NEWS - The African Mirror

Oct

23

2023

Blast, ambulances heard near Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, witnesses say

NEWS

AN explosion and the sound of ambulances were heard near the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, shortly after a second aid convoy had entered the crossing from the Egyptian side, witnesses said. The cause and the exact location of the blast were not immediately clear. Since the conflict began on October 7 between Hamas and Israel, bombardments on the Gaza side of the crossing have damaged roads and buildings that needed repairing before the first convoy of aid trucks passed through Rafah into Gaza on Saturday.

Oct

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco to build new stadium, upgrade six others before 2030 World Cup

NEWS

MOROCCO plans to build a large stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, and upgrade six others in preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, the prime minister's office said. A deal was signed the same day between the government and state-owned fund CDG to finance the new stadium to be ready by 2028 for a total cost of 5 billion dirhams ($500 million), the office said in a statement. The six stadiums- to be renovated to host the African cup of nations in 2025 and the 2030 World Cup- are in the cities of Agadir, Casablanca Fez, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier,…

Oct

23

2023

By WENDELL ROELF and LIBBY GEORGE

Amid gas scramble, Africa leads a boom in nimble export facilities

NEWS

AFRICA is at the forefront of a global wave of new floating gas facilities as countries on the continent seek to meet surging demand in Europe as quickly and cheaply as possible, analysts and energy companies told Reuters. Eni, BP and smaller independent players such as Nigeria's UTM Offshore are driving the surge with projects on Africa's east and west coasts. Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) vessels shipped Mozambique's first-ever gas exports last November, and the Republic of Congo is preparing for its first LNG exports in December. Africa currently exports 40 million tons per annum (mmtpa) of gas, and Westwood…

Oct

21

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco seizes 1.37 tons of cocaine concealed in frozen fish

NEWS

THE Moroccan police said that it had seized 1.37 tons of cocaine in Casablanca. The drug was concealed in a cargo of imported frozen fish found at a distribution company in Morocco's largest city, it said in a statement. Preliminary findings suggest the cargo was imported from a Latin American country via Spain, the Moroccan police said, noting that investigations are ongoing.

Oct

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Niger’s ousted president Bazoum detained in secret location, lawyers say

NEWS

NIGER'S ousted President Mohamed Bazoum is being held in a secret location by the junta that seized power in the West African state, lawyers representing him said and denying accusations that the president had tried to escape. Bazoum has been in detention since a July 26 coup, and there have been international calls for him to be released. The junta said late on Thursday that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, had planned to drive a vehicle to the outskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter ride to neighbouring Nigeria. Reuters was not…

Oct

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Italy signs deal to take in migrant workers from Tunisia

NEWS

ITALY signed a deal to take in some 4,000 workers from Tunisia, in line with pledges to help the northern African state stem the pressure from migrants at its borders. The deal was signed during a visit by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to Tunis, where he was scheduled to meet his counterpart Nabil Ammar and President Kais Saied, his office said. It envisages regular migration channels for "qualified workers" willing to come to Italy, an Italian briefing note said as Rome also promised to help Tunisia in its efforts to stop migrant smugglers and create job opportunities for the young.…

Oct

21

2023

By VELMA PAMELA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

This soccer legend went from kicking off international matches to kicking off hope

NEWS

HE could be living the life that many fans believe retired international footballers have earned - a life of luxury, touring the world and spending holidays at high-end destinations. Instead, Musa Otieno, the most-capped Kenyan international soccer player ever and former player for South African football club Santos, is way too busy. While his role as a coach hardly looks like slowing down, he is also giving hope to vulnerable people in his home city of Nairobi. Otieno, the seventh-born in a family of eight children, was fortunate enough to sign his first professional football contract while still in high…

Oct

22

2023

By MISHECK KHUMBILO NYIRONGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Innovative radio programming transforms agriculture, enables education and offers a lifeline in eastern Zambia

NEWS

FOR Bauti Chipeta, working the land among the rolling hills and lush fields of the Lundazi District in the heart of eastern Zambia, life had begun to feel like an endless struggle. With fertilisers increasingly expensive and the land more and more denuded, cash crops brought in less and less each year and the cutting down of local forests had led to erratic rainfall. Then Chipeta discovered a local community radio station, Chikaya. “I started listening to community radio in 2018 when they also introduced us to permaculture and agroecology approaches on how to grow local seeds,” Chipeta recalled. The…

Oct

20

2023

By The African Mirror

ICC prosecutor drops charges against Central Africa militia leader

NEWS

THE prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has withdrawn charges against a former militia leader from the Central African Republic (CAR) as there were no prospects of conviction, the prosecutor's office said. Prosecutors had earlier said that Maxime Mokom, a former national coordinator of so-called anti-balaka militias, played a key role in a plan to violently target the Muslim civilian population in 2013 and 2014. "Having considered the totality of the evidence in the Mokom case and in light of changed circumstances regarding the availability of witnesses, there are no longer any reasonable prospects of conviction at trial even…

Oct

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Chad’s defence minister, government general secretary resign after sex tapes leaked

NEWS

CHAD'S defence minister and the government's general secretary resigned on Wednesday, an administration spokesman said, after two separate sex tapes purporting to show the men were shared widely on social media. Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo accepted the resignations of defence minister Daoud Yaya Brahim and the government's general secretary Haliki Choua Mahamat, Kebzabo's spokesman said in a statement, without giving further details. The videos, which were circulated on Sunday and Monday, purportedly showed the men engaging in intimate acts with other people. Reuters could not independently verify the material and was not immediately able to reach either man for comment.…