Commonwealth heads of government to defy UK on reparatory justice

[ad_1] Commonwealth heads of government are preparing to defy the United Kingdom and agree plans to examine reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, the BBC has learned.Downing Street insists the issue is not on the agenda for the summit of 56 Commonwealth countries, which begins in the Pacific island nation of Samoa on Friday.But diplomatic sources said officials were negotiating an agreement to conduct further research and begin a […]

October 24, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Humanitarian Aid Workers Face ‘Increasingly Difficult’ Conditions

[ad_1] The president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has announced the establishment of the Red Family Fund to honor humanitarian aid workers who have died in the line of duty. Kate Forbes told the organization's general assembly in Geneva that aid workers find themselves working under "increasingly difficult" conditions that include not only an escalation in conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere but also a decrease in observance of international law. "Global […]

October 24, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: ‘Trauma That Echoes Across Generations’ – UN Highlights Weaponisation of Sexual Violence

[ad_1] The United Nations marked 15 years of its mandate on sexual violence and conflict with a commemoration ceremony held in New York on Wednesday. The mandate was established through Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) which called for appointing a Special Representative to lead UN efforts to address rape during conflict, among other actions. "It recognized that like bullets, bombs and blades, the widespread systematic use of sexual violence decimates communities, drives displacement and inflicts trauma that echoes across generations," […]

October 24, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: The Deepfake Is a Powerful Weapon in the War in Sudan

[ad_1] While still rudimentary - voice-cloning models can't yet relay convincing Sudanese dialects - the use of Deepfakes is now routinely used on Sudan's violent, if bloodless, alternative battlefield: social media. In April 2024, an image of a building engulfed in flames went viral on Facebook in Sudan. The image was widely shared with captions that claimed the building was part of Al-Jazeera University in Wad Madani city, and the Sudanese army had bombed it. Many political leaders and public […]

October 24, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: IMF Isn’t Doing Enough to Support Africa – Billions Could Be Made Available Through Special Drawing Rights

[ad_1] At the 2021 UN Climate Summit, Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley called for more and better use of special drawing rights (SDRs), the International Monetary Fund's reserve asset. The special drawing right is an international reserve asset created by the IMF. It is not a currency - its value is based on a basket of five currencies, the biggest chunk of which is the US dollar, followed by the euro. It is a potential claim on the freely usable […]

October 24, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: Number of Women Killed in War Doubled in 2023 – UN Report

[ad_1] The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 40 per cent of all deaths in war, while UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 per cent. The findings come in the Secretary-General's latest annual report on women, peace, and security. The rise in death and violence is "taking place against a backdrop of increasing blatant disregard of international law designed to protect women and children during war," according to […]

October 24, 2024 3

Africa

Dar es Salaam to Dodoma link is East Africa’s first electric train

[ad_1] Basillioh Rukanga / BBCShaped and coloured like the country’s rare gemstone, tanzanite, the sparkling new railway terminal in Dar es Salaam is a symbol of Tanzania’s transport ambitions.The glass panels gleam in the sun, like an outsize version of the prismatic bluish-purple gem that glitters in the light.The trains – powered by electricity, a first for the region – carry passengers from the commercial hub to the capital, Dodoma, […]

October 24, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Angola Proposes Integrated Energy Action Plan for Africa

[ad_1] Washington — The Angolan Government advocates that the World Bank (WB) develop an Integrated Electricity Action Plan for Africa, over a period of five years (2025-2029), with a view to reducing the energy deficit that the continent faces. According to the minister of Planning and governor of Angola at the World Bank, Victor Hugo Guilherme, "it is particularly urgent that this plan be developed, because current data indicate that more than 600 million Africans do not have access to […]

October 24, 2024 4

News

Nigeria: FG Scraps Ministry of Sports Development, National Sports Commission Reinstated

[ad_1] This decision was made at Wednesday's Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja President Bola Tinubu's administration has scrapped the Ministry of Sports Development and reinstated the National Sports Commission. This decision was made at Wednesday's Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. The National Sports Commission, previously dissolved by the Muhammadu Buhari government in 2015, will now oversee sports development in Nigeria. Established in 1971, The Commission has a rich history, dating back to 1910 with the creation of the […]

October 24, 2024 3