AFRICA

Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | The African Union (AU) and other regional bodies on the continent on Friday commended Zimbabwe for holding a peaceful election. In separate preliminary statements following this week’s general elections, observer missions from the AU, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern …

Cape Town, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said that the coming of the world economies under their grouping Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) is the new dawn for countries to enjoy their freedoms and independence. The President says that while the human race has …

Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday thanked the BRICS for inviting Egypt to join in as a new member state, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. “I highly value the BRICS’s invitation of Egypt to join the economic bloc as of January 2024, and …

African consumers are ditching old-style electric light bulbs for LEDs, with the continent’s smart lighting market now forecast to reach US$5.49 billion by 2028. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s demand for LED lighting is set to surge in the next five years, as governments promote the use of …

Tokyo has embarked on a charm offensive to secure a future supply of essential electric vehicle (EV) minerals. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY |  Japan is staking its claim in an African EV mineral bonanza as it seeks to fortify its supply chain and guard against China’s ambitions on the …

Rutshuru, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s peacekeeping forces in the war-torn North Kivu Province of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have initiated an extensive tree-planting campaign in the Rutshuru territory to promote environmental conservation. Colonel Michael Walaka Hyeroba, the Ugandan Troops Contingent Commander, inaugurated the campaign on Tuesday …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua |  The East African Community (EAC) on Tuesday began talks in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to admit Somalia into the regional economic bloc. Peter Mathuki, the secretary general of the intergovernmental organization, told journalists that the talks will be the final stage before Somalia can …

Across Africa, public transport is embracing electrification at an unprecedented pace. Municipal administrations are taking the lead, forging vital partnerships with private enterprises to drive this eco-friendly evolution of bus fleets. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | South Africa is the latest country to take the leap to sustainable urban …

United Nations, US | Xinhua | A spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is pushing children into the worst cholera crisis since 2017, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday. Across the country, there were at least 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera …

Africa is bringing a new weapon to the war on HIV and Aids, according to health officials. It comes in the form of a rubber and silicone ring being made available to women and girls. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | A number of African nations are boldly embracing a …