Running mates Rigathi Gachagua and Martha Karua face each other for a deputy presidential debate in Nairobi, with the subject of corruption dominating the meeting. ‘I don’t have billions,’ says William Ruto’s running mate, while Raila Odinga’s running mate insists ‘the law must apply equally to all.’ Gachagua is Deputy President William Ruto’s running mate,…
The toxic chemical methanol has been identified as a possible cause of the deaths of 21 teenagers at a bar in the South African city of East London last month. Methanol was found in all of their bodies and investigations are continuing to determine whether the levels of the toxic chemical were enough to have…
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund said its executive board approved a $235.6 million disbursement to Kenya on Monday as it approved a third review of the country’s Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility arrangements. The disbursement is usable for budget support and brings such payouts to $1.208 billion under the 38-month arrangements,…
A proposed bill at the Ivorian parliament that would legalise polygamy – but only for men – has prompted strong reactions from women’s rights advocates, which have dubbed it a step back in the fight for equality. Polygamy is prohibited in many parts of the world but remains widespread in West African countries. “We can’t…
Mali’s military ruler has said he is open to dialogue to resolve the issue of the 49 Ivorian soldiers who were arrested at the airport in Bamako earlier this month. Col Assimi Goïta said he was willing, in a spirit of good relations between Mali and Ivory Coast, to work to resolve the dispute, including…
Two people in Ghana have died from the Marburg virus – and 98 been quarantined – raising fears of a mass outbreak of this highly infectious disease, which causes fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting and, in many cases, death through extreme blood loss. What is the Marburg virus ? A cousin of the equally deadly…
In what would have been unthinkable a few years ago, the Svosve family in north-eastern Zimbabwe is ditching maize for indigenous grains in order to overcome persistent drought and food shortages. This is despite the fact that maize is second only to water in importance in the average Zimbabwean household. It is not only a…
With just about 20 days left to Kenya’s general election, Presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua on Monday said they were confident of victory. Odinga and Karua were speaking before foreign press about their joint campaign. The pair also answered questions about their plans to tackle corruption. “I think the first…
Mnangagwa claims foreign embassies stationed in Harare are working with the opposition to destabilise the country. He praised China for building a parliament and funding infrastructure projects. The Chinese embassy in Harare has threatened a newspaper over what it calls “anti-China” reporting. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa says, as the country reaches the homestretch to general elections…
DAKAR/JOHANNESBURG, July 17 (Reuters) – CMOC’s 603993.SS Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt mine has suspended all exports, logistics companies were told in a notice seen by Reuters late on Saturday, complying with demands by a court-appointed administrator. A CMOC spokesman did not immediately reply to a request for comment but had said on Friday that the mine, which accounted…