Zimbabwe says the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa now accounts for the majority of cases in the country. Results of genomic sequencing conducted recently showed that the variant the nation had in 2020 had receded and that the new and more aggressive variant accounted for 61% of cases, …
Read More »South Sudan faces unprecedented food crisis
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says South Sudan is facing its highest levels of food insecurity since it declared independence 10 years ago. The agency says this is due to outbreaks of violence, extreme weather patterns and the economic impact of Covid-19. Pibor county in the east of the …
Read More »Buhari nominates new Nigeria anti-corruption Agency leader
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Abdulrasheed Bawa to head the country’s anti-corruption agency. The president has forwarded Mr Bawa’s name to the senate for confirmation as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). If confirmed, the 40 year-old will be the agency‘s youngest chief since its establishment …
Read More »Naira Marley calls for calm over Valentine’s concert cancellation
Nigerian artist Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley has broken his silence about the cancellation of a Valentine’s Day concert in Cameroon. Naira asked his fans to “calm down” saying not all Cameroonians were bad. The concert was reportedly cancelled after some Cameroonian artists protested against the Nigerian artist …
Read More »Former LRA leader Dominic Ongwen to appeal ICC ruling, claims mental disability
Ongwen’s defence lawyer, Krispus Ayena Odongo argued that he (Ongwen) was a victim who was abducted when he was 9 years old and forcibly conscripted along the LRA ranks raising questions about his mental abilities. Ayena wants to challenge various components of the ruling like for instance, the court did …
Read More »Coronavirus: another variant discovered in the UK
Scientists have identified another new variant of coronavirus in the UK with some potentially troubling mutations. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh said the variant, known as B1525, has been detected through genome sequencing in countries including Denmark, the United States and Australia. Some 32 cases have been identified in …
Read More »Germany police hit with Jerusalema dance bill
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, says it has had to pay fees to Warner Music after several of its police forces took part in a viral dance challenge. The song Jerusalema by South Africa’s Master KG spread online last year after groups around the world choreographed it to spread …
Read More »British company pays to victims of rape and rights abuses in Malawi, Kenya
A UK company, Camellia Group, agreed to settle legal claims from a number of Kenyan and Malawian women over gross human rights abuses and rape allegations. The firm’s guards have been accused of committing atrocities ranging from killings, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence. The Macadamia, tea …
Read More »Bangladesh court sentences five to death for killing U.S. blogger
A court in Bangladesh sentenced to death five members of an Islamist militant group on Tuesday for killing a U.S. blogger critical of religious extremism six years ago. Avijit Roy, a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death here by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home …
Read More »New WTO boss targets ‘early wins’ in Covid-19 fight
Newly appointed head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says having “early wins and successes” in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic will help restore trust in the organisation. She said that the priority was to look at how WTO can help make access to vaccines, therapeutics and …
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