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 2

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

Africa

Charges dropped against cryptocurrency executive Tigran Gambaryan

[ad_1] Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has dropped a money-laundering case against a top cryptocurrency executive to allow him to get medical treatment abroad.Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen, was arrested on a business trip to Nigeria in February and later charged alongside his company Binance with laundering $35.4m (£28m) - which they denied.The 40-year-old was in charge of financial crime compliance at Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange that Nigeria blames for […]

October 24, 2024 2

Africa

Zimbabwe set new T20 men’s world record in World Cup qualifying win over The Gambia

[ad_1] 2026 Men's T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier, NairobiZimbabwe 344-4 (20.0): Raza 133* (43); Jarju 2-53The Gambia 54 (14.4): Jarju (12*); Mavuta 3-10Zimbabwe win by 290 runsZimbabwe set a world record for the highest score in men's T20 international cricket by posting 344-4 against The Gambia in Nairobi, Kenya.Sikandar Raza scored 133 not out from just 43 balls.Zimbabwe won Wednesday's match, part of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, […]

October 24, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: New Ibrahim Report Reveals Governance ‘Stagnation’ in Africa

[ad_1] Monrovia — The 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance report - released biennially by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to assess the performance of various African governments and trends across the continent - reveals that the region has experienced years of "almost complete stagnation". The report said, that in 2022, overall governance progress "grounded to a halt" as rising conflict and insecurity, as well as a "shrinking democratic space", undermined progress. "Over the decade 2014-2023, there is progress for just […]

October 23, 2024 3