AFRICA

Kigali, Rwanda | AFP |  A Rwandan brewery apologised Tuesday for printing sexist jokes on its beer labels after its attempt at humour drew a stinging rebuke from some of the country’s top female officials. Skol Brewery Limited also promised to immediately discontinue its “Live Laugh Lager” campaign, which saw …

The African Union launched the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at a summit in Niger last month. Vera Songwe is the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa that has been providing support for the AU during negotiations and ratifications. She spoke to …

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | AFP | Troops and police were out in force in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo on Monday blocking a planned opposition march, three days after brutally dispersing a banned protest in the capital Harare. Soldiers and armed police on horseback and in trucks patrolled the city’s  central business …

  Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Gabon’s presidency said Monday that a recent speech showed leader Ali Bongo was “firmly in control” of the country after he suffered a stroke 10 months ago that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. The opposition has claimed that President Bongo is unfit …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s deposed military leader Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, arrived in court Monday in Khartoum for the start of his trial on corruption charges. The trial comes as a sovereign council was being formed, following Saturday’s signing of a transitional constitution by …

  Luanda, Angola | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP | President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame are expected to hold discussions in Angola next week, the second such meeting in two months. According to a press release from the Angolan presidency, they two leaders will be the second …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Abdulmalik Abdulaziz, an Uighur student, was arrested and handcuffed by Egyptian police and when they removed his blindfold he was surprised to see Chinese officials questioning him in custody. He was picked up in broad daylight with friends, and taken to a Cairo police station where …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Rapturous crowds filled the streets of Khartoum Saturday as Sudan’s generals and protest leaders signed a historic deal paving the way for civilian rule. Thousands of cheering people gathered around the Friendship Hall next to the Nile, where the documents that will govern the country’s 39-month …

Gabon’s Bongo attends independence parade in rare public appearance Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo on Saturday made a rare public appearance to attend the country’s independence day celebrations, nearly ten months after suffering a stroke that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. Bongo, whose every …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan was poised Saturday to celebrate a historic deal between generals and protest leaders for a transition to civilian rule, which many hope will bring increased freedom and prosperity. During a ceremony to be held at a hall by the Nile in the capital Khartoum, members …