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Egyptian charities dish out meals during Ramadan, despite soaring costs

Egyptian charities dish out meals during Ramadan, despite soaring costs

FOR the past five years, Egyptian Laila Abdel Maksoud and her family have run a charity offering free meals during the holy month of Ramadan, serving more and more people even as soaring inflation has driven up costs for the organization. Maksoud said they first started out with 500 meals, but this year they've surpassed 4,000 as millions of Egyptians struggle to cope with record inflation. A severe shortage of foreign currency exacerbated by global factors including a drop in Suez Canal revenue has hobbled the economy over the last two years. Despite investments from Gulf countries and a financial…
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Faye sworn in as Senegal president, cites ‘profound desire for change’

Faye sworn in as Senegal president, cites ‘profound desire for change’

SENEGAL'S once jailed opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in as the West African nation's fifth and youngest president ever, promising to restore stability and bring economic progress. The 44-year-old former tax inspector defeated Amadou Ba, the candidate of outgoing President Macky Sall's ruling coalition, by a landslide in the first round of voting, reflecting high hopes for change in the country of around 18 million. "The results of the election showed a profound desire for change," Faye said after taking the oath of office at a ceremony he attended with his two wives. Over a dozen heads of state and regional representatives…
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Cost of living relief on the cards as Kenya, Nigeria currencies gain ground

Cost of living relief on the cards as Kenya, Nigeria currencies gain ground

SQUEEZED by painfully high prices for over a year, households in Kenya and Nigeria are beginning to get some relief as their national currencies strengthen against the US dollar and the cost of living starts to come down. In 2023, the shilling and naira were ranked among the worst-performing currencies in the world, according to data from Bloomberg and World Currency Monitor. The naira was the worst-performing currency in Africa in 2023, depreciating by over 40% against the US dollar while the shilling ranked 6th worst worldwide, with a slump of over 15% against the US Dollar. However, consumers in…
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Nigeria clips nurses’ wings to prevent brain drain

Nigeria clips nurses’ wings to prevent brain drain

NIGERIAN nurse Temitope Ogundare has laid out a fastidious, one-year plan to get himself a well-paid nursing gig in Britain. Saving half his monthly salary of 45,000 naira ($29) - hard-earned in a private clinic - he successfully financed the key English language test needed to bolster his credentials.  Then nailed the required score to get to the next stage of his job hunt. But now the 25-year-old nurse says his plans are stuck in limbo due to strict, new rules brought in by the Nigeria Nursing and Midwifery Council to ensure home-grown talent stays home.  Like many African, Caribbean and Asian…
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Libyan PM’s residence targeted with RPGs, no casualties reported

Libyan PM’s residence targeted with RPGs, no casualties reported

THE residence of Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was targeted with rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that left no casualties, a Libyan minister told Reuters. The minister, who spoke in condition of anonymity, confirmed in a message that the attack only caused some damage. The minister has not disclosed any further details. Two citizens said they had heard massive explosions near the sea in Tripoli's luxury Hay Andalus neighbourhood, the home to PM Dbeibah's residence. A citizen said that after the massive explosions were heard, heavy security forces with their vehicles were deployed around the area. Libya has had little…
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DR Congo president appoints country’s first female prime minister

DR Congo president appoints country’s first female prime minister

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi appointed the country's first-ever female prime minister, naming planning minister Judith Suminwa to the role. Her appointment ends weeks of uncertainty. Tshisekedi's inauguration for a second term in January kickstarted a lengthy search for a majority coalition in the National Assembly - a key step before a prime minister could be named and a government formed. "I am aware of the great responsibility ... We will work for peace and the development of the country," Suminwa said on national television. The authorities face a raft of challenges including a worsening conflict and humanitarian crisis in…
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Egypt’s Sisi starts third term pledging more investment, social spending

Egypt’s Sisi starts third term pledging more investment, social spending

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in for his third term in the country's new capital, the largest of the mega-projects that have come to symbolise his rule while stretching the country's finances. Speaking at the new parliament building, Sisi highlighted the challenges Egypt withstood in recent years while promising continued development, which many Egyptians say they feel excluded from. "The past few years have shown that the path of nation-building is not paved with roses ... between terrorist attempts at home, sudden global crises abroad, fierce wars around us," Sisi told lawmakers and religious, government, and military officials.…
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Mali political parties request elections after junta shuns transition promise

Mali political parties request elections after junta shuns transition promise

POLITICAL parties in Mali have requested a time frame for presidential elections after the ruling junta failed to organise polls within a promised 24-month transition back to democracy. Mali has been under military rule since August 2020, the first of eight coups in West and Central Africa over four years, including in its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger. Regional blocs have been trying to negotiate transitions but the interim governments are dragging their feet. Mali's current junta seized power in a second 2021 coup and later promised to take 24 months from March 2022 to restore civilian rule, with a start date…
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Battle to identify 45 victims of tragic bus accident in South Africa

Battle to identify 45 victims of tragic bus accident in South Africa

WORK to identify and repatriate the remains of 45 Botswana nationals who died after their bus fell off a bridge in Limpopo, South Africa, has begun and is being co-ordinated by the highest offices in both countries. Only an eight year-old girl survived the horrific crash when the bus carrying churchgoers crashed.  President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the Republic of Botswana and to the family and friends of the 45 bus crash victims. The bus which was transporting Easter pilgrims from Botswana to Moria was travelling on the R518 road near Mokopane, Limpopo when it crashed.  According…
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Nigeria to free 313 suspected Boko Haram insurgents for lack of evidence

Nigeria to free 313 suspected Boko Haram insurgents for lack of evidence

NIGERIA'S military will free more than 300 people suspected of being part of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency after a court ruled there was no evidence they committed any crimes, a defence spokesperson said. In 2009 jihadist group Boko Haram launched an insurgency seeking to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state. The insurgency has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes, spawning one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The 313 people, who had been suspected of being members of Boko Haram, will be released after a ruling by a…
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