AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya on Saturday marked a new milestone in space exploration by launching the first satellite dubbed “Taifa 1” into space after three botched attempts linked to bad weather. Developed by nine Kenyan engineers, the observation satellite blasted off aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 full-thrust rocket from Space Launch Complex …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves declined 9.42 billion shillings (about 70 million U.S. dollars) this week, piling pressure on the shilling that similarly fell to a new low, the Central Bank of Kenya said in its update of the financial markets released Friday evening. The reserves stood at 6.38 …

Khartoum, Sudan | Xinhua |  Sustained gunshots have been heard Saturday here in the Sudanese capital amid mounting tension between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Firing was heard around a major RSF base south of Khartoum, with eyewitnesses saying tanks of the Sudanese army were seen moving …

Kinshasa, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Restoration of peace in North Kivu hangs in balance after Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo refused a political dialogue with the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. Speaking in Kinshasha on Friday after meeting the Swiss President, Alain Berset about the security and humanitarian …

  Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said that they will announce a significant overhaul of the country’s work visa system in a bid to further boost investment. “This includes decentralizing the adjudication of visa applications to foreign missions and streamlining application requirements to …

Accra, Ghana | Xinhua | Ghana, one of the world’s most serious malaria-stricken countries, approved on Thursday a new vaccine for children to protect them from the deadly disease. Delese Darko, the chief executive officer of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), told a press briefing that the R21 vaccine …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Xinhua |  China on Wednesday started running a two-day training seminar aimed at assisting Tanzania to increase its capacity in water conservation and management in the country’s Great Lakes. The training seminar on Eco-environment and Water Security in Lake Basin System was jointly organized by the …

How Africa’s media covered Nigeria recent general elections and why it matters for the next coverage COMMENT | Azubuike Ishiekwene | Between February and March 2023, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a new President and parliament. This was the seventh national vote since Nigeria’s transition from military rule in 1999. …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The Committee on Foreign Affairs is concerned about the security of Ugandans and their businesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Members of Parliament on the committee raised the concerns in a meeting with officials from Uganda’s Embassy in Kinshasha led by …

Juba, South Sudan | THE INDEPENDENT |  When the hackers seized the website of the central bank of South Sudan late last week, it was the reason that the hijackers gave that raised more concern about the country’s economy than the attack itself. The hackers, calling themselves “Anonymous South Sudan” …