World News

Sudan’s ruling body ratified a law banning the widespread practice of female genital mutilation, the justice ministry announced Friday, handing the movement for women’s rights in the African country a long-sought victory. The Sovereign Council passed a set of sweeping amendments to the country’s criminal code late Thursday, including one that criminalized the deep-rooted practice. The draft law had been ...

The coronavirus pandemic is going to get “worse and worse” if certain governments do not take decisive action to curb the spread of the disease, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said we are seeing “dangerous increases in cases” in countries where “proven measures to reduce risk are not implemented or followed”. ...

Egypt’s cabinet has approved amendments to the country’s criminal procedure law that will guarantee anonymity for victims of sexual abuse. The identities of victims can only be revealed to the court and to defendants upon request, according to the draft law. Egyptian victims of sexual crimes often face a lot of stigma. The Arabic hashtag “The Beginning of a Feminist ...

The US has warned West Africa’s Sahel nations that it could withdraw its support if security forces violate human rights. The state department said it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations documented by rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW said that at least 180 bodies were found in a mass grave in Burkina Faso with evidence suggesting that government forces ...

The US Supreme Court has ruled about half of Oklahoma belongs to Native Americans, in a landmark case that also quashed a child rape conviction. The justices decided 5-4 that an eastern chunk of the state, including its second-biggest city, Tulsa, should be recognised as part of a reservation. Jimcy McGirt, who was convicted in 1997 of raping a girl, ...

Travellers arriving in the UK from dozens of countries no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks from Friday. The rules are being relaxed for arrivals from more than 60 countries and British overseas territories. However, Scotland’s list of countries is slightly different to the list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, Scotland still requires people from Spain ...

A  Dutch tech Company, Tunga has launched a new e-learning platform meant to create more opportunities for African software developers. The e-learning platform  is freely accessible to all tech talents in Africa. Tunga offers high quality yet affordable software services and determined to make a meaningful contribution to Africa and to create more opportunities for African developers. The Tunga Academy offers free ...

As countries continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, a new guide by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) shows how clean energy investment can support countries to ‘Recover Better’ and use this unique moment to reset their economies and close energy-access gaps. According to ‘The Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide for African Countries’ that was released by SEforALL, countries that commit ...

Uganda has opened part of its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to allow in thousands of people stuck in no-man’s land for more than a month. At least 3,000 of them fled their homes in May after inter-communal clashes in north-eastern Ituri province. But they were unable to cross into Uganda to seek safety as the country had ...

Black market fuel made in Nigeria is less toxic than the petrol and diesel sold to Nigeria by European traders, a report says. Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), a non-governmental organisation, compared 91 samples of imported fuel and black-market petrol from Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta region. Its study showed that imported diesel and petrol sometimes contained more than 200 times more ...