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Six killed in building collapse in northern Egypt

Six killed in building collapse in northern Egypt

At least six people died when an old four-storey building collapsed in the coastal city of Alexandria in northern Egypt, according to local officials. Authorities had issued several restoration orders for the old building, which collapsed on Wednesday evening, but they had been ignored, Alexandria province Governor Mohamed el-Sherief told reporters at the scene. Two families were living in the building and those killed included three men and three women, officials said. Authorities have evacuated the building next to the one that collapsed after cracks appeared, according to residents. Building collapses are common in Egypt because of lax building standards…
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Central African Republic court rejects ex-president Bozize’s candidacy

Central African Republic court rejects ex-president Bozize’s candidacy

THE top court in the Central African Republic (CAR) has rejected the candidacy of former President Francois Bozize in a December 27 election, in which he planned to run against incumbent Faustin-Archange Touadera. The court said in its ruling that Bozize, 74, did not satisfy the "good morality" requirement for candidates because of an international warrant and U.N. sanctions against him for alleged assassinations, torture and kidnapping. Bozize, a former general and army chief, was overthrown in a 2013 rebellion by a coalition of mainly Muslim rebels from the north, plunging the majority Christian nation into a violent civil war…
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Namibia to auction 170 elephants over drought, increased population

Namibia to auction 170 elephants over drought, increased population

NAMIBIA has put 170 "high value" wild elephants up for sale due to drought and an increase in elephant numbers, the southern African country's environmental ministry said on Wednesday. An advertisement carried by state-owned daily New Era said an increase in incidents of human-elephant conflict motivated the sale of the large mammal that is at risk of extinction due to poaching and ecological factors. The Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism said it would auction the animals to anyone in Namibia or abroad who could meet the strict criteria, which include quarantine facilities and a game-proof fence certificate for the…
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Seven injured after massive explosion at South African oil refinery in Durban

Seven injured after massive explosion at South African oil refinery in Durban

AT least seven workers were injured and damage expected to run into millions of rands incurred, after a massive explosion rocked South Africa's second-largest crude oil refinery in Durban today. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene and workers at the refinery were ordered off the premises as firefighters battled to control the blaze. Residents in the suburbs near the refinery said they heard loud explosions and saw flames and smoke. A Reuters photographer saw several fire engines spraying foam onto the affected part of the refinery, which is operated by African energy company Engen. Ambulances, metropolitan police and national police…
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No-confidence vote against South Africa’s Ramaphosa postponed to 2021

No-confidence vote against South Africa’s Ramaphosa postponed to 2021

A proposed no-confidence motion against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday was postponed to next year, a senior parliamentary official said, after the small opposition party seeking Ramaphosa's removal asked a court for a secret ballot. The African Transformation Movement (ATM), which holds two seats in the 400-member lower house dominated by the ruling African National Congress, went to court on Wednesday to try and reverse an earlier decision declining a secret ballot and opting for an open vote during the no-confidence debate. The high court review of the matter will be heard on Feb.4, parliament said in a…
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U.N. panel says South Sudan blocking its missions to violence-hit areas

U.N. panel says South Sudan blocking its missions to violence-hit areas

DENIS DUMO IMPLEMENTATION of South Sudan's 2018 peace accord has stalled and authorities have blocked humanitarian access to areas where conflict has restarted, the U.N. panel of experts said in a report seen by Reuters on Thursday. They also said there was a lack of transparency in how the government collected and spent oil and other revenues. The government disputed the findings, saying agencies had access to all areas and it was working to fix the economy. Oil-rich South Sudan erupted into civil war soon after securing independence from Sudan in 2011, leading to an estimated 400,000 deaths and one…
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The main contenders in Ghana’s presidential election

The main contenders in Ghana’s presidential election

GHANA holds a presidential election on December  7 in what is expected to be a two-horse race between the incumbent, President Nana Akufo-Addo, and the leader of the main opposition party, former president John Mahama. Below are details about the two main candidates: NANA AKUFO-ADDO, NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY The 76-year-old is running against Mahama for the third time, after defeating him in the 2016 race for the presidency. Critics say Akufo-Addo, whose late father was also president before being ousted in a 1972 coup, has failed to make good on campaign promises such as a pledge to bring a factory…
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Liberian rebel commander shouts out at start of Swiss trial for cannibalism, rape

Liberian rebel commander shouts out at start of Swiss trial for cannibalism, rape

EMMA FARGE A former rebel commander accused of involvement in killing civilians, rape and eating pieces of a school teacher's heart during Liberia's civil war decried his long pre-trial detention in an outburst as proceedings began in Switzerland. The trial is just one of a handful of cases brought to international courts in connection with the West African country's 1989-2003 civil war, which became a byword for savagery and killed hundreds of thousands of people. The defendant, 45-year-old Alieu Kosiah, denies the charges. His lawyer said Kosiah, who was arrested in Switzerland in 2014, was not present in the area…
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Ethiopia’s war still churns, but relief aid coming

Ethiopia’s war still churns, but relief aid coming

RELIEF agencies in Ethiopia have prepared convoys to truck aid into the Tigray region, where clashes were still reported in a month of war that may have killed thousands and has sent refugees fleeing to Sudan along corpse-strewn roads. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory over the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) after federal forces captured the regional capital Mekelle at the weekend. However, TPLF leaders have dug into surrounding mountains in what appears to be an emerging guerrilla strategy. One aid worker in touch with Tigray told Reuters that fighting continued to the north, south and west of the…
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Syrian refugee in Sudan aims to show how refugees can make a difference

Syrian refugee in Sudan aims to show how refugees can make a difference

A Syrian refugee living in Sudan, who says he wants to show how refugees can make a difference, is helping to supply clean water to Ethiopians fleeing conflict at home. Student Salam Kanoush, 29, fled Syria in 2016. He says he was kidnapped and robbed while leaving Aleppo and bombing attacks made it unsafe for him to remain at his university in Damascus. Kanoush says his mission is to prove that refugees can bring about change and has devoted his free time to helping other refugees and people in need. "In Sudan I wanted to give an example that refugees…
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