AFRICA

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow has written off the debts of African states worth more than $20 billion. Speaking at an international parliamentary conference titled “Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World,” Putin said the trade turnover between Russia and African countries is growing every year, reaching almost $18 billion in …

A bishop from the African Apostolic Church has been accused of breaking into a congregant’s home and stealing US$10,800. Charles Tekeshe, 65, appeared before a magistrate court and was charged with unlawful entry into premises. He has been remanded up to March 27 for trial. According to reports, Tekeshe allegedly …

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga says protests against President William Ruto’s government over the high cost of living would go ahead as scheduled despite a police ban. In a Twitter post, Odinga called for protests on Monday and Thursday, hours after accusing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of “coordinating a campaign …

  While the seemingly innovative prison break of “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester has gripped the country, convicted criminals and awaiting trial prisoners break out of correctional facilities around the country every year. Bester, who was serving a life sentence for murder and rape at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in the …

Six men have been handed hefty sentences for a spate of business robberies at betting operators in KwaZulu-Natal in 2019. They range in age from 23 to 32 years old. Sphamandla Njini Zuma, 25; Thabiso Gumede, 32; Mvuyiso Dondi, 30; Maswenkosi Mazwe, 27; Sifiso Mhlongo, 23; and Serry Myboy Ngcobo, …

Kenya’s Raila Odinga and South Africa’s Julius Malema, born in different backgrounds and at different times, are not political allies, but last week were at the centre of protests that went on concurrently in their respective countries. They rode on popular frustrations of the poor in their respective countries, unsettling …

At least 19 refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have drowned off the coast of Tunisia while trying to cross the Mediterranean and reach Italy, according to a human rights group. Reports of the deaths came early on Sunday as Italy’s ANSA news agency said more than 2,000 asylum seekers …

One of Zimbabwe’s most influential diplomats, Uebert Angel, offered to use his status to launder millions of dollars through a gold-smuggling scheme, during an undercover operation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit). Angel, appointed ambassador-at-large and a presidential envoy by Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa in March 2021, told reporters he …

Deep in the heart of Burkina Faso lies the small village of Bazoule, where an unusual bond between humans and crocodiles exists. One that started from the Herculean task of women trekking long distances in search of water. Oral history has it that humans and reptiles used to live poles …

  Africa is home to some of the oldest trees in the world, notably baobabs. This particular tree species on the continent is extremely large and predominant within Savannah regions. Aside from longevity, they are also among the largest and tallest trees in the world. Baobabs initially grow with one …