Author: Chukwuebuka Festus - Page 5

Ethiopia’s Dr Tedros Re-elected As WHO Head

25May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Ethiopia, News

Ethiopia’s Dr Tedros Re-elected As WHO Head

Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been re-elected as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) head for a second five-year term. The result of the secret vote was a formality since he was the only candidate. Opening the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Dr Tedros, who has led the global response to the Covid pandemic, said coronavirus had turned the world upside down, leaving many still enduring suffering. Fighting back tears as he spoke, he also called for an end to war, which he said "shakes and shatters the foundations on which previously stable societies stood". He recalled his own first-hand experience as a child of war in Ethiopia, which is again experiencing civil conflict in its northern Tigray region, where he is originally from. Read Also: Kenyan Fight...

Egyptian Tycoon Jailed For Assaulting Orphan Girls

24May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Child Abuse, Crime, Egypt, News

Egyptian Tycoon Jailed For Assaulting Orphan Girls

An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced a businessman to three years in prison for trafficking and sexually assaulting seven underage girls at an orphanage he founded. Media and real estate tycoon Mohamed el-Amin was arrested on January 8 and held in custody pending investigations into accusations that he “sexually assaulted children using force”. He now faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. The case came to public attention after a Facebook page accused the owner of the Al-Mustaqbal group — formerly the owner of the CBC television network before it was sold in 2018 — of sexually assaulting young girls. A judiciary source told AFP Saturday that “witnesses confirmed the testimonies of the victims” during the investigation, referring to girls at an orphanage opened by A...

AFCON 2023: Kenya Miss Deadline To Take Part In Campaign

24May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

AFCON, Corruption, Kenya, News, Sports

AFCON 2023: Kenya Miss Deadline To Take Part In Campaign

Kenya will not take part in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, whose qualifying campaign is expected to start in early June. This is due to an ongoing ban from Fifa because of governmental interference in the running of the game. The East African nation expected that their ban would be lifted two weeks before their first Nations Cup qualifier if they were to take part in the 2023 campaign. However, as of the Saturday, May 21 deadline, the ban was still active. Read Also: 2023 AFCON Qualifiers: Eagles Are Favourites To Qualify In Group A –Kalou The Harambee Stars had been due to play in Cameroon on 4 June before then hosting Namibia four days later. It means that Group C will now compromise Cameroon, Namibia and Burundi - with the top two qualifying for next year's tourn...

Eat Cassava If Wheat Is Expensive, President Museveni Tells Ugandans

23May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Agriculture, Cost of Living, Economy, News, Uganda

Eat Cassava If Wheat Is Expensive, President Museveni Tells Ugandans

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says his government will not intervene in the current economic situation amid a rising cost of living. Prices of petroleum products, imported raw materials and food have been rising in recent months, a crisis being experienced globally following the war in Ukraine. In a televised national address on Sunday night, Mr Museveni said that government subsidies or removal of import taxes would collapse the economy. There would be a haemorrhage of dollars from the national reserves for the purchase of those expensive products, he added. Read Also: Peter Obi Warns That Nigerians Now Spend 100% Of Salary On Food Mr Museveni said Uganda will need to frugally use the imported items it can afford. He advised citizens to substitute expensive whea...

Hundreds Evacuated Amid Renewed Flooding In South Africa

23May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Environment, News, South Africa

Hundreds Evacuated Amid Renewed Flooding In South Africa

Hundreds of residents have been evacuated in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province amid a high alert over renewed flooding. The province experienced deadly floods last month and still restoring damaged infrastructure and making plans to re-home people displaced after flooding last month, which was among the worst to have affected KwaZulu-Natal province in its recorded history. April's floods killed 448, with 88 still missing, left more than 6,800 homeless and damaged more than 25 billion rand ($1.58 billion) of infrastructure. Read Also: Climate Change Behind South Africa’s Devastating Floods Heavy rains have been pounding this weekend and the local administration is on high alert to prevent any loss of life. Local mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says no comprehensive report has b...

Ronaldinho Visits Tunisia To Promote Tourism

22May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Economy, News, Tunisia

Ronaldinho Visits Tunisia To Promote Tourism

Former Brazilian football icon, Ronaldinho is currently in the North African country of Tunisia where he is promoting the country’s tourism. The former Barcelona midfield maestro who arrived the country on Thursday, is on a mission with the Tunisian Tourism office to promote the country’s rich attractions which was a main stay of its income accounting for 10% of the GDP before the Coronavirus pandemic. With the visit and promotions, the Brazilian football legend has become the new face of the Tunisian tourism campaign. The former player toured the streets of the town of Sidi Bou Said in the eastern part of the North African country. He was accompanied by local rapper Karim Gharbi who had invited him. Read Also: Buhari says Nigerian Health Workers Culpable for Medical Tou...

$4.7m Malawi Covid Fund Missing After Audit

22May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Corruption, Covid-19, Finance, Malawi, News

$4.7m Malawi Covid Fund Missing After Audit

An audit into Covid spending in Malawi has found that around $4.7m (£3.7m) cannot be accounted for from $21m set aside to deal with the second phase of the pandemic. This is on top of $881m from the first phase that a 2020 audit showed had been spent irregularly or was not accounted for. After the first audit, President Lazarus Chakwera promised to crack down on the culprits and several officials were taken to court, though none of the cases have yet concluded. The latest investigation - a 66-page report by the country’s auditor general - lists the irregularities, which include undelivered medical supplies, allowances paid without attendance sheets and fuel acquired without official documentation. Read Also: Face Masks Now Optional, COVID-19 Restrictions To Go Soon – FG ...

20 Million Farmers In Africa To Benefit From $1.5 billion Emergency Food Facility

21May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Africa, African Development, Agriculture, News

20 Million Farmers In Africa To Benefit From $1.5 billion Emergency Food Facility

The African Development Bank has approved a $1.5 billion emergency food production facility for 20 million farmers on the continent. This is aimed at reducing the looming food crisis driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the bank announced on Friday. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is further disrupting a global and liberalized food system that was already undermined by COVID and the unfolding climate crisis. Read Also: Kwara State to Partner AfDB on Infrastructure Devt., Women Empowerment The funding is meant to assist Africa overcome a shortage of at least 30 million metric tonnes of food due to the disruption of global food supplies caused by the conflict in Europe, especially for wheat, maize and soybeans imported from Russia and the Ukraine. The facility was designe...

Three Italians Kidnapped In Southern Mali

21May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Crime, Mali, News, Security, Terrorism

Three Italians Kidnapped In Southern Mali

Armed men kidnapped an Italian couple and their son in southern Mali overnight, their church said on Friday, as violence spreads in a country ravaged by an Islamist insurgency. A spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses church in neighboring Senegal said the couple is in their 70s and their son is about 50. They were living in Mali for personal reasons and are not missionaries, he said. It was not immediately clear who took them, he said. Media outlets reported that a Togolese national was kidnapped along with the Italians, but the spokesman said he could not confirm that. Italy's foreign affairs ministry confirmed the kidnapping in a statement. “The Crisis Unit is making every effort - in coordination with the competent State bodies - to find a positive solution to the case,...

Barcelona’s Aubameyang Retires From International Football

20May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Gabon, News, Sports

Barcelona’s Aubameyang Retires From International Football

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has retired from international football, his country’s federation has confirmed. Barcelona’s Aubameyang, who is Gabon’s all-time top scorer with 30 goals in 72 appearances, sent a letter to the federation on Tuesday, confirming his decision. “After 13 years of pride in representing my country, I announce I am ending my international career,” wrote the 32-year-old. “I would like to thank the Gabonese people and all those who have supported me in the good and bad times alike. “I will keep a lot of good memories like the day I made my debut… or the day I came back from Nigeria with the African Ballon d’Or. Read Also: Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League Suspends All Matches Over Fan Violence “I would also like to thank all my coaches, s...