A fake US Embassy operated by organized crime gangs has been shut down in Ghana’s capital city Accra after a decade of operations, issuing counterfeit US visas. The US Department of State revealed in a statement that the sham embassy was run by Ghanaian and Turkish criminals as well as a Ghanaian lawyer, specializing  in immigration and criminal law. The …

I Am Bolt is a new documentary about Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the athlete known as “the fastest man alive”. The directors of the film, brothers Gabe and Benjamin Turner, followed Bolt around for about two years, capturing the nine-times Olympic gold medallist in training and in competition, as well as in private life, relaxing at home with family and …

Gambian leader Yahyah Jammeh, who vowed to rule the tiny West African nation for “a billion years”, was handed a shock election defeat on Friday 22 years after seizing power in a coup. The electoral commission head declared Adama Barrow president-elect on state television, with 45.5 percent of the vote against Jammeh’s 36.7 percent. “Having received 263, 515 votes out …

World AIDS Day, marked on 1 December every year since 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease. Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control. Here are …

A landmark HIV vaccine trial was launched in South Africa on the eve of World AIDS Day on 1 December. Scientists hope it will help eradicate the disease. Science has been trying in vain for 30 years to find a vaccine for HIV. But for the first time since the virus was identified in 1983, there is hope that a …

Lawmakers in the lower house of the Dutch parliament have backed a partial ban on “face-covering clothing”, including Islamic veils and robes such as the burqa and niqab. The legislation still requires Senate approval before it becomes law. Studies suggest that only a few hundred women in the Netherlands wear such clothes, but successive governments have attempted to ban the …

Struggling with a shortage of cash Zimbabwe has introduced a new currency, a “bond note”, redeemable against US dollars, which has been the country’s official currency since 2009. However, many people fear the bond note will wipe out savings and trigger printing of money, which raged out of control in 2008, leading to the adoption of the dollar. The secrecy …

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has warned that anyone involved in violence or unrest during the country’s presidential election on 1 December would be dealt with harshly. “There will be zero tolerance of violence and anyone disregarding public order will face the full force of the law,” Jammeh told supporters at a rally broadcast on Gambian TV on Sunday. “I am …

For granting visa-on-arrival to all Africans in their respective countries, Ghana’s President John Mahama and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame have been bestowed an award for African Leadership and Excellence by Humanitas Afrika. According to the African-Czech organisation based in Prague, “Boundaries and borders barricading African countries into sovereign states as in present-day Africa is no doubt a legacy borne out …

Ghanaians will go to the polls on 7 December to elect a president and 275 members of parliament. The Electoral Commission (EC) has released a final voter’s register of 15,703,890 eligible persons to participate in the country’s general election, which will be contested by seven political parties. However, the two most popular parties are the ruling National Democratic Congress or …