AFRICA

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | Malawi’s constitutional court is set to rule next week on whether to annul controversial poll results that saw the re-election of President Peter Mutharika, a verdict widely expected to stoke turmoil. The case has gripped the southern African nation and kept Malawians glued to radio stations …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | African countries are scrambling to avert an outbreak of the rapidly spreading coronavirus strain, as health officials warn that the poorest countries are ill-equipped to combat the deadly disease. Across the continent, governments have stationed nurses at airports to check for feverish passengers and have suspended …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, the first to break the mythic two-hour mark, and Vivian Cheruiyot will lead the Kenyan marathon team for the Tokyo Olympics in August. Athletics Kenya (AK) president Jackson Tuwei said the country expected a drug-free Olympics and hoped the selected …

Greta Thunberg puts Africa’s climate activists in media spotlight Stockholm, Sweden | AFP |  After a racism debate in Davos on the invisibility of African climate activists, Greta Thunberg held a press conference Friday with eco warriors from Kenya, Uganda and South Africa to stress the importance of their voices. …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  A top UN official has warned that the international community would “pay a terrible price” if it fails to help rebuild Sudan’s dilapidated economy as the African country transitions to civilian rule. “The story of Sudan in year 2020 is not the story of the previous …

Conakry, Guinea | AFP |  Police in the West African state of Guinea are facing a storm of criticism over a viral video that apparently showed them using a woman as a human shield against stone-throwing protestors. The video, whose source cannot be independently verified but whose authenticity has not been …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  South African mobile giant MTN has said it will make investments worth $1.6 billion (1.45 billion euros) in Nigeria as it seeks to put a series of legal wrangles to bed. The telecommunications firm said late Wednesday that its top executives made the announcement during …

Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Paul Kagame has said Rwanda will only ‘open the border’ after Uganda stops alleged detention of their citizens and support of dissident groups. Kagame said the recent high profile release by Uganda of nine Rwandans held over various charges in Kampala, was not …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision not to run in Burundi’s elections in May has come as a surprise. In 2015, his push for a third term led to the death of 1,200 people while more than 400,000 fled their homes, prompting a probe by the International Criminal …

David Richmond reports that Uganda and six other African countries will this month sign a political declaration and a legally binding agreement committing them to introduce legislation on tough new criminal penalties. Niger’s government is sounding the alarm about bogus meningitis vaccines – and it is not the first time. …