AFRICA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  A “remarkably complete” 3.8-million-year-old skull of an early human has been unearthed in Ethiopia, scientists announced Wednesday, a discovery that has the potential to alter our understanding of human evolution. The skull, known as “MRD”, was discovered not far from the younger Lucy — the …

Wildlife protections tightened as southern Africa protests Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A global wildlife summit has decided to regulate trade in giraffes and tighten protections for endangered animals including elephants, triggering a threat from disgruntled southern African nations to leave an international treaty. Parties to the Convention on International …

Mekele, Ethiopia | AFP |  Yonas Getu Molla started chewing khat as an architecture student, when he and his friends would munch on the leafy stimulant late into the night to help them study. When they closed their books, their heartbeats racing, they would seek out depressants like vodka and cannabis …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan is Wednesday due to announce the members of a new cabinet faced with a mountain of challenges after months of unrest, including rebuilding the economy and ending internal conflicts. Newly-appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok will name his key picks from nominees put forward by the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania on Tuesday announced it would send back all Burundian refugees on its soil from October 1, saying it was working with the UN to secure their return. But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a statement that insisted any returnees should go home …

  Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Uganda on Tuesday re-launched its national airline after two decades with an inaugural flight to Nairobi, becoming the latest East African nation seeking to revive their aviation industry. “The airline will first fly to seven destinations. Starting with Nairobi, Mogadishu, Juba and Dar es …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya is urging the UN to list Al-Shabaab under the same sanctions as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but foreign donors say the move could leave millions in drought-stricken Somalia without aid. The proposed listing — which could take effect as soon as Thursday — comes …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In NASA satellite images, forest fires in central Africa appear to burn alarmingly like a red chain from Gabon to Angola similar to the blazes in Brazil’s Amazon that sparked global outcry. At the G7 summit this week, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted about the …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Two teams confronted each other on the dusty sports field, wielding roughly cut sticks to whack a homemade puck at high speed. For the middle-aged and beyond, the sight of this rugged game triggered distant memories, of happier times. The sport, known as ngbaba, …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa has impounded a plane belonging to Tanzania’s national carrier over a farmer’s $33-million compensation claim for land which was nationalised decades ago, a lawyer said Sunday. The Air Tanzania aircraft was seized on Friday at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport after it …