Politics and society

Russian authorities on Sunday included Andy Stone, the spokesperson for the American social media giant Meta, parent company of Facebook and Whatsapp, in the list of people wanted, even though the company is classified as “extremist” in the country. Andy Stone’s name now appears in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database …

South African lawmakers have voted to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and to suspend all diplomatic relations, the BBC reported. The governing African National Congress – which dominates parliament – has long been critical of Israel and it supported the motion in parliament. The motion called for the closure …

Violent floods in the Horn of Africa have killed more than 100 people and driven nearly 700,000 people from their homes as the region is hit hard by the El Nino weather phenomenon. “Fifty people died in the disaster while 687,235 people were forced to flee their homes,” Mohamud Moalim …

Kenyan police have arrested eight people they accuse of being involved in a colossal scam that they say costs $439 trillion. The figure has raised eyebrows as it’s nearly 200 times the total value of US dollars in global circulation. In a post on social media, the authorities said the …

The United Nations has said it will resume delivering humanitarian supplies and evacuating staff in Niger after the country’s ruling junta lifted domestic flight restrictions, the BBC reported. “The national aviation authorities in Niger have informed the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) that flight restrictions are now lifted for domestic …

Mauritanian authorities said the bodies of 16 people thought to be migrants have been found on the country’s northern coast. The discovery on the beaches of Lagouera comes a week after 13 corpses were found in boats in the same area, near the city of Nouadhibou. This latest incident appears …

The government in Kenya declared Monday a public holiday to encourage residents to plant 100 million trees across the country. President William Ruto has pledged that 15 billion trees will be planted by 2032 to boost Kenya’s forest cover following the Horn of Africa region’s worst drought in 40 years. …

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 3,300 army personnel to help combat illegal mining activities, Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement on Thursday. “The deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which is expected to cost about 492 million rand ($26 million), is aimed …

The High court in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja has ordered the release of former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele, who has been in detention since June, on bail. “There must be an end to detention without trial,” said Judge Olukayode Adeniyi, sitting in the High Court in Abuja. Mr Emefiele has …

Voters in Ohio, a state located in the east of the United States, voted to include the protection of the right to abortion in their Constitution, US media announced. “Yes” won more than 57% of the votes, according to the first partial results. Hundreds of thousands of voters went to …