NAIROBI – A US$500-million fund aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa was launched in Abu Dhabi, the United Emirates(UAE) on Tuesday, at a time Western countries were sharply cutting aid to Africa. The Beginnings Fund brings together philanthropists including the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, run...
Israeli firefighting teams battled bushfires that threatened Jerusalem for a second day yesterday, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed. The fires broke out on Wednesday along the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, prompting police to shut roads and evacuate thousands of residents from nearby communities. Israel’s firefighting service said...
Sudan’s presidential palace in central Khartoum was shelled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) yesterday, a military source said, the second such attack on the capital in a week. The RSF, at war with the army for two years, used “long-range artillery” launched from their holdout position in al-Salha, located south of Khartoum’s twin...
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on the country’s space station, State media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power. China has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what president Xi Jinping describes...
India’s human rights body said yesterday it was investigating reports more than 100 children fell sick after eating a school lunch served after a dead snake was found in the food. “Reportedly, the cook served the food to the children after removing a dead snake from it,” the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in...
MALINDI – Writhing in pain on a hospital bed in a Kenyan coastal town, teenage snakebite victim Shukurani Konde Tuva faced the grim reality of his left leg from above the knee being amputated. The 14-year-old was bitten by a puff adder — a venomous snake and the most common snakebite in sub-Saharan Africa —...
MADRID – Spain and Portugal yesterday ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of a sweeping blackout that sparked chaos for millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula the previous day. Telephone, internet and lights were working again, train services resumed, shops reopened and workers flocked back to offices following Monday’s outage that lasted up...
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to beat the United States in Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Congratulatory messages from world leaders have begun pouring in, with countries, including China and India, saying they would welcome cooperation with Carney’s government.Following...
KIGALI – Rwanda last month severed relations with Belgium following criticism of its actions in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – a move that is already having unexpected consequences. Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group, which has seized large areas of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, has attracted international condemnation and sanctions. In March,...
KAMPALA – Uganda’s opposition said yesterday that security forces had “sealed off” its headquarters in the capital, Kampala, to stop the party launching a protest campaign ahead of national polls next year. Security forces have in recent years frequently targeted the opposition party of the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine. The...