Heads of state at African Union summit in Addis Ababa condemn Israeli ‘genocide’ in Gaza
A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving because of the war, which began with Hamas’ assault into Israel on October 7 in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250.
Corrurption-tainted South African president faces tough test from main opposition party
Under South Africa’s system of government, lawmakers elect the president, so a party or coalition with a majority in parliament control both the executive and legislative branches. If the ANC’s support falls below 50 per cent at the polls, the party would have to make deals with smaller parties to secure Ramaphosa’s re-election.
Ghana MP proposes non-custodial sentence for LGBT offenders to prevent sodomy in prison
LGBT community in Ghana already faces abuse and hostility and discussion of the proposed bill has heightened fears, activists say. While some MPs opposed the proposal to replace jail terms with non-custodial sentences, parliament voted for the bill to have another reading, where amendments can be made.
Zimbabwe announces plan to ban university scholarships for gays as crackdown on same sex unions continues
Like many African countries, Zimbabwe has laws criminalising homosexual activity. Sex between men carries a potential sentence of up to a year in prison, and the country’s constitution bans same-sex marriages.
Eating chiefs: Nigeria’s currency hits rock bottom as central bank discovers $2.4 billion false foreign exchange claims
CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso has said the bank has cleared $2.5 billion of the foreign exchange backlog out of the $7 billion that had been outstanding. The bank, however, found that $2.4 billion of that backlog were false claims that it would not clear, Cardoso said, leaving a balance of about $2.2 billion, which he said will be cleared “soon.”
Senegal president caves in to pressure, agrees to presidential election ‘as soon as possible’
Senegal has been seen as one of the region’s most stable democracies, but election disputes have plunged the country into a political crisis that has sparked deadly protests and cuts to mobile internet. At least three people have been killed by security forces and dozens injured.
Algeria’s black market for foreign currency underlines economic woes of the North African nation
From Lebanon to Nigeria, experts warn that having two parallel exchange rates can distort a country’s economy, discourage investment and encourage corruption. Algeria has historically been reluctant to lower the official value of the dinar, worried that devaluation will spike prices and anger the population.
With wheat-based diets blamed for rising lifestyle diseases in Africa, scientists are resorting to indigenous crops to solve food insecurity
The benefits of fonio are so marked that academics and policymakers are now calling for the grain – alongside other indigenous foods, such as Ethiopia’s teff, as well as cassava and various millets and legumes – to be embraced more widely across Africa to improve food security.
‘Unconstitutional’, Senegal court rules as it voids President Sall’s delay of presidential elections
The postponement has thrown the country into political turmoil, and it was not immediately clear if the election could go forward as initially scheduled, or whether more time would be needed to allow for political campaigns.
Report: World has entered era of instability as Africa becomes key market for new arms exporters
The combination of Russia’s war on Ukraine and rising tensions between China and Western countries have been principal drivers of military spending. Global defence spending is up 9 per cent to a record $2.2 trillion from the previous year and poised to rise further in 2024, based on already announced spending commitments.
