For this year’s annual letter, Bill and Melinda Gates took on 10 tough questions people ask about their philanthropy work. Here’s what the Microsoft founder, shown here in Tanzania, said about President Donald Trump and the impact on United States foreign aid policies: How are President Trump’s policies affecting your…
Fourteen human rights organizations, including the global Human Rights Watch NGO, have called on Western governments to speak out against presidential elections in Egypt they describe as “farcical.” “The United States, European Union, and European states, which provide substantial financial assistance to the Egyptian government, should consistently integrate human rights…
The United States announced new targeted sanctions on Friday against three individuals, including one in Puntland state in Somalia believed to be providing support to Islamic State terrorists. Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf (Mire Ali) was listed among Specially Designated Global Terrorists, a status assigned by the U.S. Department of the…
As leaders gathered in Addis Ababa in the runup to Sunday’s official opening of the African Union (AU) summit, news came that United States President Donald Trump has sent a letter to AU member nations affirming his respect for Africans and promising an extended U.S. diplomatic visit in March. The…
Burundi’s record on human rights came under scrutiny again at the weekend, as presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe was met Saturday by a band of diasporan protesters during a visit to the United States. Nyamitwe, the top aide and highly visible spokesman for Pierre Nkurunziza, was visiting his family in Portland,…
Ongoing violations of South Sudan’s ceasefire agreement have prompted the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to speak out in concern, and now the troika governments of the United Kingdom, United States and Norway have joined them. South Sudanese leaders agreed to a ceasefire on December 21 following negotiations with IGAD,…
Egyptian lawmakers on Monday approved a long-awaited law formally establishing the nation’s space agency, while announcing a planned research satellite launch with partners Japan and China. Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, showed MPs a model of the satellite and said its components will be built…
It’s the time of year when the world’s 2.3 billion Christians, alongside those of other faith affiliations warmed by the Christmas tradition, turn toward the city of Bethlehem. Among them are millions of believers across the African continent whose fast-growing faith is centered on the Church of the Nativity and…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Former president Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia and international businessman Dan Gertler, implicated in corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are among 13 individuals added to a United States Department of Treasury list of those subject to imposed economic sanctions under the government’s Magnitsky Act. “Treasury…
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a body that counts half of all African nations among its members, condemned the United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following a summit held in Istanbul on Wednesday. OIC Secretary General Yousef Al-Othaimeen said the decision announced last week…
Egypt and Senegal are among at least eight members of the United Nations Security Council calling immediately for an emergency meeting, following Wednesday’s announcement by President Donald Trump that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plan to move its embassy. The UNSC members’ response came…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled late Monday to allow a controversial travel ban affecting citizens of Chad, Libya and Somalia to go into effect. The 7-2 ruling allows President Donald Trump’s administration to move forward with restrictions that were put on hold in October when lower U.S. courts determined that…
The United States has decided to end participation in the UN process to develop a Global Compact on Migration (GCM), the U.S. Department of State said Sunday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the compact, adopted by the UN in September 2016, requires negotiations to be based on the…
A corruption case revealed this week in the United States led to the arrest of the former foreign minister of Senegal while implicating high-level African leaders in two countries – and casting a new shadow on China’s role on the continent as Beijing advances its Belt and Road Initiative. The…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The United States said Tuesday that human remains found in Niger have been identified as those of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four American soldiers who died near Tongo Tongo in October. “On Nov. 12, 2017, a joint U.S Africa Command military investigation team discovered additional human remains at…