Africa

Riots in Tunisia enter second day

TUNIS (Reuters) - Riots and violent clashes between Tunisian police and protesters broke out on Sunday in the capital Tunis and several other cities for the second consecutive day, as…

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Egypt unveils 3000-year old coffins in latest archaeological discovery

Egypt has unveiled a significant new archaeological discovery at the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, including 54 wooden coffins, many of which can be traced back 3000 years to the…

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Bakeries in Tripoli shut down due to increase in prices of ingredients

Libya Observer - The general syndicate of bakers and bakeries in Tripoli shut down all bakeries in the city starting Saturday due to increased prices of bread ingredients. The head…

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Late Maltese shopkeeper Gauci testimony central as Scottish court upholds Libyan Lockerbie bomber’s conviction

A Scottish court rejected on Friday an appeal to overturn the conviction of a now-deceased Libyan man found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing which killed 270 people. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi,…

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Tunisia carries reshuffle amidst protests in main cities

TUNIS,Jan 16 (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi named 12 new ministers on Saturday in a cabinet reshuffle he hopes will inject new blood into his government amid rising political…

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UPDATED: Uganda’s Museveni declared winner of presidential poll

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a decisive re-election victory on Saturday, elections officials said, but his main rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud and said citizens should reject the result.…

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Libya tries to identify remains found in mass grave in Tarhuna

Libyan authorities on Friday released two bodies found in mass graves in the city of Tarhouna after the Tripoli government retook it in June from Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army…

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U.N. Security Council approves new U.N. Libya mediator

The United Nations Security Council approved on Friday the appointment of veteran diplomat Jan Kubis as the U.N. Libya envoy, diplomats said, nearly a year after the last mediator stepped…

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Clashes in Tunisia after police beating

Tunisian police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the northern city of Siliana on Friday after a policeman beat a shepherd, witnesses said, in an incident that sparked anger,…

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Tunisia to go in lock down for four days from Thursday

TUNIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Tunisia will impose a four-day national lockdown from Thursday along with lesser measures lasting until Jan. 24 to combat a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases,…

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World Bank to invest $5 bln in 11 African countries

The World Bank on Monday said it would invest over $5 billion over the next five years to help restore degraded landscapes, improve agriculture productivity, and promote livelihoods in 11…

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South Africa bracing for third wave of coronavirus, even a fourth

South Africa is struggling to contain a second wave of Covid-19 infections, fuelled by a virulent new local variant of the virus, “Covid fatigue” and a series of “super-spreader” events.…

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Pandemic drives down Tunisia’s tourism revenue by 65%

Tunisia's tourism revenue plunged by 65% in 2020 compared to 2019, to around $746 million, official figures showed, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to…

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Tunisia reports daily coronavirus record of 2,820 cases

Tunisia recorded 2,820 new confirmed coronavirus cases, the health ministry said on Wednesday, a record since the start of the pandemic last year. Seventy more deaths were reported, taking the…

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Sit-in by guards at Libya’s Hariga oil port blocks loading

Petroleum facilities guards at Libya's eastern Hariga oil terminal have delayed the loading of a one million-barrel cargo as they press salary demands, the port's manager said on Wednesday. The…

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Tunisian PM sacks interior minister

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on Tuesday sacked his interior Minister, who is close to President Kais Saied, a move underscoring tensions between the country’s two most powerful leaders. Saied…

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World risks ‘moral catastrophe’ if COVID shots delayed in Africa, its CDC chief says

The world risks a "moral catastrophe" if COVID-19 vaccinations are delayed in Africa while wealthier regions inoculate their entire populations, the head of the continent's disease control body said on Thursday. The Africa Centres…

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Al Qaeda-linked group says it was behind killing of French soldiers in Mali

Al Qaeda’s North Africa wing has said it was responsible for the killing of three French soldiers in Mali, jihadist monitoring organisation SITE Intel reported on Saturday. The soldiers, who…

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UPDATED: South African Covid variant could be resistant to vaccine

Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV's political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified…

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Libyans start using new exchange rate

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The Central Bank of Libya on Sunday introduced a new unified exchange rate agreed last month after years of division between rival branches based…

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Brutal massacre by rebels in eastern Congo

At least 25 people were killed in an attack on New Year’s Eve by rebels in Congo’s eastern Beni territory, local officials said Friday. Farmers had gone to the fields…

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Peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur ends

Sudan's hybrid United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur is set to end its 13-year peacekeeping operations in the conflict marred region Thursday, even as recent violent clashes leave residents fearful.…

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Tunisia president to launch national dialogue

Tunisian President Kais Saied will launch in coming weeks a national dialogue that will include political parties and youth from all regions “to correct the revolution that has deviated from…

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Top Egypt officials visit Libya capital for first time in years

TRIPOLI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Senior Egyptian security officials visited the Libyan capital Tripoli for the first time in years on Sunday and held talks with officials from the internationally…

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South Africa’s total COVID-19 cases cross 1 million mark

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 27 (Reuters) - South Africa's total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday, its Health Ministry said, just days after a new…

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Niger heads to polls in search of first democratic transition

Niger votes in an election on Sunday that is expected to lead to the first transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents in a country reeling from Islamist violence.…

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Deadly fire hits Egyptian hospital treating COVID patients

A fire killed at least seven people and injured several others on Saturday at a private hospital that was treating coronavirus patients on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo,…

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Central African Republic votes under threat of violence

Central African Republic voted on Sunday in presidential and legislative elections being held under a cloud of violence as the government, international partners and United Nations peacekeepers seek to hold…

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Libya’s rivals swap prisoners, part of ceasefire deal

Libya’s rival leaders kicked off a U.N.-brokered prisoner exchange, United Nations and Libyan officials said Saturday, which was part of a preliminary cease-fire agreement between the warring Libyan groups. The…

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Death toll from attack in western Ethiopia reaches 222, Red Cross says

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -The death toll from a Wednesday attack in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia has risen to 222 people, a volunteer from the country's Red Cross told…

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Ethiopia says national election to be held in June

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Ethiopia will hold a parliamentary election on June 5, the electoral board said on Friday, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seeks to quell political…

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Photo Story: Christmas lights in Johannesburg

People walk by lights during the annual Festival Of Lights at the Waler Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Johannesburg, South Africa. The gardens show off their Christmas lights annually even during…

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New virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria, Africa CDC says

Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa’s top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed. The discovery could…

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At least 20 die as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

At least 20 migrants from Africa died when their boat sank off Tunisia on Thursday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a Tunisian…

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Gunmen kill more than 100 in attack in Ethiopia

Gunmen killed more than 100 people in a dawn attack in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia on Wednesday, the human rights commission said, as residents described fleeing the latest…

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Photo Story: The Abidjan Festival of Lights

People view Christmas illuminations and decorations in a street of the Abobo popular district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The illuminations are on display as part of the Abidjan City of…

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Libyan government approves 20% increase in public salaries

Libya's internationally recognised government on Tuesday approved a 20% raise in public sector wages, a spokesman said, boosting a key source of income for many Libyans that has been eroded…

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Tunisia says it does not intend to normalise relations with Israel

Tunisia is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and its position will not be affected by any international changes, the foreign ministry said. Morocco this week joined the…

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U.N. says Mladenov will not take up role as U.N. Libya envoy

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov has told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres he will be unable to take up the role as United Nations Libya envoy next year due to "personal and…

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Morocco hosts Israeli envoys, Kushner to hammer out new ties

RABAT (Reuters) - Israeli envoys arrived in Morocco on Tuesday to meet its king and hammer out an upgrade of ties that was forged by the White House in a…

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UPDATE – Libya considering extradition of Lockerbie suspect to U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday unsealed criminal charges against a third alleged conspirator in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed…

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Tunisia militants behead shepherd near Algeria border

CAIRO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Islamist militants kidnapped and beheaded a young shepherd in mountains in Tunisia near the border with Algeria on Sunday, security sources and residents said. Troops…

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Kenya Airways and Air France-KLM to end Africa-Europe code share

Kenya Airways said it had agreed with Air France-KLM to end a code share for Africa-Europe routes, after suspending the arrangement this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Air France-KLM…

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Photo Story: Christmas preparations in Abidjan

A model of Santa Claus is on display in a public garden in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. A few days before Christmas, shopping in the West African city is at its…

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344 kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys released

A total of 344 kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys have been handed over to government security forces, Katsina state Governor Aminu Bello Masari told public broadcaster NTA on Thursday. More than 800 students were at the…

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Italian fishermen detained in eastern Libya have been freed

A group of 18 sailors who were seized by Libyan patrol boats in September while fishing in the Mediterranean have been freed by authorities in eastern Libya, Italian Foreign Minister…

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Photo Story: Christmas decorations in Harare, Zimbabwe

The Christmas celebrations in 2020 will be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and effects as well as a weak economy that has left workers with little disposable income. Via EPA-EFE/AARON…

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Peril at sea, danger on shore for migrants trapped in Libya

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - When Abdullah boarded an inflatable boat crammed with fellow migrants in February he thought he would finally reach Europe after braving the dangers of a Sahara…

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UPDATED: Libya’s divided central bank agrees exchange rate after first meeting in years

The Central Bank of Libya board agreed to a devalued exchange rate across the country of 4.48 dinars to the dollar from Jan. 3, it said on Wednesday, a move…

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Morocco refuses EU request to re-admit third-country migrants

Morocco has rebuffed a European Union request to take back third-party nationals who reach Europe from the North African kingdom, its interior ministry said. EU migration commissioner Yiva Johansson visited…

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U.N. Security Council approves new U.N. envoy to mediate in Libya

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday approved a proposal by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov as the U.N. Libya special envoy and Norwegian Tor Wennesland as the…

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Parents pray for hundreds of students kidnapped in Nigeria’s Katsina

KANKARA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Parents converged on a secondary school in Nigeria's northwestern Katsina state on Sunday, begging authorities to save hundreds of boys abducted by gunmen. More than 300…

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Sudanese PM arrives in Ethiopia with offer to mediate in Tigray

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok arrived in Ethiopia on Sunday with what a senior Sudanese government source said was an offer to mediate in the conflict in its northern Tigray…

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Libya economic talks set for Geneva next week

The U.N. acting envoy on Libya Stephanie Williams will host an economic working group from Dec. 14-15 in Geneva, to discuss policy reforms, a U.N. spokeswoman said. The talks, co-chaired…

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Tunisian parliament approves $19 billion budget for 2021

Tunisia's parliament on Thursday approved a $19 billion budget for next year, including a fiscal deficit of 6.6%. The finance bill passed with 110 of the 217 lawmakers in parliament…

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Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo wins re-election with 51.59% of vote

ACCRA (Reuters) -Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has won re-election with 51.59% of the vote, beating his predecessor and old rival John Mahama, results from the election commission showed on Wednesday. …

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Eastern Libyan force says it intercepted Turkish ship

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) -Eastern-based Libyan forces have intercepted a Turkish ship under a Jamaican flag heading to the port of Misrata in western Libya, their spokesman said on Monday, a…

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