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US Treasury imposes sanctions on businesses owned by Sudanese warring parties

US Treasury imposes sanctions on businesses owned by Sudanese warring parties

THE United States imposed sanctions on three companies linked to the warring parties in Sudan, the latest in a series of measures against Sudanese entities aimed at stemming a devastating nine-month war. The businesses sanctioned are Alkhaleej Bank and Al-Fakher Advanced Works, controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and Zadna International, controlled by the Sudanese army, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement. War broke out last April between the two forces, resulting in the devastation of wide swaths of the country, the killing of thousands of civilians, warnings of famine and the world's largest internal displacement crisis. The…
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South Africa says all states must stop funding Israel’s military

South Africa says all states must stop funding Israel’s military

ALL states have an obligation to stop funding and facilitating Israel's military actions in Gaza after the World Court made clear those actions could be genocidal, South Africa's foreign minister said. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent its troops from committing genocide and take steps to improve the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in Gaza, in a case brought by South Africa. It stopped short of demanding a ceasefire and has not yet ruled on the core of South Africa's case, whether genocide has occurred in Gaza. That ruling could take years.…
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Nigeria seeks to resolve disputed oilfield issues, denies criminal liability

Nigeria seeks to resolve disputed oilfield issues, denies criminal liability

NIGERIA wants to resolve outstanding issues around the disputed OPL 245 oil block as it seeks to attract investment to its oil and gas industry and has held talks with Shell and Eni to discuss the matter, its oil minister said. Minister of State for Petroleum Heineken Lokpobiri Minister of State for Petroleum Heineken Lokpobiri reiterated the government's position that there was no criminal liability on its part, or by the other parties, in the oil block deal, which has been embroiled in litigation for years. Nigeria in November, withdrew a $1.1 billion civil claim against Shell and Eni related to allegations…
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The fisherman from Senegal keeping Spain’s vessels afloat

The fisherman from Senegal keeping Spain’s vessels afloat

WATCHING news of Senegalese migrants arriving on the Canary Islands stirs memories for Babou Diouf of the same perilous journey he undertook 17 years ago and his arduous path to his new home - Burela, on Spain’s northern coast. Diouf, 46, a fisherman from Bassoul in Senegal’s Sine Saloum delta, was part of a migration surge in 2006 from West Africa through Spain’s Canary Islands, which lie around 100 km (60 miles) off Africa’s northwestern coast. Fishermen Diouf, 46, Tony, 39, from Indonesia, Eduardo Garcia, 49, from Spain, and Mamadou Sarr, 38, from Senegal, arrange the nets after fishing in…
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Kenya’s healthcare workers abuse a third of teen mums from informal settlements – study

Kenya’s healthcare workers abuse a third of teen mums from informal settlements – study

ADOLESCENT pregnancy is a global public health concern: in 2022, about 13% of girls and young women gave birth before the age of 18. Compared with women in their early 20s, adolescents are more susceptible to maternal deaths. Pregnancy-related complications are among the leading causes of death among Africa’s adolescent girls. Babies born to adolescent mothers in low- to middle-income countries also face an increased risk of neonatal deaths, and pre-term and underweight birth. These risks make it vital that pregnant girls feel comfortable seeking healthcare. Adolescent pregnancy is an issue in Kenya, too, where 15% of adolescent girls become…
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Sudanese warring parties hold first high-level talks in Bahrain

Sudanese warring parties hold first high-level talks in Bahrain

SENIOR leaders from Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) met three times this month in Bahrain, sources with knowledge of the talks said, the first such contact between the two warring sides in nine months of conflict. Unlike previous talks on war in Sudan, the meetings in Manama were attended by influential deputies from both forces and by officials from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, key supporters of the army and RSF respectively, according to the four sources, two of whom were present at the talks. The unannounced talks, which the sources said were also attended…
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Gunmen in Nigeria kidnap six students, three teachers in southwest

Gunmen in Nigeria kidnap six students, three teachers in southwest

GUNMEN in Nigeria kidnapped six students and three teachers from a school in southwestern Ekiti state on Monday night, the state government said, in the country's first reported abduction involving school children this year. Armed gangs have been abducting villagers, road travellers and students in return for ransom, as Africa's most populous nation grapples with widespread insecurity, which also includes a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast. The Ekiti state government said in a statement the latest abduction took place when the students and teachers were returning from a local trip on Monday night. The school bus driver was also…
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Fraudsters exploit Zimbabweans seeking UK health and care jobs

Fraudsters exploit Zimbabweans seeking UK health and care jobs

WHEN Zimbabwean mother-of-four Eunice Sinoya enrolled in a first aid course near the capital Harare she was lured by the college's promise of a job in Britain's care sector. But more than a year on, she is sitting at home with her dream in tatters, the victim of a fraud that has cost her thousands of dollars. She is not alone. Police in Zimbabwe are investigating reports of dozens of scams that have exploited booming demand for basic healthcare qualifications, which are increasingly seen as a ticket to jobs overseas. Sinoya, 45, said she sold family land to pay for bogus…
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China’s Amb Chen ushers in a New Year of the Dragon with promises of a “shared future”

China’s Amb Chen ushers in a New Year of the Dragon with promises of a “shared future”

THEY came from different walks of life to bask in the spectacle that was a celebration of Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. Led by China’s top envoy to South Africa, Ambassador Chen Xiaodong, hordes of people from the diplomatic corps, business, politics and media, among others, filled the Sun Arena in Pretoria’s majestic Time Square. This year, 2024, has been dedicated as the Year of the Dragon. For the uninitiated, the dragon is the fifth animal sign in the Chinese zodiac cycle made up of 12 animals in total. The magnificent Gala event was held under a…
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ICC prosecutor believes warring parties committing war crimes in Darfur

ICC prosecutor believes warring parties committing war crimes in Darfur

THE International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor told the U.N. Security Council that "there are grounds to believe" both Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing war crimes in Darfur at present. War erupted in Sudan on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan launched an investigation in July last year into the surge of hostilities in Sudan's Darfur region. The ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, gives the court jurisdiction over four major crimes - genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes - that are grave…
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