NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

08

2023

This Rwandan man has powered his entire community with clean hydroelectric energy

NEWS

HAKIZIMANA THEMISTOCLE/BIRD STORY AGENCY FOR the first 13 years of Israel Habimana's life, he had neither heard of nor known about electricity. Many in his community of Kirehe, a border region between Rwanda and Tanzania, had also lived and died without access to electricity. But in 1981, he visited the capital Kigali and was intrigued by how well-lit it was. The allure of the lights never faded, and he vowed to find a way to bring electricity to his village. "In this region, we lived all without electricity, I myself have been living in a house without electricity for many…

Feb

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian senator and family on trial in UK over organ harvesting plot

NEWS

MICHAEL HOLDEN A wealthy Nigerian politician and his family plotted to bring a street trader from Nigeria to Britain and pay him a few thousand pounds to donate his kidney for a transplant for his ill daughter, a British prosecutor told a London court. Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 55, daughter Sonia, 25, and Nigerian doctor Obinna Obeta, 50, who is accused of acting as a middleman, all deny a charge of conspiracy to arrange travel of another person with a view to exploitation between August 2021 and May 2022. Prosecutor Hugh Davies said Ekweremadu, an opposition senator in…

Feb

07

2023

By STAFF REPORTER

Africa shines at the 2023 Grammys

NEWS

AFRICA won two awards at The 2023 Grammy Awards which were dominated by major wins for Beyonce, Adele, Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar. Nigerian star Tems and South African trio South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode won big at the awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, U.S. Beyonce became the biggest winner in history, after receiving her 32nd award. Harry Styles won the album of the year for “Harry’s House.” Tems, real name, Temilade Openiyi, won the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by…

Feb

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Cameroonian businessman arrested after journalist’s murder

NEWS

AMINDEH BLAISE ATABONG A Cameroonian businessman was arrested in connection with the murder of a prominent journalist, Martinez Zogo, whose mutilated remains were found near the capital Yaounde last month after he was abducted, the national radio station CRTV said. The case has roiled the Central African nation, with some government and security officials cited by media as suspects. The president's office said last week that several suspects had been arrested, but gave no details. Zogo, the director of private radio station Amplitude FM, was kidnapped on January 17 by unknown assailants after trying to enter a police station to escape…

Feb

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Meta can be sued in Kenya by ex-content moderator, the country’s court rules

NEWS

A labour court in Kenya ruled that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, can be sued in the East African country after a former content moderator filed a lawsuit against it alleging poor working conditions. The lawsuit was filed by one person on behalf of a group and was also filed against Meta's local outsourcing company Sama. It seeks financial compensation, an order that outsourced moderators have the same healthcare and pay scale as Meta employees, that unionisation rights be protected and an independent human rights audit of the office. The decision from Kenya's employment and labour relations court could have implications…

Feb

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Factbox: The candidates contesting Nigeria’s presidential election

NEWS

NIGERIA will elect a new president on February 25 to take over from Muhammadu Buhari in a contest pitting the old guard against a third-party candidate seeking to upset the established political order. There are 18 candidates on the ballot, but only three are considered the top contenders. Bola Tinubu, a veteran from Buhari's ruling party, will face off with the main opposition's Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and veteran presidential contender, and Peter Obi from the smaller Labour Party. Here are some details on the candidates and their running mates. BOLA AHMED TINUBU Tinubu is the flagbearer for the ruling…

Feb

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali expels U.N. mission’s human rights chief

NEWS

THE Malian interim government said the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission's human rights division had 48 hours to leave the country as he had been declared persona non grata. In a statement, it said the decision to expel Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali was connected to his allegedly biased choice of civil society witnesses for U.N. Security Council briefings on Mali, the most recent of which was held on January 27. The U.N. mission in Mali MINUSMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Andali could not be reached for comment. The Malian authorities have come under pressure for…

Mar

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Scientists reveal hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza

NEWS

AIDAN LEWIS A hidden corridor nine metres (30 feet) long has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and this could lead to further findings, Egyptian antiquities officials said on Thursday. The discovery within the pyramid, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, was made under the Scan Pyramids project since 2015 and has been using non-invasive technology including infrared thermography, 3D simulations and cosmic-ray imaging to peer inside the structure. An article published in the journal Nature on Thursday said the discovery could contribute to knowledge about the…

Mar

03

2023

By The African Mirror

U.S. Special Forces launch drills with African armies

NEWS

COOPER INVEEN THE United States began its annual counter-terrorism training program for African forces in Ghana, aiming to strengthen border defences in the fight against Islamist insurgents who are spreading south into new territories. The program, known as Flintlock, started at a military base in the dusty northern town of Daboya where U.S. and European trainers drilled soldiers from across Africa on first aid and firing drills in the baking heat. "Flintlock intends to strengthen the ability of key partner nations in the region to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, and provide security for their people," U.S. Africa…

Feb

06

2023

By The African Mirror

SUDAN; Pope calls for end of “blind fury of violence”

NEWS

PHILIP PULLELLA and WAAKHE SIMON WUDU POPE Francis urged the people of South Sudan to resist the "venom of hatred" so they could achieve the peace and prosperity that have eluded them through years of bloody ethnic conflicts. In his last public engagement before flying home, Francis presided at an open-air Mass on the grounds of a mausoleum for South Sudan's liberation hero John Garang, who died in 2005. The Vatican said 100,000 people attended the Mass. The 86-year-old pope wove his homily around the themes that have dominated his trip to the world's newest nation -- reconciliation and mutual forgiveness…