Page 7 - Africa

Malawi soldiers search for missing plane carrying vice prez, ex-first lady

Soldiers are searching mountainous forests near a city in northern Malawi after a military plane carrying the country's vice president and a former first lady went missing in the area Monday, President Lazarus Chakwera said. The plane carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima, former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri and eight others left the southern African nation's capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 a.m. and had been expected to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north. But air traffic control told it to not attempt a landing and to turn around because of bad weather and poor visibility, Chakwera said in an address broadcast live on state TV channel MBC. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft and it disappeared from radar a short time later, he said. I know this is a heartbreaking situation. I know we are all frightened and concerned. I too am concerned, Chakwera said. But I want to assure you that I am sparing no

Amid sanctions, Putin pivots to eastern allies for Russian investment forum

Western sanctions have not torpedoed Russia's economy, however, and Moscow has nurtured ties with China, major regional powers in the Middle East and across Africa and Latin America

World leaders congratulate Modi ahead of third term as Prime Minister

Over 50 world leaders have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is set to take oath this week for a third straight term at the top office following the National Democratic Alliance's victory in the Lok Sabha polls. From India's neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood, presidents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran, Seychelles and prime ministers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius have sent congratulatory greetings to Modi. In a post on X, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described the victory of the NDA alliance as "historic" and said he was looking forward to working with his Indian counterpart to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations next year. "Congratulations @narendramodi on the historic victory by the NDA for the third consecutive term. Look forward to working with you to deepen the Singapore-India partnership and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year," Wong said on X. Among G20 ...

Covid vaccine maker BioNTech gets $145 mn funding for plant in Africa

A future African network could produce affordable vaccines to fight malaria, mpox, tuberculosis or other health threats, they added

Serum Institute ships its first set of malaria vaccine doses to Africa

The vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax's Matrix-M adjuvant

South Sudan govt, rebels sign 'commitment' for peace in talks in Kenya

The government of South Sudan and rebel opposition groups on Thursday signed a commitment declaration for peace during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, described as key step in efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan that has long crippled its economy. The content of the agreement was not made public during the signing ceremony, attended by diplomats and civil society groups. The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan's five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. Kenya's foreign office said the agreement was a first milestone in the ongoing talks in which warring sides pledged their commitment to end the violence and hostilities. At the start of the high-level mediation talks launched a week ago, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir thanked his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for hosting the negotiations. The talks have been dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope, Initiative and are led by former Kenyan arm

GCPL takes Rs 2,389 cr one-time hit over Africa market strategy tweak

One-time costs related to loss on sale of subsidiaries, employee severance

70 people killed by flooding in Kenya; more rain expected through weekend

Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said on Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week. The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions. Kenya's government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70. Five bodies were retrieved on Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were travelling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said on Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings (USD 29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details. More than 130,000 people are currently affected with

South Africa to mark 30 years of freedom amid tense elections ahead

As 72-year-old Nonki Kunene walks through the corridors of Thabisang Primary School in Soweto, South Africa, she recalls the joy she and many others felt 30 years ago when they voted for the first time. It was at this school on April 27, 1994 that Kunene joined millions of South Africans to brave long queues and take part in the country's first democratic elections after decades of white minority rule which denied Black people the right to vote. However, as the country gears up for celebrations Saturday to mark 30 years of freedom and democracy, much of the enthusiasm and optimism of that period has subsided as Africa's most developed economy faces a myriad of challenges. Like many things in South Africa, the school that Kunene remembers has changed, and what used to be a school hall has now been turned into several classrooms. I somehow wish we could go back to that day, because of how excited I was and the things that happened thereafter, said Kunene, referring to Nelson Mandela

At least 20 dead after a ferry sinks in Central African Republic: Reports

At least 20 people have drowned in Central African Republic after a ferry sank while carrying passengers on a river, witnesses said on Saturday. The wooden ferry was carrying more than 300 people to a funeral over the Mpoko River in the capital, Bangui, on Friday when it started to collapse, witnesses told The Associated Press on Saturday. Local boat pilots and fishermen were the first to react and rescued victims and collected bodies from the river before the emergency services arrived. One fisherman who involved in the rescue, Adrien Mossamo, said that at least 20 bodies were found while waiting for the military to arrive. It's a horrible day, he said. The death toll is rising as the military takes over the search, officials at Bangui University Hospital Center said. The exact number of deaths is currently unknown and the government didn't comment. Civil society groups and local political parties sent their condolences in social media posts and called for an inquest into the

Labourers, vendors in Mali struggle amid deadly heat wave in West Africa

Street vendors in Mali's capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths, experts say, warning of more scorching weather ahead as effects of climate change roil the continent. The heat wave began in late March, as many in this Muslim majority country observed the holy Islamic month of Ramadan with dawn-to-dusk fasting. On Thursday, temperatures in Bamako reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) and weather forecasts say it's not letting up anytime soon. The city's Gabriel-Tour Hospital reported 102 deaths in the first four days of the month, compared to 130 deaths in all of April last year. It's unknown how many of the fatalities were due to the extreme weather as such data cannot be made public under the regulations imposed by the country's military rulers. Cheikh A Traor, Mali's general director for health, said significantly more elderly people have di

At least 13 people killed, nearly 15,000 displaced by flooding in Kenya

Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to the deaths of at least 13 people and displaced some 15,000, the United Nations said, as forecasters warned more rains can be expected until June. The U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing the Kenya Red Cross Society, said Thursday that nearly 20,000 people have been affected. That includes the estimated 15,000 displaced by heavy rains and flash floods across the country since the start of the wet season in mid-March. The East African country has seen thousands of people killed by flooding in previous rainy seasons, mostly in the lake regions and downstream of major rivers. The Kenya Red Cross Society told The Associated Press that five major roads were cut off by the floods, including Garissa Road in northern Kenya, where a bus carrying 51 passengers was swept away on Tuesday. All passengers were rescued. Kenya's disaster management agency issued a flood warning to residents of Lamu, Tana River and

Mali's junta bans media from reporting political activities in country

In a deepening crackdown, Mali's ruling junta on Thursday banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, a day after suspending all political activities in the country until further notice. The order, issued by Mali's high authority for communication, was distributed on social media. The notice said it applied to all forms of the media, including television, radio, online and print newspapers. Mali has experienced two coups since 2020, leading a wave of political instability that has swept across West and Central Africa in recent years. Along with its political troubles, the country is also in the grip of a worsening insurgency by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The scope of the ban or how it would be applied in practice was not immediately clear. It was also not known if journalists would still be allowed to report on issues such as the economy, which are closely tied to politics and who would monitor their work. Th

Senegal's Constitutional Council confirms Bassirou Diomaye Faye as Prez

The announcement, made on Friday, sets the stage for Faye's inauguration, slated for April 2nd

Niger's junta says US military presence in country is no longer justified

Niger's junta said on Saturday the US military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week. Niger plays a central role in the US military's operations in Africa's Sahel region and is home to a major airbase. The US is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State extremist groups. In reading the statement, the junta's spokesman, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, stopped short of saying US forces should leave. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that US flights over the country's territory in recent weeks were illegal. The US military in recent years began operating a major airbase in the Niger city of Agadez, some 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital of Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and oth

Internet outage hits several countries in Africa as undersea cables fail

A dozen countries across Africa suffered a major internet outage on Thursday as multiple undersea telecommunication cables reported failures, network operators and internet watch groups said. The MTN Group, one of Africa's largest network providers, said the ongoing disruptions were a result of failures in multiple major undersea cables. Our operations are actively working to reroute traffic through alternative network paths, the South African company said in a statement. Network disruptions caused by cable damage have occurred in Africa in recent years. However, today's disruption points to something larger (and) this is amongst the most severe, said Isik Mater, director of research at NetBlocks, a group that documents internet disruptions around the world. NetBlocks said data transmission and measurement shows a major disruption to international transits, likely at or near the subsea network cable landing points. The cause of the failure was not immediately clear. There were fea

Reliance's fuel supply to Europe avoids Red Sea to keep clear from Houthis

Globally fuel producers are avoiding the Red Sea and go around Africa to avoid Iran-aligned Houthi attacks despite the Suez canal being the shortest route between Asia and Europe

Experts to conduct surveys on translocating cheetahs to 2 sanctuaries: Min

A team of African and Namibian experts will soon visit the Gandhi Sagar and Nauradehi sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh to conduct surveys for translocating cheetahs to these places, Union minister Bhupender Yadav has said. The minister for environment, forest and climate change addressed a review meeting of the cheetah project at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in MP's Sheopur district on Monday. Yadav said Kuno will be established as an international tourist destination in the coming five years and the economy of this region will grow to around Rs 1,000 crore, that too without industries. "There are 21 cheetahs in the KNP at present and this area has great potential. Currently, eight cubs are roaming freely with the female cheetah in Kuno," Yadav was quoted as saying in an official release. He said a Cheetah Rehabilitation Centre has been started and it is also the area of biggest success in the world because cheetahs have been rehabilitated here (KNP). "A total of 10 forest areas were

Exports venturing into uncharted territories of Africa, Asia, Europe: Govt

At a time when global trade is facing geo-political uncertainties, India's exports of goods like automobiles and gold jewellery have ventured into uncharted territories of Central Asia, Africa and Latin America, according to an analysis by the commerce ministry. The analysis has shown that India has penetrated into what are termed as "absolutely new markets" in regions such as Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and North America during April-December 2023. The "absolutely new markets" refer to areas where India did see any export during April-December 2022, but healthy growth of certain principal commodities like motor vehicles, two- and three-wheelers, petroleum products, sugar, gold and other precious jewellery were recorded in April-December 2023. Exports of these commodities to the absolutely new markets during April-December 2023 stood at USD 234 million as against nil shipments during the same period of 2022. It added that these commodities captured a greater number of marke

From ecosystems to economics: The potential of a 'species stock exchange'

Creating interdependence between funding and ecological outcomes can establish an accountable framework, augmenting the efficacy of conservation initiatives