Scientists who study the baobab tree – which can live for 2,000 years or more – say some of Africa’s oldest specimens are dying off in a relatively short period of time, and climate change may be the reason. Their research work, published in Nature Plants this week, calls attention…
Aid workers on the Mediterranean Sea, with more than 600 migrants from Libya aboard the rescue ship Aquarius, continued to search for a solution after Italy refused to accept the ship in one of its ports. The ship, operated by Sos Méditerranée with a medical crew from Doctors Without Borders…
Funeral services were held Monday in Paris for Gaëtan Mootoo, a well-respected French Mauritanian researcher for Amnesty International in West Africa who died on May 25. So many people attended the memorial at the Père Lachaise cemetery that some stood in the rain, crowded around the entrance, according to France’s Liberation….
No one talked very much ahead of the fossil-fuel conference hosted by Pope Francis at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican this weekend: not the participants, not the Vatican, and not the University of Notre Dame in the United States, a Roman Catholic institution that co-sponsored the event….
Citizens of Lesotho say they welcome the role the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has in supporting the country’s reforms and want their security forces to step back from political involvement, but they appear disillusioned about democratic elections after years of upheaval. The findings come from polling research done by…
Another attack on aid workers and facilities in the Central African Republic has prompted outrage from the country’s United Nations humanitarian coordinator, who demanded that the armed groups responsible be held accountable for the consequences of violating international humanitarian law. The statement from Najat Rochdi followed an intrusion at the…
The weeks-long earthquake swarm in Mayotte continues, as a new team of seismic experts arrives Monday to begin estimates on the vulnerability of buildings and assess the level of damage on the Indian Ocean island nation. The French territory is home to about a quarter million people, historically and culturally…
In South Africa, exiled South Sudanese opposition leader Reik Machar acknowledged meeting with former Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, but it remains to be seen if Machar will participate in direct peace negotiations with President Salva Kiir. “I have had a fruitful discussion with Hon. Raila Odinga in the quest…
It’s just seven weeks until Zimbabwe’s July 30 election date, and two prominent international observer organizations are urging the government and its Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) to ensure reforms that guarantee a credible election. The elections – for presidential, legislative and local office – will take place less than a…
President Muhammadu Buhari begins a two-day visit to Morocco on Sunday, and will meet with King Mohammed VI to discuss economic partnerships between the two nations. The leaders will focus on strengthening existing agreements on the fertilizer industry, as well as education cooperation, the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project and establishing…
Botswana continues to be an economic bright spot in southern Africa, with the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment showing a rebound from slower GDP growth in 2017 that’s tied to stronger diamond sales and higher government spending. The IMF assessment team, led by Enrique Gelbard, completed a visit to Gaborone…
The election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council is set for Friday morning in New York, with South Africa seeking to be elected to represent the African Group. The UN General Assembly will elect five members to two-year terms that begin in 2019. Ethiopia currently holds the…
After a 10-day lull in new Ebola virus cases, the Ministry of Health in Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a case in the community of Iboko. “This is a contact of a probable case who died in late May,” said health minister Dr. Oly Ilunga in Thursday’s daily update….
In Democratic Republic of Congo, the launch of a new political coalition with President Joseph Kabila at the helm was overshadowed Thursday by the allegation that Kabila himself ordered the attempted assassination of Judge Jacques Mbuyi last year. Mbuyi, a justice known for his impartiality and commitment to an independent…
The European Union has signed a new Economic Cooperation Agreement with Liberia, and provided an initial €27 million in funding for the West African nation’s budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The commitment follows President George Weah’s trip to attend the annual European Development Days (EDD) Summit, held this week…