The Transfer of Four Sandstone Sphinxes to Tahrir Square in Cairo Causes Furore
Officials from Egypt’s antiquities ministry recently announced that the ram-headed sphinxes had been taken from the Karnak temple in Luxor to the capital’s busy traffic roundabout, where they have joined a pink granite obelisk. The sphinxes are being stored in wooden crates until an unveiling ceremony, for which a date has not been set. “When […]
Virtual House Hunting in Nigeria
Nigerian startup Gidanka is providing serviced homes of varying orientation in carefully selected neighborhoods to travellers via an entirely automated check-in and check-out process and a tech-enabled management platform. Launched last July, Gidanka works with local developers and realtors to design and take out long leases on spaces in neighbourhoods determined to be travellers and […]
Take Note Before Going on One of these African Hikes
Researchers have tested the UV exposure in high-altitude sites in Cape Town and Reunion Island. They assessed human exposure for hiking activities at two popular high-altitude hiking trails on the Maïdo–Grand Bénare (Reunion) and Table Mountain (Cape Town) with a handheld radiometer. And recorded extreme exposure doses. We chose our testing sites – Table Mountain (altitude […]
One of Africa’s Richest Women Tries to Clear her Name
Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos is appealing against court orders in Angola and Portugal which led to her assets being frozen, and claims the state used false evidence to obtain the freezing orders. Since 2018 the Angolan government has been trying to prosecute Dos Santos, daughter of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, for […]
A Deadly Standoff in Tripoli
Forces loyal to Libya’s two rival governments continue to square off in and around the capital, Tripoli, as each side tries to wrest strategic positions and territory from the other. Amateur video posted by forces loyal to eastern military chief Gen. Khalifa Haftar showed his men appearing to advance, as other video appeared to show […]
DRC’s New Administration Under a Cloud of Corruption
A top aide to Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi is set to go on trial for corruption, in an important case that has rocked the country’s political establishment. Vital Kamerhe, Tshisekedi’s chief of staff, is accused of embezzling funds for a government infrastructure programme. He has been in custody since April […]
Madagascar’s President Challenges Naysayers
Andry Rajoelina has said criticism of an untested herbal tonic that he is touting as a treatment for Covid-19 shows the West’s condescending attitude towards Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against using untested remedies. Mr Rajoelina’s tonic has not gone through clinical trials. The African Union has also said it wanted to […]
Tension as the Largest Hydro Dam Gets Filled
Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive response to a complaint by Egypt about the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt submitted the complaint to the UN Security Council last week as part of a massive international campaign to stop Ethiopia from filling the $5-billion hydro dam on the Nile. Egypt claims the dam would […]
Ghana Returns to Work after Restrictions
“We know how to bring the economy back to life,” Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said in late March. “What we do not know is how to bring people back to life.” Six weeks later, that comment — which made international headlines — is serving as a reminder of early steps the West African state took […]
Mauritius Declared Covid Free
The island nation’s official COVID-19 page said 322 people had recovered out of the 332 confirmed cases so far. 10 people have since died. May 11 marked the fifteenth consecutive day that no new case was recorded in the country. A lockdown however remains in place to contain possible spread of the virus. Mauritius becomes the […]
