• Questions raised over valuation dropping Guptas property price in S. Africa

  An objection has been lodged over an error on the 2013 property valuation of a property owned by the well-connected Indian family in Johannesburg. Spokesperson Kgamanyane Maphologela said the City objected to valuations on four out of 14 properties belonging to the Gupta family. According to news 24, Maphologela was responding to a report in the Saturday Star that one of the properties' value ...

• UN Envoy Pledges to Lobby for More Aid for Darfur

  Displaced persons from East Darfur at a camp in another part of the region in western Sudan. UN envoy Valerie Amos has called for more development aid in Darfur, where conflict has raged for 10 ...

• The once young man behind the African Union

  The African Union celebrates its 50th anniversary this week. But how did the preeminent network uniting 54 African states begin? A better question might be with whom did it ...

• China strengthens Zimbabwe ties with vice-presidential visit

  The Chinese official arrived in Zimbabwe on Tuesday on an official visit to boost business and bilateral relations between Harare and Beijing. He was welcomed at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Joice Mujuru, Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office Sylvester Nguni. Speaking to journalists soon after arrival, the Chinese ...

• South African President Jacob Zuma implicated in Gupta wedding plane scandal

  A South African government report released on Wednesday implicated President Jacob Zuma in a scandal over a plane chartered by rich friends of his which landed at a military base without proper permission.The presidency and Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC) have denied demanding landing permission for the flight carrying nearly 200 guests for a wedding.But a diplomatic protocol ...

• HNA signs agreement with WFP to support school meals program in Ghana

  The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced a new partnership with HNA Group - a leading China-based corporation - to fight hunger globally. A US$1.6 million agreement (10 million RMB) between HNA Group and WFP was signed today in Beijing by WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin and HNA Group Chairman ChenFeng. The funds will help WFP provide take-home rations to promote ...

• Amnesty Report Highlights Refugee Plight

  annual report by Amnesty International cites the increasing number of refugees around the world, and the lack of support for them, as the key human rights issue for the past year. The London-based group also calls the Internet an important tool in fighting human rights abuses, and calls on governments to increase access to it. Amnesty International reports that the number of refugees ...

• Chinas new leadership highly values friendship with Zimbabwe

  Visiting Vice Premier Wang Yang on Wednesday told Zimbabwean Vice President Joyce Mujuru that China's new leadership highly values the traditional friendship with Zimbabwe.Wang said his visit is to follow up to the African trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year and join Zimbabweans in efforts to push Sino-Zimbabwean cooperation in all fields to achieve "greater ...

• Kenyas Beijing 1500 champion makes comeback in New York league

  Beijing Olympic 1,500m champion Nancy Jebet Lagat and London 800m winner David Rudisha led a group of Kenyan athletes heading to New York for the Diamond league meet on Saturday.Whereas Rudisha, will be one of the biggest stars in the Adidas Grand Prix, which is third stop in the 2013 IAAF Diamond League, the return to action of Lagat has tilted the equation over the four lap race."I have ...

• US allies say Assad cannot play role in Syrias future denounce

  The United States and its European and Arab allies on Wednesday said they would increase support to rebels until the formation of a transitional government in Syria.In a communique issued by "Friends of Syria" meeting, the foreign ministers of the United States, several Arab and European states said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his regime members and all those involved in the ...

• Deaths at S. Africa initiation schools hit 29

  The death toll at South African initiation schools has risen to 29, as investigation into the tragedy deepens, authorities said on Wednesday.The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said the latest six deaths were reported on Tuesday in Sekhukhune, the Limpopo Province, during initiation and circumcision rituals.Previously, Mpumalanga was the only province linked to deaths at initiation ...

• Egypts abducted soldiers released without compromises

  The process of releasing the seven Egyptian abducted soldiers has accomplished without any compromises, deals or promises to kidnappers, Egyptian presidential spokesman told reporters on Wednesday."The presidency formed a tripartite commission of the highest level from the armed forces, the police and the general intelligence, which set up a complete roadmap to manage the crisis, " ...

• Kenya urged to protect biodiversity

  Kenya joined the rest of the world in making the International Day for Biodiversity with call to prioritize biodiversity conservation to propel green growth, reduce poverty and transform rural ...

• Lemurs of Madagascar facing big problem

  A Malagasy expert in Madagascar's lemurs, Professor Jonah Henri Ratsimbazafy, who is the coordinator of a British NGO, Durrel Wildlife Conservation Trust Madagascar, told Xinhua in a exclusive interview on Wednesday that Madagascar is famous for its lemurs which represent the 20 percent of all primates in the ...

• Africa In The City Black Hair Matters

  What does your hair mean to you? On this episode of Africa In The City, we talk about black hair and all of the many different choices black women have in styling their ...

• Boom Town Baby African stock market sees sizable gains

  The barrage of hourly tweets sent out by Aly-Khan Satchu — East Africa's version of CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer — cheers on what Satchu says is a growing sentiment among investors: If you're not investing in Africa, you should be. Or as Satchu loudly proclaims on his Twitter feed or newspaper column: "ITS BOOM TOWN ...

• Revision of Mental Illness Guide Stirs Debate

  A long-anticipated revision of an official diagnostic guide to mental illness, known as the DSM-5, was released this week. While the new manual is being welcomed by some doctors as reflecting advancements in the understanding and diagnosis of mental disorders, critics say its definitions of psychiatric conditions are based too much on symptoms and too little on the biological causes of mental ...

• US Lawmakers Pledge to Back Israel Against Iran

  The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a resolution affirming America's firm opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions, and pledging full support for Israel in the event of an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The chance to slam Iran’s government and speak up for Israel brought a rare moment of complete bipartisan unity to the Senate. Republican ...

• Ghana raises benchmark rate to 16

  The Bank of Ghana unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate by one percentage point to stabilize a weakening currency as inflation reached a three-year high, Bloomberg News ...

• Electricity World Bank to assist Nigeria generate 2000MW

  The World Bank has said it will help Nigeria to generate additional 2,000 megawatts of electricity in the next two years through support to independent power ...

• Aviation policy 20 private jets leave Nigeria

  About 20 private jets registered abroad but flying in Nigeria may have left the country barely one month after the Federal Government unveiled a new policy barring foreign-owned aircraft from staying in the country beyond 15 days, aviation industry sources have ...

• UN relief chief urges bridges between humanitarian development work in Darfur

  UN relief chief on Wednesday expressed disappointment that Sudan's Darfur region is still not self-reliant, calling for stronger bridges between humanitarian and development ...

• EU dissatisfied at delays returning frozen assets to north African countries

  The EU froze billions of euro in assets from former Libyan, Tunisian and Egyptian regimes during the uprisings but now says confusion over ownership and judicial procedure has delayed their ...

• China-Africa Towards More Sustainable Health Care

  Credit: ChimpLearnGood/ flickr By Paul Kadetz In 1941, Mao Zedongcalledfor a "practice of revolutionary humanitarianism". 14 years later in Bandung, Indonesia, China’s Premier Zhou Enlai met with other Asian leaders to chart a distinctly anti-colonial approach to humanitarianism and diplomacy on the African continent. From its first health aid to Algeria in 1964, China has ...

• Will Kenyas new president respect international court

  At his inauguration on April 9, Kenya's new president, Uhuru Kenyatta, promised to uphold "international obligations". This was most likely a reference to the International Criminal Court. Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, are to stand trial before the ICC for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the country's election-related violence in 2007 and 2008. ...

• British PM London Killing Appears to be Terrorism

  British Prime Minister David Cameron says the daylight killing of a man on a south London street near an army barracks appears to be a terrorist ...

• Militants Turn Nigeria into Christian Killing Field

  Last year more Christians were killed in Nigeria than any other country. The onslaught of bombings gave Nigeria the sad distinction of being the nation with the highest Christian death toll. More than 900 Christians reportedly were killed in Nigeria in 2012, all victims of the Boko Haram group and other Islamic militants. "They are so radical they don't even spare Muslims. If Muslims ...

• IHT Special In Morocco TV Is Part of Power Game

  Morocco 's Islamist-led government in April last year to make television reform one of its top priorities has turned the country's media industry into a pawn in an escalating power tussle between the governing Justice and Development Party and the Royal ...

• US Officially Acknowledges Drone Strike Killings

  The U.S. Justice Department has formally acknowledged that the United States has killed four American citizens in drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan since ...

• Italian Judge Orders Criminal Trial for Costa Concordia Captain

  An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia to stand trial for the deaths of 32 passengers. Captain Francesco Schettino has been charged with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before all the passengers were safe. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The Costa Concordia struck rocks and capsized off the coast of ...

• Free Market Reforms Needed to Fix Venezuelas Socialist Economic Problems

  In Venezuela, the laws of supply and demand are undermining the socialist revolution started by the late President Hugo Chavez. Since Chavez’s hand-picked successor Nicolas Maduro won the Venezuelan presidential election in April - by a margin of less than 2 percent - high inflation and a shortage of staple goods are now leading many on both sides of this politically-divided country to ...

• Calls Grow For An End to Sexual Assaults in US Military

  THE PENTAGON -- A recent Pentagon report says the number of sexual assaults among people in the military continues to grow. The estimated number of incidents, ranging from groping to rape, increased by 37 percent last year. Both men and women were victims. This is prompting them, and activists, to push for deep changes in the US military. More women are on active military duty than ever ...

• HRT Expects to Start Drilling Second Namibia Well in Two Weeks

  RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian oil startup HRT Participacoes em Petroleo SA expects to start drilling on its second well offshore Namibia in two weeks, Chief Executive Milton Franke said Wednesday. "The Murombe prospect is only 15 kilometers from Wingat," Mr. Franke said during a conference call with analysts. The drilling rig will be moved to Murombe shortly, the executive added. ...

• Tunisia feminist arrested for defacing mosque

  A young woman was arrested in Tunisia on May 19 after she spray-painted the name of a feminist group on the wall of a mosque. Amina Tyler was jailed when she wrote "Femen" on the exterior of a mosque in the town of Kairouan. Femen is an international group whose members have drawn attention by appearing topless in public; Tyler was fully ...

• Africa Obama Visit to Reinforce Deep Ties - Rep. Karen Bass

  Washington, DC - Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa released the following statement after the White House announced President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania next month: "President Obama’s travel to sub-Saharan Africa presents an opportunity to reinforce our ...

• Iraqi Police Gunmen Kill at Least 12 in Baghdad Brothel

  Civilians gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Kamaliyah neighborhood, a predominantly Shiite area of eastern Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, May 20, ...

• Opposition Groups Call for Swaziland Election Boycott

  King of Swaziland Mswati III (Front) and one of his 13 wives disembark from a plane after arriving at Katunayake International airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 13, 2012. ...

• Transitional Justice Elusive in Arab Spring Nations

  Egyptian riot police take up positions outside the building where former president Hosni Mubarak is being tried in connection with the killing of Arab Spring ...

• UN expanding mine action work in Mali

  UNMAS Mali is training and working with local Malian military and police to clear landmines and unexploded ordinance in the northern part of the country. Photo: UNMAS/Marc ...

• South African Government Contribution to Fully Fund World Champ Swim Team

  By Neville Smith, ZwemZaJOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 22. SPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced has announced that his department will offer financial assistance to the cash strapped national swimming federation Swimming South Africa.The R2,7million sponsorship will help the national team's campaign at the forthcoming FINA World Swimming Championships that will take place in ...

• Kenya Isiolo airport terminus construction starts

  Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) says the construction, which is the second phase of the modernisation process, will take the airport to international standards. The first phase of the Isiolo International Airport was the construction of 1.4 kilometres runway that was completed last year. During the commissioning of the airport, retired President Kibaki said upgrading Isiolo airstrip to an ...

• Kenya Set up sexual violence recovery centres in every county TJRC recommends

  sexual violence were not able to obtain the crucial medical attention (commonly known as PEP -- Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). PEP is required to be administered within 72 hours after the violation to prevent HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted infections as well as unwanted pregnancies. According ...

• Kenya Kiplagat team wants autonomous committee to implement report

  report on Tuesday, observers say the harder part of the task has just begun: implementing the findings and recommendations therein to redress widespread human rights violations spanning nearly five ...

• Kenya TJRC reports asks President Uhuru to make apology on torture

  In it's finding, the Commission stated that each of the three successive political regimes of the late President Jomo Kenyatta, retired presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki failed to stop the practice. The report recommends that President Uhuru Kenyatta offers a public apology to all victims ...

• U.S. Non-Intervention In Syria Could Mirror Outcome In Congo

  This week, we're exploring how lessons learned from U.S. intervention and non-intervention in foreign conflicts can inform policy decisions toward Syria today. Robert Siegel talks with Chester Crocker, formerly assistant secretary of state for African affairs in the Reagan administration, about how the U.S. has dealt with the decades-long conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo that ...

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