News

Archbishop Tutu quits as Oxfam ambassador over aid agency’s sex scandal

South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu stepped down as an ambassador for Oxfam on Thursday, citing disappointment at the British aid agency’s embroilment in a sex scandal involving staff in Haiti after a massive 2010 earthquake. Employees of Oxfam International, which groups about 20 national and regional branches in 90 countries, have been accused of raping women in South Sudan, …

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Resigns

Ethiopia’s prime minister has announced he will resign, in what he says is an effort to advance reforms aimed at easing the country’s political unrest. Speaking on state television Thursday, Hailemariam Desalegn said he has submitted his letter of resignation as both prime minister and chairman of the ruling EPRDF coalition. Hailemariam said he is stepping down “to be part …

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Cyril Ramaphosa sworn in as South Africa’s new president

Cyril Ramaphosa, head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), has been sworn is as South Africa’s president, fewer than 24 hours after the resignation of embattled ex-leader Jacob Zuma. “I will try very hard not to disappoint the people of South Africa,” Ramaphosa (65) said on Thursday as he ended his speech to parliament, shortly after the Parliament elected …

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Sunday Oliseh speaks out on why Dutch club sacked him as coach

Sunday Oliseh said he was suspended from his job at Fortuna Sittard, Netherlands due to his refusal to participate in illegal activities at the club. The 43-year-old former Super Eagles coach was relieved of his duties as coach on Wednesday via a statement on the club’s website “www.fortunasittard.nl”. “The club management makes this decision as a result of the repeatedly culpable …

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Zimbabwe opposition leader dies

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died aged 65 after a lengthy battle with cancer, party officials announced on Wednesday. The Vice President of his Movement for Democratic Change said the family has confirmed his death and that he passed away in hospital in South Africa, where he had been receiving treatment. “I can confirm that he died this evening. …

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Ethiopia frees top journalist after 7 years in jail

Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega has finally been released from a prison facility after seven years in jail. Nega was among the over 740 prisoners who were set for release by the federal government as part of political reforms announced in January 2018. His release comes barely a week after he reportedly refused to sign a ‘false confession form’ …

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Former President Obasanjo of Nigeria in exclusive interview with German broadcaster

President Buhari should not run for another term in office, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo advised in a letter to Nigeria’s head of state in January 2018. In an interview, he told Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, why he wrote the letter. Nigerian Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is known for his public letters to sitting presidents. In 2013 he wrote a …

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Germany: Syrians, Iraqis and Nigerians top asylum applications in January

German officials say 12,285 people applied for asylum in the country in January. That is a 15 percent drop compared with the same month last year. In January 2017, Germany recorded 14,476 new asylum requests, while some 13,082 people applied for asylum in December 2017. Figures published by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday show most new asylum-seekers last month originated …

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Refugees find work in Germany via Munich start-up Social-Bee

Displaced people have a hard time finding employment. Five hundred thousand refugees are currently on the job market — and prospects look bleak. A Munich startup has founded a non-profit temporary work agency. Temporary work employment refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization.  …

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Former Liberian president wins top African leadership prize

The 2017 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership has been awarded to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced Monday. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who served two terms as President of Liberia from 2006 to 2017, is the fifth recipient of the Ibrahim Prize, which recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The Ibrahim Prize …

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Gambian Minister praises Commonwealth as catalyst for international co-operation

The Commonwealth is a “model and catalyst for new forms of friendship and cooperation”: Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ousainou Darboe, convened a press briefing in Banjul, the capital, on Friday to mark his country’s return to the Commonwealth.  He described membership in the organisation as an important milestone in the history of The …

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Nigerians, Ghanaian shot in Italy speak out

Six African immigrants were injured after a gunman opened fire on them on 3 February in the central Italian city of Macerata in a racially-motivated attack. Of the six known victims, three are from Nigeria, including one woman, while the rest are from Mali, Ghana and the Gambia. A week after the attack, thousands turned out in an anti-fascism demonstration …

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Thousands rally for Africans shot by far-right activist in Italy

Thousands of anti-fascist demonstrators rallied on Saturday in the Italian cities of Rome, Milan, Palermo and Macerata, where six Africans were injured in a drive-by shooting a week ago. Protesters warned against a revival of neo-fascist sentiment during the campaign for next month’s national election with right-wing politicians exploiting the issue of migration to poach for votes.   The 3 …

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Israeli pilots refuse to participate in mass deportation of African asylum-seekers

Amidst the deportation-or-imprisonment policy of the Israeli government, some pilots of national airline El Al are refusing to fly planes that will forcibly expel Eritrean and Sudanese refugees in Israel to third countries. Israeli pilots are taking a stand against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mission to expel tens of thousands of African migrants from the country, publicly declaring they will …

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Gambia rejoins Commonwealth of Nations

The Gambia was readmitted to The Commonwealth on Thursday, welcomed back into the fold after its sudden pullout in 2013. Former President Yahya Jammeh dramatically withdrew the West African nation in October 2013, branding the group an “extension of colonialism”. President Adama Barrow began the readmission process in February last year. Barrow’s formal application last month for The Gambia to …

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Israel gives African migrants 60-day deadline to leave country

Israel has started issuing deportation orders to African migrants, giving them 60 days to return to their home countries or opt for an unnamed safe haven. Those failing to meet the deadline risk being sent to prison. Israel’s Population, Immigration and Border Authority delivered the first batch of notices Sunday, telling migrants they have to leave before 1 April. The …

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