There were 20,000 empty chairs set up in view of the White House on Sunday as part of a memorial for those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, even as President Donald Trump remained in the hospital himself following a positive diagnosis for the virus. The chair represented “a fraction of…
The final report on the Boeing 737 MAX, released Wednesday by a legislative committee in the United States, finds “repeated and serious failures” by both Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The report’s introduction begins with the story of Paul Njoroge, a Kenyan living in Canada who testified…
With the COVID-19 pandemic and its many sorrows has come a new appreciation for essential workers, and now a Roman Catholic nun in Zambia has been named one of “seven unsung heroes” by wealthy philanthropist Bill Gates. Gates recently featured Sr. Astridah Banda in his popular “Gates Notes” newsletter and…
Akinwumi A. Adesina has been re-elected to another five-year term as president of the African Development Bank, during a board vote that came on the last day of the AfDB annual meeting. Adesina received the unanimous vote of all regional and non-regional AfDB members, despite questions about his leadership raised…
South African photographer Daniela Zondagh captured a striking image of an empty table with 1,000 seats to help business owners in the hospitality industry illustrate the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on their livelihoods. Zondagh documented the table setup for Bosman Family Vineyards, which claims an eight-generation heritage in…
In Nigeria, the Gokada delivery service continues on despite the gruesome murder of CEO Fahim Saleh, whose body was discovered in New York City on Tuesday. “As painful as these last days have been for us, we at Gokada owe it to ourselves and to Fahim’s memory to act and…
A global expert on soil health who began his research career in Nigeria has been named the recipient of the 2020 World Food Prize. Dr. Rattan Lal, who grew up as a refugee on a smallholder farm in India, received the US$250,000 prize for his work in protecting and improving…
Struggling French automaker Renault is set to cut 15,000 jobs around the world, according to labor leaders who met with company officials Thursday night to discuss the plans before a public announcement expected Friday. The cuts are part of a deal the company hopes will deliver €2 billion in savings…
Some of the greatest luminaries in the arts and sciences – from Nobel prize-winning astrophysicists, to singer Madonna to the economist Muhammad Yunus – have published a joint statement insisting that the world cannot go “back to normal” and must consider the COVID-19 crisis an urgent call for new pathways…
Conservationists from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are among the recipients of this year’s prestigious Whitley Awards, announced Tuesday by the United Kingdom-based sponsor organization. Abdullahi Hussein Ali, above, is the founder of Kenya’s Hirola Conservation Programme, and works with pastoralists and local communities to protect the critically endangered antelope….
Another painting by Nigerian master Ben Enwonwu is headed for auction at Sotheby’s later this month, this time with an intriguing story believed to link the work to the Ebira people of central Kogi state. Painted in 1953, “Sefi” features a woman who until recently was known only as the…
Egypt is advancing its goals in space, following approval last week of a 10-year development plan for the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) established in August. The agency launched its first communications satellite in November, as part of a plan to ensure mobile and Internet services for all of Egypt as…
With its publication of the “Luanda Leaks,” the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) effectively dispelled decades’ worth of myth-building surrounding Isabel dos Santos, daughter of Angola’s longtime president José Eduardo dos Santos. The investigative series explains how the younger Dos Santos – the former head of Angola’s state oil…
Human rights campaigners say they welcome the decision by Canada’s Supreme Court to allow a lawsuit against the Nevsun mining firm, which is accused of human rights violations during operations in Eritrea. Human Rights Watch said a 2013 investigation first found that an Eritrean construction firm owned by the country’s…
The Basketball Africa League announced Wednesday that its inaugural season – set to begin next week in Dakar – has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. League president Amadou Gallo Fall said he was making the decision after consulting with the Senegalese government, which is now dealing with four…