Afriupdate.com

12/03/2024

Once a wild animal. Always one

09/11/2023

The end-to-end encrypted secure messaging app Signal is moving closer to launching a long anticipated feature that will enable users to disclose only a username in order to connect with other users. Currently, in order to connect with other Signal users, users are required to give the phone number that is attached to their account. With the launch of this much anticipated feature, Signal users will only be need to reveal their username....

The end-to-end encrypted secure messaging app Signal is moving closer to launching a long anticipated feature.....

05/11/2023

More than 20 people have died and over 12,000 others have been forced out of their homes in Ethiopia’s Somali region due to flash flooding triggered by torrential rains, the regional government said Saturday. Bridges and roads have been destroyed by the downpour, making it difficult to reach affected households, the Somali Regional State Communication Bureau said in a statement, with damage to livestock, crops and property also reported....

Bridges and roads have been destroyed by the downpour, making it difficult to reach affected households, the Somali Regional State Communication Bureau said

05/11/2023

Former leader of Guinea’s military government Moussa Dadis Camara, who escaped from the central prison in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, Saturday morning, has been recaptured, according to Guinean armed forces. Ibrahima Sory Bangoura, the chief of Staff and General of the Armed Forces of the Guinean transitional government who confirmed this in a statement, explained that Moussa Dadis Camara is safe and sound and is now back in the central prison of Conakry....

Former leader of Guinea’s military government Moussa Dadis Camara, who escaped from the central prison in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, Saturday morning,

05/11/2023

Three Palestinians were killed Sunday by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, as violence flares in the occupied territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Two men, aged 22 and 20, were killed “in an attack by Israeli occupation forces on Abu Dis”, a suburb of annexed east Jerusalem separated by the Israeli wall encircling the West Bank, the Ramallah-based ministry said....

Three Palestinians were killed Sunday by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, as violence flares in the occupied territory

05/11/2023

Luis Diaz came off the bench to save Liverpool from a shock defeat at Luton in a 1-1 draw on Sunday on his first appearance since his parents were kidnapped in his native Colombia. The winger was introduced moments after Tahith Chong had given Luton a stunning lead 10 minutes from time. Diaz’s soaring leap and header five minutes into stoppage time denied the Hatters their first ever home win in the Premier League....

Luis Diaz came off the bench to save Liverpool from a shock defeat at Luton in a 1-1 draw on Sunday on his first appearance since his parents were kidnapped

05/11/2023

Air traffic at Hamburg airport remained suspended Sunday over a hostage situation on the tarmac involving a father and his child, German authorities said. The daily Bild newspaper said the man, a 35-year-old Turk, wanted to be allowed to board a plane to Turkey with his daughter, aged four. “The negotiations are continuing,” in Turkish, police said on X, formerly Twitter, nearly 15 hours after a gunman rammed his car through the security area onto the apron where planes are parked on Saturday evening....

Air traffic at Hamburg airport remained suspended Sunday over a hostage situation on the tarmac involving a father and his child, German authorities said.

05/11/2023

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, meeting with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas as Israel pressed its war to destroy Hamas that has already claimed thousands of lives. Blinken arrived in Ramallah under tight security one day after meeting in Jordan with Arab foreign ministers angered by mounting civilian deaths in Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry said dozens were killed in a strike on a refugee camp....

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, meeting with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas as Israel

05/11/2023

Britain’s government on Sunday defended proposed legislation that aims to restrict charities from providing homeless people with tents, after facing fierce criticism. There has been a sharp rise in the number of people sleeping on the streets with UK mortgage rates and rents soaring since decades-high inflation fuelled the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told the BBC Sunday that the government was looking at legislation aimed at preventing “tent cities”....

Britain’s government on Sunday defended proposed legislation that aims to restrict charities from providing homeless people with tents, after facing fierce

03/11/2023

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Ugandan authorities of harassing, arresting and beating activists and demonstrators protesting a major East African oil project led by French giant TotalEnergies. The $10 billion project by TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation to develop oilfields in Uganda has been hailed by President Yoweri Museveni as an economic boon but has run into opposition from rights activists and environmental groups....

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Ugandan authorities of harassing, arresting and beating activists and demonstrators protesting a major East

03/11/2023

Egypt will help evacuate “about 7,000” foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with officials saying some 400 people were expected to cross Thursday. For the first time after weeks of deadly fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, the Rafah border crossing opened on Wednesday to let people out of Gaza. In a meeting with foreign diplomats, assistant foreign minister Ismail Khairat said Egypt was preparing “to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing”, a ministry statement said....

Egypt will help evacuate “about 7,000” foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with officials saying some

03/11/2023

Uganda said Thursday it has captured the head of a militia squad blamed for the murder of two honeymooning foreign tourists and their local guide in a national park last month. He was the only survivor of a nighttime military operation on Tuesday against a unit of the feared Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) that killed six other fighters, the army said....

Uganda said Thursday it has captured the head of a militia squad blamed for the murder of two honeymooning foreign tourists and their local guide in a

03/11/2023

One year after a deal was signed to end the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, there were calls Thursday for more to be done to protect civilians and ensure justice for victims of atrocities. Human Rights Watch and a group of foreign governments said rights abuses were continuing in Africa’s second-most populous country despite the peace agreement reached in Pretoria on November 2, 2022....

One year after a deal was signed to end the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, there were calls Thursday for more to be done to protect civilians and ensure

03/11/2023

Tunisia’s parliament on Thursday began debating a bill that would criminalise any normalisation of ties with Israel as fighting rages between Israeli forces and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The draft bill defines “normalisation” as “recognition of the Zionist entity or the establishment of direct or indirect ties” with it, a crime which would be classed as “high treason”. Anyone found guilty of “the crime of normalisation” would face a penalty of between six to 10 years of prison and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 Tunisian dinars (3,000 to 30,000 euros), the text says....

Tunisia’s parliament on Thursday began debating a bill that would criminalise any normalisation of ties with Israel as fighting rages between Israeli forces

03/11/2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday warned Sudan’s paramilitary force against what Washington said were signs of an “imminent large-scale attack” in North Darfur’s capital where thousands have fled fighting. “The United States is deeply troubled by reports of an imminent large-scale attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, North Darfur, that would subject civilians, including hundreds of thousands of displaced persons — many of whom only recently fled to El Fasher from other areas — to extreme danger,” Blinken said in a statement....

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday warned Sudan’s paramilitary force against what Washington said were signs of an “imminent large-scale attack”

03/11/2023

• U.S. groups to empower women entrepreneurs in Africa United States President, Joe Biden, has hinged survival of the world on prosperity of the African continent, even as he backed continuity of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for most agricultural and manufactured products exported by eligible African countries. Biden, in a White House statement, yesterday, said he “strongly supports re-authorisation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a landmark, bipartisan law that has formed bedrock for U.S....

• U.S. groups to empower women entrepreneurs in Africa

03/11/2023

Israel informed France on Friday that its forces had struck the French Institute in Gaza, and France said it was demanding an explanation. The foreign ministry issued a statement saying, "The Israeli authorities informed us that an Israeli strike had targeted the French Institute in Gaza." “We have asked the Israeli authorities to communicate to us without delay… the tangible elements which motivated this decision,” it said....

Israel informed France on Friday that its forces had struck the French Institute in Gaza, and France said it was demanding an explanation.

03/11/2023

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has introduced visa-free travel for Nigerians and all Africans. Rwanda is now one of the African countries after Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin, that provides visa-free entry for all African citizens. “Let there be no mistake about it. Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and will not pay a thing to enter our country,” President Kagame was quoted on BBC News Africa X handle on Thursday....

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has introduced visa-free travel for Nigerians and all Africans.

03/11/2023

Callixte Nzamwita, a 71-year-old man from Rwanda, has spent the last 55 years in isolation due to an extreme fear of women. He began isolating himself at the age of 16, living in confinement where he did everything from sleeping to cooking and even urinating. This fear, known as gynophobia, is considered a specific phobia but not officially recognized as a mental disorder....

Callixte Nzamwita, a 71-year-old man from Rwanda, has spent the last 55 years in isolation due to an extreme fear of women.

02/11/2023

Manchester United’s defence of the League Cup came to a limp end in a 3-0 home defeat by Newcastle on Wednesday, as Arsenal were well-beaten 3-1 at West Ham. Liverpool overcame Bournemouth 2-1 to progress to the quarter-finals, while Chelsea saw off Championship side Blackburn 2-0. In a repeat of last year’s final, which Erik ten Hag’s men won 2-0, both managers named much-changed sides at Old Trafford....

Manchester United’s defence of the League Cup came to a limp end in a 3-0 home defeat by Newcastle on Wednesday, as Arsenal were well-beaten 3-1 at West Ham.

02/11/2023

Armed jihadist groups are holding at least 46 locations across Burkina Faso under siege in July, preventing access to food and drinking water and abducting women, Amnesty International said Thursday. Amnesty said the tactic had increasingly been used since last year by the armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Armed groups prevent the besieged populations from getting access to “food, drinkable water and health –- forcing people to displace”, the rights group said in a report....

Armed jihadist groups are holding at least 46 locations across Burkina Faso under siege in July, preventing access to food and drinking water and abducting

02/11/2023

Kyiv on Thursday named Swiss food giant Nestle as a “sponsor of war” over the Kit Kat-maker’s continued operations in Russia. Hundreds of Western firms quit the Russian market following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, and Kyiv has not shied away from publicly criticising those that have remained. “Despite Russian aggression, Nestle continues to operate in Russia, supply goods to the aggressor and expand its Russian production base,” Ukraine’s national anti-corruption agency said Thursday....

Kyiv on Thursday named Swiss food giant Nestle as a “sponsor of war” over the Kit Kat-maker’s continued operations in Russia.

02/11/2023

The Presidency has debunked a reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration proposed an allocation of funds in the 2023 supplementary budget for the purchase of a N5.095 billion presidential yacht. A Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, on Thursday, said the yacht was requested by the Nigerian Navy, and not the president. “It is important to state clearly that President Bola Tinubu did not ask for a presidential yatch and I doubt he needs one to perform the functions of his office,” Ajayi said in a statement on Thursday....

The Presidency has debunked a reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration proposed an allocation of funds in the 2023 supplementary budget for

02/11/2023

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Nigeria has the highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in West Africa. In 2020, Nigeria’s out of pocket expenditure as a share of health expenditure was at the level 74.7%. The WHO representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, at a retreat for commissioners of health from 36 states of the country, regretted that more Nigerians are falling into poverty due to ill health while many do not have access to essential health services they need....

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Nigeria has the highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in West Africa.

31/10/2023

Two South Korean police officers were stabbed outside a compound that houses the presidential office in Seoul, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday. The 77-year-old assailant, identified by his surname Park, began yelling in front of the compound and stabbed the officers as they tried to subdue him, according to the report. One officer was stabbed in the stomach and the other in the left arm, and both were being treated in hospital, it said....

Two South Korean police officers were stabbed outside a compound that houses the presidential office in Seoul, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.

30/10/2023

Manchester City once feared a trip to Old Trafford but painted the town blue once more with a 3-0 victory over a demoralised United on Sunday to reassert their dominance. A double from Erling Haaland before Phil Foden tapped home a third took Pep Guardiola’s men nine points clear of United just 10 games into the Premier League season. Not since United last won the league in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge, in 2012/13, have the Red Devils finished above their local rivals....

Manchester City once feared a trip to Old Trafford but painted the town blue once more with a 3-0 victory over a demoralised United on Sunday to reassert

30/10/2023

British King Charles III must offer an “unequivocal public apology” for abuses during colonial rule, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said Sunday, two days before the British monarch visits. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla embark Tuesday on a four-day trip to the East African nation, his first visit as king to a Commonwealth member. “We call upon the King on behalf of the British government to issue an unconditional and unequivocal public apology (as opposed to the very cautious, self-preserving and protective statements of regrets) for the brutal and inhuman treatment inflicted on Kenyan citizens,” the non-government KHRC said....

British King Charles III must offer an “unequivocal public apology” for abuses during colonial rule, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said Sunday, two

30/10/2023

The visiting German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced the latest financial and technical cooperation commitment of €80.75 million to boost to support ongoing programmes and projects under the ECOWAS-German Cooperation for the period 2023-2024. Scholz who disclosed this yesterday during his visit to the President, Economic Community of West African States, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said the fund would focus specially on the thematic areas of Peaceful and Inclusive Societies; Climate and Energy; constitutional transition in government....

The visiting German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced the latest financial and technical cooperation commitment of €80.75 million to boost to support

30/10/2023

Kenya President William Ruto has said his country will end visa requirements for Nigerians and all African visitors by the end of the year. President Ruto said this at an international conference in Congo Brazzaville, a report by the BBC said. Visa-free travel within the continent has been a goal of the African Union (AU) for the past decade. A 2022 AU-backed report has it that only Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin offer entry to all African citizens without a visa....

Kenya President William Ruto has said his country will end visa requirements for Nigerians and all African visitors by the end of the year.

30/10/2023

Sanctions and suspension of international finance and aid have left the economy of Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, hanging by a thread three months after a July 26 military coup. – International financial support suspended – The European Union (EU), a key partner for the Sahel nation, had allocated 503 million euros (554 million dollars) “to improve governance, education and sustainable growth” for Niamey from 2021-2024....

Sanctions and suspension of international finance and aid have left the economy of Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, hanging by a thread three