Nigeria to resume crude oil refining in August, industry authorities say
Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria plans to resume local refining of crude oil in early August, national petroleum authorities announced Monday. The resumption would end years of idleness at Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, and analysts say that if successfully implemented, it would…
IMF should work with Kenya to account for public funds, says rights group
Nairobi, Kenya — Advocacy group Human Rights Watch called Tuesday for greater accountability of public funds in Kenya, framing it partially as a human rights issue. Kenyans have taken to the streets for four consecutive weeks to protest the high…
Sudan: 800,000 still trapped in El Fasher where supplies running out, warns WHO
In an alert, Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative to Sudan, said that heavy fighting between Sudan’s rival militaries had made access to El Fasher “completely impossible”, as the country’s warring parties continue to hold talks in Geneva. The latest warning…
Chinese e-commerce companies popular in South Africa
Johannesburg — Rotondwa Mbadaliga is a self-professed “shopping addict.” The 25-year-old South African fashion influencer says she is a huge fan of Chinese-linked e-commerce companies Shein and Temu because she can get the latest trends at the cheapest…
Malawi declares end of country’s deadliest cholera outbreak
Blantyre, Malawi — Malawi has declared the end of the country’s worst cholera outbreak, which began in March 2022 and killed nearly 2,000 people. In a statement Monday, the Ministry of Health said the country had registered no…
Second malaria vaccine launched in Ivory Coast marks new milestone
LONDON — The world’s second vaccine against malaria was launched on Monday as Ivory Coast began a routine vaccine program using shots developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India. The introduction of the World Health…
The Gambia: UN salutes ‘monumental achievement’ as lawmakers uphold FGM ban
Parliamentarians in the West African country voted on Monday to reject a bill that sought to overturn a 2015 law against the harmful practice, which involves cutting or removing some or all of the external female genitalia. FGM is mostly carried…
South Sudan faces growing humanitarian crisis, warns WHO
The UN health agency insisted that the humanitarian, economic, social and political crises that began with brutal civil conflict in 2013 have been worsened by the recent influx of refugees from Sudan following the war between rival militaries there –…
Kenyan government app gives girls info on a taboo topic: menstruation
The Kenyan government is using a new mobile application to educate girls about menstrual health. Through the Oky Kenya app, users can access information on hygiene and other topics. The goal is to dispel myths and misconceptions about menstruation and…
DR Congo detects at least 25 mpox cases in Goma
PARIS — At least 25 cases of a dangerous new strain of mpox spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo have been detected in the eastern city of Goma, mostly in camps housing people fleeing a surrounding conflict, health authorities…