Autistic Nigerian teenager sets world painting record with canvas bigger than a soccer field
The artwork, created in November 2024, was unveiled and officially recognised by the Guinness World Record organisers in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja during the World Autism Acceptance Day in April. Nigeria’s art and culture minister Hannatu Musawa said Tagbo-Okeke’s artwork is “a beacon of hope and inspiration” for people with autism.
Hopeful Sudanese refugees return from exile in Egypt, but find no peace at home
The battle for power between the military and the RSF has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Famine is spreading. At least 20,000 people have been killed, according to the UN, although the figure is likely higher.
Why rare diseases often go undiagnosed or untreated in parts of Africa
Globally, more than 350 million people live with rare diseases, most of them caused by a misstep hidden within their genes. Some conditions can be caught early and treated – but in parts of Africa where population data and resources are scarce, many people go undiagnosed.
Trump revisits ‘genocidal’ foreign policy, engages Congo and Rwanda to ease US access to critical minerals
Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, helped broker the US role in promoting security in east Congo, part of an opening that Boulos has said could involve multibillion-dollar investments.
UNICEF: Donor funding cuts leave 13 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa at risk of severe malnutrition
In South Sudan, malnutrition among children under five as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, remains a critical concern. This year, over two million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition (both moderate and severe acute malnutrition), a 26 per cent increase from 2024.
White South Africans scramble for exile in US as non-white refugees are deported on Trump orders
Some of the South African applicants have taken part in a first round of interviews in Pretoria, three of them said, describing positive encounters with US officials who seemed well-disposed towards them and their accounts of persecution.
Government and rebels agree to cease hostilities but situation in eastern Congo remains volatile
The statement said the parties had agreed to “work towards concluding a truce” and that they were reaffirming their commitment to “an immediate end to hostilities.” Previous commitments to a ceasefire, announced unilaterally, have not held, and Wednesday’s statement was the first such commitment to be announced jointly.
No love lost: In Hollywood movies vultures are evil and in Africa they’re harbingers of death not treasured for gift of ‘killing’ diseases
Vultures also have extremely strong stomach acid, don’t get food poisoning and are able to consume and neutralise anthrax, botulism and other bacteria and toxins in carcasses that would kill other animals, removing deadly threats from the environment. Just this week, more than 50 hippos died from suspected anthrax poisoning in a reserve in Congo.
Sting in the tail: Nigeria bans song, ‘Tell Your Papa’ censures President Tinubu’s ‘insensitive’ policies
Since taking office in 2023, Tinubu’s policies such as the removal of subsidies on gasoline have hit hard as Nigeria grapples with fluctuating prices. Last year, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds more were arrested at protests demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people.
Livestock rights: Chinese voracious craving for donkey meat, skins decimating African populations
Emmanuel Sarr, the West Africa regional director of the international animal welfare group Brooke, argues that the illegal trade in donkey hides persists due to the high demand from the ejiao industry. “The situation is further exacerbated by weak enforcement and the vulnerability of local farmers,” he says
