AFRICA

Zambia asks US to withdraw ambassador over gay row

The president of Zambia Edgar Lungu says his government has asked the United States to withdraw its ambassador, after the diplomat criticised the jailing of two men for being in a gay relationship. Daniel Foote said he was “horrified” last month when a judge sentenced the men to 15 years …

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Zimbabwe vice president’s wife due in court over fraud

Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, will on Monday appear in court to face charges of money laundering and fraud. The fraud charges arise from an alleged attempt to forge a marriage certificate without her husband’s consent while he was sick. The couple was customarily married …

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Moringa: The health benefits of this plant are unbelievable

Owing to its high concentrations of polyphenols in its leaves and flowers, moringa protect the liver against oxidation, toxicity, and damage. For reasons quite obvious, the moringa tree has been dubbed the tree of miracle. Known to the ancient Chinese, Indians and many other cultures around the world, it recently …

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South Africa tightens tourist safety strategy

Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has announced that R40 million has been ring-fenced to improve safety, especially for tourists visiting SA. The funds have been reprioritised from the Tourism Marketing South Africa (TOMSA) levy, which is meant for tourism services in South Africa. Addressing media in Tshwane on Thursday, Kubayi-Ngubane said …

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Govt absorbs WASSCE fees for first batch of free SHS students

Government says it has absorbed the registration fees and cost of practical for students in public senior high schools who will sit for next year’s West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). These candidates are the first batch of the free SHS education introduced by President Nana Akufo-Addo in September …

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Bride dies after falling into well

A bride-to-be has died after tripping and falling into a well at her bridal shower in Danbatta, northern Nigeria. Fatima Abubakar, 16, was set to tie the knot with her fiancé on Thursday. Her father told the BBC that she was standing very close to the well when the accident …

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Ebola spreads in Congo after militants attack treatment camp – WHO

Cases of the deadly Ebola virus have risen in the Democratic Republic of Congo where health care workers remain largely cut off from the disease’s hotspots since militants attacked their camp, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Twenty-seven Ebola cases were confirmed in North Kivu and Ituri provinces …

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Bride dies after falling into well

A bride-to-be has died after tripping and falling into a well at her bridal shower in Danbatta, northern Nigeria. Fatima Abubakar, 16, was set to tie the knot with her fiancé on Thursday. Her father told the BBC that she was standing very close to the well when the accident …

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Ex-Algerian PM elected president in first post-Bouteflika polls

Algeria has a new president in the person of Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The 74-year-old won controversial December 12 elections with 58% of the vote, the national electoral body announced quoting preliminary results. Mr Tebboune, 74, previously served as housing, then information minister. He served seven-months as Prime Minister two years ago …

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2 Ghanaians sworn in as high court judges at Gambia

Two Ghanaian have been sworn into office as high court judges in The Gambia. Justice Alexander Osei Tutu and Justice Francis Apangabuno were sworn into office by President Adama Barrow on Thursday, 12 December 2019 in The Gambia. Both judges were high court judges in Ghana prior to their appointment …

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Libyan general orders forces to capture capital

Libyan military strongman General Khalifa Haftar has called on his forces to begin an advance aimed at capturing the capital, Tripoli. The General’s statement came in a rare, live television broadcast. In April, he launched a major attempt to seize the city – which is held by Libya’s UN-backed government. …

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Tension rises as Oshiomhole arrives Benin, speaks on IGP’s ban

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Thursday landed in Benin, the Edo State capital. On his arrival, he assured his supporters that the rally to receive defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will still hold. The APC leadership had organised the rally to …

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Why we burnt PDP women leader to death — Suspect

The man, Ocholli Edicha, suspected to be the gang leader of those who led some political thugs to burn Mrs Salome Achejuigu, the PDP women leader to death has confessed that they carried out the dastardly act because he had been nursing a grudge against the woman before the Nov …

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Christmas: Expired food products flood Koforidua markets

Some traders in the Eastern Regional Capital, Koforidua, have flooded the market with expired products to outwit unsuspecting consumers rushing to buy products for the yuletide. The perpetrators allegedly sneaked onto the market with products that have expiration dates as far back as 2017. However luck has eluded some of …

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At least 60 killed in Niger militant attack

Militants have killed at least 60 people in an attack on a military base close to Niger’s border with Mali. No group has said it was behind the killings, but fighters linked to the Islamic State group and Nigeria-based Boko Haram are active in the area. The news comes just …

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NLC explains reason for court order against striking teachers

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has explained its decision to secure a court order against three teacher unions whose members are currently striking. The Commission’s Executive Secretary, Ofosu Asamoah, has explained that the decision was made because of the teachers’ failure to follow due process. The NLC, on Wednesday, filed …

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Niger army base attack: At least 73 soldiers killed

Militants have killed at least 73 soldiers in an attack on a military base in western Niger, the army says. Twelve soldiers were also injured in the attack – the deadliest for several years – on Tuesday in Inates. Niger’s defence minister, Issoufou Katambe, told the BBC “a large number …

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New era for Methodist church in SA with women in top roles

Bishop Purity Malinga is the first woman to be appointed presiding bishop in the Methodist Church of Southern African in more than 200 years. Reverend Purity Malinga has just become the 100th presiding bishop to be elected by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. She is the first woman in …

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Cameroon conflict: ‘I go to a secret school’

When his family recently fled a separatist rebellion in the country’s English-speaking regions, they thought they had found a place where he could go to school in safety. But that has turned out not to be the case as the school he attends in Douala, the biggest city in Cameroon, …

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Five killed in Kenya bus crash

Five people have died and dozens others have been injured after two buses collided in Kenya’s Nairobi-Mombasa highway. The two buses that were heading in the opposite directions collided after the Nairobi bound bus veered off its lane. The crash happened at 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT) in the Kiongwani …

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Tanzania starts using effective HIV drug

Tanzania has started using Dolutegravir ‘DGT’, the new and most effective drug in suppressing HIV/Aids in the human body. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Tanzania is now among 82 countries with low and …

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