Kenyan President William Ruto said Tuesday he is ready to meet opposition leader Raila Odinga “anytime” after months of anti-government protests that have sparked international alarm and calls for dialogue. ALSO READ: Civilian plane crash in war-torn Sudan leaves nine dead “As you have always known, am available to meet one on one with you […]

Russian fighter aircraft dropped flares above a US drone as it took part in a mission against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, damaging its propeller, a US commander said Tuesday. ALSO READ: Unusual encounter: Russian bride runs to Putin for picture [Video] The United States has accused Russian pilots of putting both aircraft and crewmembers […]

A top envoy to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday said it was “time for peace” in Sudan and the Darfur region even as RSF’s war with Sudan’s regular army passed its 100th day. ALSO READ: Sudanese shocked as rockets, shells kill 20 civilians in Darfur RSF representative Youssef Ezzat made his remarks in the West […]

A court in Burkina Faso on Tuesday jailed a pro-junta activist for one year for defaming the police and added two more years from a previous suspended sentence for making death threats. ALSO READ: Mali’s junta chief new constitution fuels opponents protests The court in the capital Ouagadougou found Mohamed Sinon guilty after he accused the […]

Singapore is set to hang two drug convicts this week, including the first woman to be sent to the gallows in nearly 20 years, rights groups said Tuesday, while urging the executions be halted. ALSO READ: Civilian plane crash in war-torn Sudan leaves nine dead Local rights organisation Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) said a 56-year-old […]

Retail giant Hennes & Mauritz has sued its fast-growing rival Shein in a Hong Kong court for copyright infringement, the Swedish fashion juggernaut said Tuesday. Shein, founded in China in 2008, has swiftly claimed a top place in the global fast-fashion marketplace, offering low-priced collections attractive to young social media-savvy customers. H&M confirmed on Tuesday […]

A $2.2-billion mining tunnel in South Africa has started to produce its first diamonds, mining giant De Beers said on Tuesday. In 2012, the global firm started digging beneath the country’s largest diamond mine, Venetia, seeking to reach gems at a depth of more than 1,000 metres (3,250 feet). ALSO READ: Botswana secures last-minute deal with De Beers […]

The race quota law aimed at increasing the employment of black people in South Africa has enraged some businesses and opposition parties who say the legislation could see qualified workers lose their jobs. The government has rebuffed the criticism, saying the bill is not going to result in job losses and only seeks to promote […]

Nicaragua has concluded negotiations on a free trade deal with China, which is due to be signed in August and come into force early next year, Nicaraguan officials said Monday. “We thank God for the good news that we have achieved the substantial conclusion of the negotiations,” Laureano Ortega Murillo, presidential adviser on trade and investment, […]

Russia said Monday that drone attacks in central Moscow and annexed Crimea could warrant a harsh response, after Ukraine claimed an attack on the capital. ALSO READ: African Union regrets Russia’s suspension of grain cargo deal “We regard what happened as yet another use of terrorist methods and intimidation of the civilian population by the military […]

French luxury brand LVMH announced on Monday it will be a “premium sponsor” of the 2024 Paris Olympics. ALSO READ: Oprah Winfrey in South Africa talks about the impact of trauma LVMH becomes the sixth top-tier domestic sponsor, allowing the Olympics organisers to practically reach their sponsorship target of €1.24 billion. DIARISE | When will Banyana Banyana next be […]

Trevor Francis, Britain’s first £1 million footballer, has died at the age of 69 from a heart attack, a family spokesperson said on Monday. The forward’s blockbuster move to Nottingham Forest from Birmingham took place in February 1979 and he scored the winning goal in the European Cup final just months later. ALSO READ | Kaizer […]

A new law aimed at increasing the employment of black people in South Africa has enraged businesses and liberals who say the legislation could see qualified workers lose their jobs. ALSO READ | The 16 Caribbean countries South African passport holders can visit visa-free South Africa’s leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is to take to the […]

In Kenya’s rural northeast, roadside bombs and beheadings that killed two dozen people last month appear to be part of a troubling escalation of violence by Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, analysts say. ALSO READ: Civilian plane crash in war-torn Sudan leaves nine dead A regional economic powerhouse and a popular tourist draw, Kenya has not suffered a […]

A distraught Congolese soldier shot dead at least 13 civilians, most of them children, in a village in the northeast of the conflict-plagued country, military and local sources said Sunday 23 July 2023. The naval serviceman couldn’t bear the fact that his child had been buried in his absence the day before he arrived in […]

At least 80,000 people have been displaced in three months of inter-communal violence in a north-central Nigerian state, a local official said, as the army reinforced security to end the clashes. ALSO READ: Civilian plane crash in war-torn Sudan leaves nine dead Since May, Plateau State has seen a surge of attacks among mostly Muslim […]

At least 33 people died and 21 others were injured when a building collapsed in Cameroon’s business hub Douala, a senior fire officer and the regional governor told AFP on Monday. ALSO READ: WATCH: Building collapse claims 16 lives in Cameroon [VIDEO] The four-storey block of flats collapsed onto another residential building in the north of the […]

Kenya’s opposition Saturday 22 July 2023 called a fresh anti-government rally next week to protest rising prices and taxes after three previous demonstrations largely failed to mobilise supporters. Last week saw a trio of protests against the administration of President William Ruto, taking the total of such marches to eight since March. But while a […]

Nine people, including four soldiers, were killed Sunday evening when a civilian plane crashed in Sudan due to “technical” reasons, the army said, as the war in the east African country entered its 100th day. The fighting has left millions trapped in their homes and some without water, particularly in the suburbs of the capital […]

Climate activists disrupted the British Open on Friday, setting off a smoke flare and throwing orange powder onto the Royal Liverpool course. The Just Stop Oil group said three people were involved in the demonstration at the 17th hole during the second day of the tournament at Hoylake. ALSO READ: Explained: Louis Oosthuizen may never play the Masters again British golf’s landmark tournament […]

Kenyans largely ignored a call by the opposition to boost anti-government protests on Thursday 20 July 2023, although isolated clashes flared in the capital between police and stone-throwing demonstrators. Police fired tear gas and live rounds at protesters in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, an opposition stronghold, AFP journalists saw, but no violence was reported elsewhere in contrast to […]

Liberia’s election commission published Thursday 20 July 2023 a preliminary list of candidates for October’s legislative election, with women accounting for only 15 per cent of nominees despite efforts for a 30 per cent quota. Only 159 of the 1,030 people nominated to the West African country’s Senate and House of Representatives are women, the […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Kyiv’s counteroffensive, launched to push Russian troops back in the south and east of Ukraine, was failing despite military and financial support from Western countries. ALSO READ: BREAKING: Vladimir Putin will NOT attend BRICS Summit in SA “In any case, there are no results yet” of the counteroffensive, he […]

Tony Bennett, the last in a generation of classic American crooners whose ceaselessly cheery spirit bridged generations to make him a hitmaker across seven decades, died on Friday in New York. He was 96. Raised in an era when big bands defined US pop music, Bennett achieved an improbable second act when he started winning over young […]

Egyptian researcher Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer walked out of prison Thursday 20 July 2023, relatives said, a day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned them in the wake of an international outcry. Zaki was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday for “spreading false news”, prompting some participants to walk out of […]