Russia’s central bank has issued an appeal for calm amid fears that new financial sanctions could spark a run on its banks. It said it “has the necessary resources and tools to maintain financial stability and ensure the operational continuity of the financial sector”. The EU, the US, the UK...
New York City’s police force will be led by a woman for the first time in its 176-year history, Mayor-elect Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. Keechant Sewell, 49, is a 23-year veteran of the Nassau Police Department in nearby Long Island, where she became chief of detectives in September 2020....
Leaders of the world’s 20 major economies have approved a global agreement that will see the profits of large businesses taxed at least 15%. It follows concern that multinational companies are re-routing their profits through low tax jurisdictions. The pact was agreed upon by all the leaders attending the G20...
A new report says Africa needs to invest up to $50bn (£36bn) a year in order to cope with the growing threat of climate change. The African Union and World Meteorological Organisation warn that about a 120 million poor people face floods, drought, displacement, and extreme heat by the end...
A series of explosions hit Burundi’s economic capital, killing at least three people and injuring dozens on Monday evening, police and media reports said, the latest in a string of attacks. The blasts in Bujumbura followed a deadly grenade explosion in a bar in the capital Gitega on Sunday and...
Paul Rusesabagina, the “Hotel Rwanda” hero who became a fierce government critic, was found guilty on Monday on terror charges after what his supporters say was a politically motivated show trial. He was convicted of backing a rebel group blamed for deadly gun, grenade and arson attacks in Rwanda in...
Former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial – which has been rescheduled a number of times – is due to resume on Tuesday in a Pietermaritzburg high court. Mr Zuma is facing a string of charges in connection with a multibillion-dollar arms deal in which he is accused of accepting bribes...
The African Union (AU) has appointed Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo as its high representative for the Horn of Africa’s region. “This decision is part of the African Union’s drive to promote peace, security, stability and political dialogue all over the Horn of Africa region,” Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the...
Private jets filled up the runway of the airport in the northern Nigerian city of Kano as members of Nigeria’s elite and West African dignitaries flew in for the wedding of the president’s son and the daughter of a prominent religious and traditional leader. The marriage of Yusuf Buhari to...
Pope Francis has undergone successful surgery to treat a colon problem at a hospital in Rome, the Vatican says. The 84-year-old “responded well” to the treatment, which was performed under general anaesthesia, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. It is the first time Pope Francis has been admitted to hospital since...
African leaders gathered in Zambia yesterday for a state memorial service for Kenneth Kaunda, the nation’s founding President and champion of African nationalism. The service was held at the National Heroes’ Stadium in the capital, Lusaka, where the leaders paid tributes to the late leader who was considered as one...
Foreign dignitaries have arrived in Zambia’s capital for Kenneth Kaunda’s state memorial. The patriarch of African independence died at the age of 97 last month. He succumbed to pneumonia. The giant of African nationalism will be remembered by past and present African leaders who will be attending his official memorial...
Details claiming to reveal how little income tax US billionaires pay have been leaked to a news website. ProPublica says it has seen the tax returns of some of the world’s richest people, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett. The website alleges Amazon’s Mr. Bezos paid no tax...
Chief legal officer orders prosecution of anyone who refuses to follow the government’s block on social network. Nigeria’s Attorney General Abubakar Malami has ordered the immediate prosecution of those who try to circumvent the government’s Twitter ban after all mobile operators in the country were ordered to suspend access to...
Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich, who was arrested in Minsk after being taken off a diverted flight last month, has appeared in a tearful interview on state television. In the interview, he confessed to organising anti-government protests and praised President Alexander Lukashenko. Mr. Protasevich’s family say the interview was conducted under...
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have suspended Mali from all ECOWAS activities. The country’s military leaders have also been asked to hand over power to a civilian transition government headed by the Prime Minister. This was contained in a communique issued after an emergency...
Republicans in the US Senate have blocked a bill to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol Hill riot. The measure passed the US House of Representatives last week. Members of ex-President Donald Trump’s party said the riot is already being investigated by congressional panels. Democrats argued that forming...
Mali’s military has seized power for the second time in months, jeopardising a planned return to democracy. Mali is facing chaos and instability once again. The military government has – for the second time in recent months – grabbed power. Leaders who had taken over after the civilian government was...
The boat left central Niger state and was heading to northwest Kebbi state when it split and sank. Dozens of people are missing in northwest Nigeria after an overloaded boat ferrying about 160 passengers sank in the Niger River, according to a local official. The boat left central Niger state...
South Sudan President Salva Kiir is hosting talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-North. Sudan’s transitional government and the main rebel group have kicked off a new round of peace talks, officials have said, the latest effort to end a decades-long conflict in the East African country. South Sudan...
We call on the AU to enhance engagement in the Sahel and appoint a new High Representative for Mali. Your Excellency, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission: We write to you as African citizens who have dedicated our lives to a vibrant, self-determining African continent and to...
The United States has deployed extra military resources to protect American and coalition forces withdrawing from Afghanistan. Heavy bombers and fighter jets will be deployed to safeguard troops and civilian contractors. The US and Nato have had a presence in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. US President Joe Biden has...
Near-total disappearance of food sources has created a ‘full-blown nutrition emergency’ in southern Madagascar, World Food Programme warns. Amer Daoudi, senior director of global WFP operations, warned on Friday the lives of Malagasy children are in danger, especially those under five years old whose malnutrition rates have reached “alarming levels”....
The accident occurred as tens of thousands of mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews were participating in an annual event for a religious scholar. Dozens of people have been killed in a stampede at a Jewish pilgrimage site in the north of Israel, rescue services said. Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency service,...
President Dr Julius Maada Bio has commemorated Sierra Leone’s 60th Independence Anniversary with eight foreign dignitaries and reminded the occasion of the countries’ common interests as well as threats they face in the sub-region. Present at the day’s ceremony were His Excellencies President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana, who...
