(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has said the Philippines would seek to deepen ties with Latin America, Africa and Central Asia in the remaining years of his term. In his speech before the plenary of the 16th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, the President said it was also “high time the Philippines look at the Middle East with fresh eyes going beyond oil and Overseas Filipino Workers.” “As one of the fastest-growing […]
Tag: Africa
China pays tribute to ‘outstanding’ Zimbabwe leader Mugabe
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing paid tribute to Zimbabwe’s former leader Robert Mugabe whose death was announced Friday, saying he was an “outstanding national liberation movement leader and politician”. China was one of the staunchest supporters of Mugabe, who lead from 1980 to 2017. His death at the age of 95 was announced by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. “Mugabe was an outstanding national liberation movement leader and politician of Zimbabwe,” said foreign ministry spokesman Geng […]
Japan PM warns Africa about debt as China grows presence
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s prime minister on Thursday warned African leaders against accumulating too much debt, in an apparent reference to Chinese infrastructure projects that some blame for damaging the finances of developing nations. Addressing leaders from several African nations at a development conference in Yokohama, Shinzo Abe stressed that Tokyo was promoting “quality” infrastructure exports and investments, supported by Japan’s government-backed institutions. “What should the government do to encourage (entrepreneurs) to exercise their […]
Around 52 million in Near East, North Africa, suffering chronic undernourishment, new UN food agency report reveals
Hunger continues to rise as conflicts and protracted crises have worsened in the Near East and North Africa region (NENA), which is likely to affect food security for years to come, warned the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday. “Conflicts and civil instability have long-lasting impacts on the food and nutrition security of both affected and surrounding countries in the regions”, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General and NENA Representative of the (FAO) said, […]
Idai disaster: Stranded victims still need rescue from heavy rains as UN scales up response
Dire conditions persist in vast areas of southern Africa affected by Cyclone Idai as heavy rain continues to cause “massive destruction”, the UN said on Thursday, while aid teams scale up efforts to reach those most in need. Warning that the situation is likely to deteriorate, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that people are still stranded on rooftops after the storm began its sweep through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe six days ago. In Mozambique […]
Aid agencies struggle to rescue Mozambique cyclone victims as waters rise
by Adrien BARBIER and Joaquim NHAMIRRE International aid agencies raced Wednesday to rescue survivors and meet spiralling humanitarian needs in three impoverished countries battered by one of the worst storms to hit southern Africa in decades. Five days after tropical cyclone Idai cut a swathe through Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the confirmed death toll stood at more than 300 and hundreds of thousands of lives were at risk, officials said. “We’ve thousands of people… in […]
Funerals for Ethiopia crash victims but little to bury
Ethiopians were holding funerals Sunday for friends and relatives who perished in last week’s Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed all onboard and saw the worldwide grounding of the Boeing aircraft involved. Families in 35 nations were left bereaved when the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft plummeted from the sky just minutes into its flight to Nairobi last Sunday, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board. One week after the crash, relatives of the 17 […]
Two Africans with fake Canadian visas nabbed at NAIA
(Eagle News)–Immigration agents arrested two Africans for using fake Canadian visas, the Bureau of Immigration announced on Sunday, Feb. 17. In a statement, the BI said Cameroonian Etienne Makang Nformem, 35, was arrested on Feb. 9, upon his arrival via a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He had said he was going to Toronto, Canada after three days. Four days later, Sudanese Abdelmotalab Idris Himat Mohamed, 29, was apprehended at NAIA […]
Poverty not an obstacle to excellent healthcare in Africa: Gates
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) — Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said Sunday that excellent basic healthcare that would prevent easily treatable but deadly conditions was achievable even in Africa’s poorest nations. “The good news about health is that by spending modest amounts on the prioritized areas, you can get phenomenal benefits,” he told AFP on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa. “You don’t have to get all the way to middle-income before […]
Voyage into the unknown explores Indian Ocean’s hidden depths
by Robin MILLARD Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A mission to explore uncharted depths in the Indian Ocean was launched on Wednesday, hoping to discover hundreds of new species and find out what impact plastic is having way below the surface. The First Descent expedition, led by British-based ocean research institute Nekton, is set to send submersibles as deep as 3,000 meters off the Seychelles from March to test the health of the […]
Black heritage museum, ‘crucible of creativity’, opens in Dakar
by Malick Rokhy BA Agence France Presse DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — A museum showcasing black heritage from the dawn of time to the modern era opened in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Thursday. The opening came as African countries press harder for the restitution of artwork from their former colonial masters — and as France made its first steps in that direction, pledging to return artworks to Benin. The Museum of Black Civilisations will foster […]
Malaysia torches 2.8 tonnes of African pangolin scales
PORT DICKSON, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia on Thursday torched nearly three tonnes of seized scales of endangered pangolins worth $9 million in a bid to deter illegal wildlife trafficking from Africa. The Southeast Asian nation is battling to clamp down on rife trafficking through its borders of the ant-eating mammals, whose scales are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. “Such a huge seizure and torching of it is definitely a blow to smuggling syndicates,” Abdul […]





