Africa

Belgian king, in shadow of colonial past, to visit DR Congo

  by Matthieu Demeestere Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Belgium’s King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east. The six-day trip, at the invitation of President Felix Tshisekedi, has strong symbolic significance, coming two years after Philippe expressed to the Congolese leader his “deepest regrets” for the “wounds” of colonization. The visit, the monarch’s […]

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Nigeria confirms 21 cases of monkeypox since January

Nigeria has recorded 21 cases of monkeypox since the start of the year, one of which was fatal, the country’s disease control agency said. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said late Sunday 66 suspected cases had been reported in nine out of the country’s 36 states and the administrative capital Abuja. Of these, 21 cases were subsequently confirmed as monkeypox, one of which — a 40-year-old man who also had kidney disease — […]

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More than 200 cases of monkeypox worldwide: EU disease agency

The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide has reached 219 outside of countries where it is endemic, according to an update released by the European Union’s disease agency. More than a dozen countries where monkeypox is unusual, mostly in Europe, have reported at least one confirmed case, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in an epidemiological note released Wednesday night. “This is the first time that chains of transmission are […]

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Firefighters contain blaze at Sudan Red Sea port

  Firefighters have contained a large blaze that erupted in a cargo area of the Sudanese Red Sea port of Suakin, the port’s director said Thursday. The fire, which raged for hours, broke out in the cargo drop off area of the port on Wednesday sending plumes of acrid smoke into the sky. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. “The fire has been brought under control following the intervention of civil defence […]

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11 babies killed in Senegal hospital fire

by Malick Rokhy BA Eleven newborn babies died in a hospital fire in the western Senegalese city of Tivaouane, the president of the country said late Wednesday. Just before midnight in Senegal, Macky Sall announced on Twitter that 11 infants had died in the blaze. “I have just learned with pain and dismay about the deaths of 11 newborn babies in the fire at the neonatal department of the public hospital,” he tweeted. “To their […]

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Dozens of girls sick in Eq. Guinea after diphtheria-tetanus jabs

MALABO, Equitorial Guinea (AFP) — Dozens of girls fell ill after receiving the diphtheria-tetanus vaccine in schools in Equatorial Guinea’s economic capital Bata, but no deaths or serious cases were reported, the health ministry said Thursday. On Wednesday, “102 girls from 11 schools in Bata were received at the Damian Roku Epitie Monanga regional hospital in Bata with the following symptoms: dizziness, agitation, weakness, headaches and pain in the left arm. Of the patients, 99 […]

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Biden reestablishes US troop presence inside Somalia

by Sebastian Smith Washington, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden has ordered the reestablishment of a US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities combat the Al-Shabaab militant group, a senior American official told reporters Monday. The move reverses an order from Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who in late 2020 pulled nearly all US forces from the East African nation as he sought to wind down US military engagements abroad during his final […]

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World needs food system ‘transformation’ to tackle climate: expert

by Kelly MACNAMARA Food is fundamental to the efforts to tackle climate change, according to a scientist who has spent decades tracing the interactions between global warming and what we eat. Cynthia Rosenzweig, head of the Climate Impacts Group at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was Thursday awarded the prestigious World Food Prize for her research. That includes stark warnings about the potential effect climate change will have on food. Her comments to AFP […]

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Eight dead, 23 rescued in Nigeria building collapse

LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — A three-storey mainly residential building has collapsed in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, killing eight people and injuring 23 others who were rescued and taken to hospitals, the emergency services said on Monday. Building collapses are common in Africa’s most populous nation, where millions live in dilapidated structures and construction standards are often flouted. The three-storey building collapsed late Sunday at Ebute-Metta area of the sprawling city of over 20 million people, […]

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Catholic priest among 12 convicted over Malawi albino murder

  LILONGWE, Malawi (AFP) — A Malawi Catholic priest, a policeman and hospital worker are among a dozen convicted over the 2018 gruesome murder of a man with albinism, a court official said Friday. Five out of the 12 were found guilty of killing MacDonald Masambuka, 22, at the height of a crime spree that saw over 40 murders and 145 assaults on people with the condition in the country. The priest, Masambuka’s brother, a […]

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Don’t lose focus on Syria, UN envoy tells Security Council

© UNICEF/Johnny Shahan Children walk through a neighbourhood in Zabadani, rural Damascus, in Syria. Peace and Security Although the war in Syria may not be making headlines lately, the international community must remain focused on achieving a comprehensive political solution to the conflict, UN Envoy for the country, Geir Pedersen, said on Tuesday in his latest briefing to the Security Council in New York. Recalling that Syria is “a hot conflict, not a frozen one”, […]

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Six soldiers killed, 20 injured in Mali ‘terror’ attacks

  BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — Six soldiers were killed and 20 injured in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali Sunday, the Malian army said. Targets in Sevare, Niono and Bapho were all hit by “armed terrorist groups (who) used suicide vehicles packed with explosives”, the army said in a statement. A group linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa claimed the attacks, according to audio sent to AFP Sunday from a source […]

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