Both Twitter and Facebook made big announcements on Wednesday, as the social media companies seek to curb fake accounts, abuse in political ads, and the potential to spread fake news or incite violence through hate speech. Facebook announced it removed three Russia-linked networks of accounts, pages and groups that targeted…
In Rwanda, authorities say a Christian pastor from the United States arrested while in Kigali despite the ban on his radio station and ministry has been deported. The Rwandan Directorate General for Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) confirmed to New Times that Gregg Schoof was declared a prohibited immigrant and not permitted…
Seven nations on the African continent have something in common that the others don’t. They’re all signatories calling for a ban on “killer robots” and related fully autonomous weapons currently being developed in advanced nations. That’s according to the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which lists Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana,…
Botswana has lifted its ban on elephant hunting, in a controversial decision announced Thursday by environment and wildlife minister Kitso Mokaila. The ruling follows a year-long process in Botswana to evaluate the ban, which was put in place five years ago by former president Ian Khama. He was succeeded in…
The Nigerian army has asked citizens to tune in Tuesday morning to an interview with its public relations spokesman, one day after the country’s military again accused an international NGO of collaborating with Islamic extremists and destabilizing the nation. Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman’s media message followed his statement on…
The Nigerian military says it has lifted a suspension against UNICEF, the United Nations children’s relief agency, imposed earlier because of allegations that the agency was collaborating with Boko Haram terrorists and training spies in the country’s northeast. In a statement issued late Friday, military spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu said that…
The sight of Kenyans streaming on foot into Nairobi’s central business district (CBD) while passenger cars continued to clog streets with heavy traffic contributed to what is at least a temporary reprieve from the new ban on matatu, the privately operated shared taxis many rely on for transport. The ban…
Mauritania has become the latest country to succeed in clearing its territory of land mines, completing a task that’s been decades in the making. The anti-personnel mines were left behind during the 1978-1979 conflict in Western Sahara. Their presence was identified in three regions of Mauritania covering about 68 square…
More than 50 fashion retail brands now have banned the use of mohair as the fallout continues following an investigation into animal cruelty on angora goat farms – the source of the wool – in South Africa. The PETA Asia report that came out two weeks ago stunned consumers with…
Authorities in Kenya say two people were arrested after they were discovered trying to bring 432,000 plastic bags into the country, in violation of one of the world’s toughest bans on the plastic. The Ugandan men were taking the bags, worth about USD$6,000, from Kampala to the town of Nakuru,…
Cameroon’s government has banned the sale of weapons in six of the country’s regions, including the troubled Anglophone areas and those adjacent to them. Paul Atanga Nji, the Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council and Minister of Territorial Administration, said the sale of weapons for hunting and self-defense, as…
China says it has shut down 143 ivory retail outlets and 34 processing facilities since the country’s ban on ivory went into effect at the beginning of the year. The measures have been well received by Beijing’s African partners, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang during Thursday’s regular…
The United States plans a new ban on in-flight electronic devices aboard airplanes flying from at least 10 locations in the Middle East and North Africa, according to reports. American officials tell the Associated Press that the ban, which will be announced on Tuesday, covers nonstop flights from Egypt originating in…
New United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has reiterated the U.N. position on protecting refugees, joining the chorus of international voices concerned over President Donald Trump’s stance on those seeking help from the United States, and other countries with similar closed-border policies. “Refugees fleeing conflict and persecution are finding more…
The Chinese government announced Friday that it will ban ivory trade by the end of 2017, doing so across the industry in phases that are planned for completion by this time next year. The plan targets commercial processing and sales, according to a translated release, in a process that will…