author circulated in domestic media showing marks on his body, eliciting public outrage. Last week, media published images and accounts of award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, 33, who told of what …
EU demands end to torture in Uganda after images of author stir anger Read More »
YENAGAO, Nigeria (Reuters) -At least three people died in Nigeria when the oil storage and production vessel, FPSO Trinity Spirit, exploded last week and four crew are still missing, the operating company said on Monday. The vessel had 10 crew on board when it exploded on Wednesday, Nigeria’s Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) …
At least three dead after last week’s Nigeria oil vessel blast, company says Read More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Backed by a troupe on drums and tambourines, 72-year-old Um Sameh performs songs that gradually crescendo against waves of percussion. One of the last practitioners of Zar music, she is part of an ensemble called Mazaher that was formed to keep the traditional art form alive. Zar was once practised in several …
Female-led Egyptian ensemble keeps rhythmic folk music alive Read More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Sunday she was “very sceptical” that the country could maintain its troops in Mali amid growing tension between the West African country and its international partners. Germany has some 1,200 troops deployed in Mali as part of a 9-year-old international counter-terrorism and peacekeeping mission in …
German defence minister ‘very sceptical’ about Mali mission Read More »
By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisian judges on Sunday rejected President Kais Saied’s moves to disband the council that oversees them, a move they see as undermining their independence, setting up a new struggle over his consolidation of power. Saied announced overnight he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council, one of the few remaining state …
Tunisian judges accuse president of seeking control, setting up new struggle Read More »
By Lovasoa Rabary ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) -A cyclone killed at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, the second to hit the Indian Ocean island in just two weeks, triggering floods, bringing down buildings and cutting power, officials said on Sunday. One of the worst-hit towns was Nosy Varika on the east coast where almost 95% of …
Cyclone kills at least 10 in Madagascar, destroying homes and cutting power Read More »
