Burkina Faso: ICRC warns of health impacts because of violence

Burkina Faso: ICRC warns of health impacts because of violence

Conditions in Burkina Faso are making it harder for health and humanitarian aid workers, with more than 100 health centers closing or limiting their roles because of the conflict. That’s according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which said Tuesday that roughly a half-million people now have…

Buhari’s UK trip raises new questions about his health

Buhari’s UK trip raises new questions about his health

There’s already new speculation in Nigeria about President Muhammadu Buhari, who left on Thursday for a 10-day private trip to the United Kingdom – the country where he’s twice had extended visits while seeking medical care. Buhari spokesman Femi Adesina announced the travels would follow Buhari’s visit to Nigerians in…

Bill Gates names his Top 10 ‘breakthrough technologies’

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has named 10 breakthrough technologies that will help to reinvent the future, and listed them in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Review article published Wednesday. Gates said he first thought of the plow, in use since 4000 BCE, while contemplating how technologies create…

Algerian marchers protest another term for Bouteflika

Young Algerians took to the streets on Friday to protest the possibility of a fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing 81-year-old who has been Algeria’s leader since 1999. The marches in Algiers, Oran, Sidi Bel Abbès and beyond featured signs and slogans to oppose another term for the…

Algeria’s Bouteflika confirms he’ll run for fifth term

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria confirmed on Sunday his intentions to run for a fifth term, one day after his National Liberation Front party said the 81-year-old will run again. Bouteflika’s bid, announced on the Algeria Press Service state news channels, included the promise that if elected he would begin…

Algeria’s Bouteflika expected to announce intentions soon

Speculation over a possible fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running high in Algeria, where a spokesman for Democratic National Rally (RND) party – a key coalition member of the country’s presidential alliance – said Wednesday that he’ll announce a decision next week. Chihab Seddik, speaking with Algerian outlet…

Buhari plans 2019 election run, heads for official London visit

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced plans Monday to run for a second presidential term in the 2019 elections, a much-anticipated decision amid concerns over the 75-year-old Buhari’s health and fitness for office. Buhari made the decision public ahead of his departure for the UK on Monday, where he plans to meet…

Malawi launches new sustainable development strategy plan

Malawi launched its new five-year development plan on Tuesday during a ceremony at Kamuzu Palace, the State House in Lilongwe. The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III emphasizes climate priorities, alongside agriculture and water resources, in a vision that runs through 2022 and builds on the previous version. It…

Minamata Convention on Mercury enters into force

The Minamata Convention on Mercury enters into force today, following a 90-day period since the necessary threshold of 51 ratifications was achieved in May. The Minamata Convention enters into force with 128 signatory nations and 74 ratifying countries, including the most recent addition of Brazil last week. Among the countries…

The Gambia: Police, environmental activists clash over trash

In The Gambia, police and protesters have clashed over trash this weekend, as the government reopened a waste dump activists had shut down because residents don’t want it in the community. The protests occurred at Bakoteh, where riot police were sent in after residents barricaded a dump site closed down…