NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

26

2023

Air travel rebound: International tourists trooping back to Africa

NEWS

THE return of Chinese tourists to Africa and a full resumption of operations on international routes by African airlines are the latest indicators of a rebounding tourism industry, badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. China has picked three African countries- Egypt, Kenya and South Africa - among 20 across the globe for piloting outbound group tours, nearly a month after lifting travel restrictions. According to a ministerial notice published on January 20, Chinese travel companies will be allowed to provide travellers with airline and hotel packages to selected countries starting February 6. "From now on, travel agencies…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

SA defends military exercise with Russia

NEWS

CARIEN DU PLESSIS SOUTH Africa's foreign minister deflected criticism of joint military drills planned with Russia and China, saying that hosting such exercises with "friends" was the "natural course of relations". Naledi Pandor made her comments during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was visiting South Africa 11 months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A South African official, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak, said Lavrov would afterwards visit Eswatini, Botswana and Angola. South Africa is one of Russia's most important allies on a continent divided over the invasion and Western attempts to…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Gambia cough syrup deaths: WHO urges ‘immediate action’

NEWS

JENNIFER RIGBY THE World Health Organization (WHO) has called for "immediate and concerted action" to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. In 2022, more than 300 children - mainly aged under 5 - in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, in deaths that were associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. "These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Meta urged to boost Africa content moderation as contractor quits

NEWS

NITA BHALLA RIGHTS groups are calling on Meta Platforms to seize the opportunity to improve its content moderation in Africa after its main third-party contractor in the region said it would no longer screen harmful posts for the social media giant. Kenya-based outsourcing firm Sama said on January 10 it would no longer provide content moderation services for the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in March as it moves to concentrate on data labelling work. Sama said it would be laying off 3% of its staff - about 200 employees - to streamline its operations and boost efficiency. It…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenyan opposition leader says Ruto’s government is illegitimate

NEWS

KENYA'S opposition leader Raila Odinga has called on his supporters to resist the government of President William Ruto, saying its disputed election last August had robbed it of legitimacy. Ruto's Kenya Kwanza coalition eked out a narrow victory over Odinga in the election, whose result announcement was accompanied by chaotic scenes at the national tallying centre, and his victory was upheld by the Supreme Court. Both leaders, who have dominated politics in East Africa's biggest economy for decades, settled into an uneasy calm after the electoral contest, but Odinga's coalition said last week it had found new evidence of rigging. "We cannot…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

As Yellen woos Africa, sceptics ask ‘Is the U.S. here to stay?’

NEWS

ANDREA SHALAL and CARIEN DUPLESSIS U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's three-country trip to Africa - the leading edge of a new diplomatic push by the Biden administration - aims to show the continent the United States is a true partner, one here for the long haul. But after decades of losing ground to China and the tumult of the Donald Trump years, when the former president threatened to slash aid and roll back military support, it is a tough sell. As Africa struggles with economic headwinds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and, notably, Washington's own monetary…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Life’s no longer rosy at Senegal’s Pink Lake after floods

NEWS

NGOUDA DIONE ON the shore of Senegal's Pink Lake, salt farmer Pape Sira Ba has raked in what he fears may be his last harvest. Extreme floods contaminated the 3-square-km lake five months ago, turning its famous waters green and threatening thousands of people who depend on it for their livelihoods. Officially known as Lake Retba, the lake's high salinity and rare microbiome long-fostered algae that turned it a pinkish colour, making it one of the West African country's most visited attractions and under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Everything changed last September when torrential rains hit the…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

DRC Catholic church calls for citizens to enlist and vote

NEWS

PAUL LORGERIE HALF way through his homily, Father Victor Ntambwe brandished his voter card in front of the congregation in Saint Charles Lwanga church in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital. With presidential elections just months away, he had an earthly message to deliver alongside the psalms and the sermon. He told the worshippers to follow his lead, hold up their cards and show they had registered. "If we do not register to vote, we will have the authorities we deserve, but if we enlist and vote, we can hold them to account," he told Reuters after Sunday's service. Democratic…

Jan

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Pope seeks to heal wounds during Africa trip

NEWS

POPE Francis's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo will remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts that have beset the mineral-rich nation and wrecked the lives of millions, the Vatican's envoy to Kinshasa said. Francis is expected to visit Congo from January 31 to February 3, the first visit of a pope since 1985. Major preparations have been underway in the vast country, home to the largest Roman Catholic community in Africa. "The Congo which receives the Pope today is not the same as the one which welcomed Pope John Paul II 38 years ago," Ettore Balestrero, the…

Jan

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Prominent Cameroon journalist found dead after abduction

NEWS

THE mutilated body of a prominent Cameroonian journalist was found near the capital Yaounde five days after he was abducted by unidentified assailants, the press union and a colleague said. Media advocates described Martinez Zogo's disappearance and death as a further sign of the perils of reporting in the African country. Zogo, the director of private radio station Amplitude FM, was kidnapped on Jan. 17 by unknown assailants after trying to enter a police station to escape his attackers, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. Zogo had recently been talking on air about a case of alleged embezzlement involving…