Women take up 55% of cabinet seats in Rwanda

KIGALI, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Women now constitute 55 per cent of cabinet seats, up from 52 per cent. The development follows Wednesday’s cabinet reshuffle which saw eight new faces, including four women, join cabinet. Members of cabinet have also increased from 27 to 29 following the creation of two…

IMF secures $330m debt relief for Somalia

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has secured more than $330m (£255m) in debt relief for Somalia.This brings the country a crucial step closer to receiving forgiveness for its $5.3bn debt and accessing new resources.The IMF said the funding pledged by its members showed…

UK warns it could abandon EU trade talks in June

Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister LONDON, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The British government will decide in June whether to abandon talks with the EU and prepare for a no-deal Brexit on World Trade Organization terms. The decision will be made if insufficient ground has been covered in talks with the…

Brazilian jailed in Mozambique for drug trafficking

Ariane Monteiro Aragão was detained at Maputo International Airport MAPUTO, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A 24-year-old Brazilian woman has been sentenced to 17 years in prison in Mozambique for drug trafficking. Ariane Monteiro Aragão was detained on June 26, 2019 at Maputo International Airport in possession of 5.4kg of cocaine.…

Mexico returns ancient bronze sculpture to Nigeria

MEXICO CITY, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico has returned an ancient bronze sculpture to Nigeria after thwarting an attempt to smuggle it into the country, officials say. The artefact is from Nigeria’s south-western Ife city, famous for works depicting royalty and deities of the once-powerful Yoruba kingdom. The sculpture is…

French anger over Mali’s ‘tattooed soldiers’ slur

PARIS, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France’s defence minister Florence Parly has hit out at accusations of poor behaviour by some French troops stationed in Mali.Parly said allegations made by Mali’s ambassador in the French senate on Wednesday were false and unacceptable.Toumani Djime Diallo had complained about the behaviour of French…

Algerian president’s son acquitted in high-profile corruption case

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ALGIERS, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The son of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been acquitted in a high-profile corruption case in which a prominent businessman was sentenced to prison, the national radio reported Thursday. Khaled Tebboune had been in pre-trial detention since June 2018 in connection with…

African Union to deploy 3,000 troops in restive Sahel region

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The African Union (AU) has announced the temporary deployment of a 3,000-strong force in West Africa’s Sahel region where countries have struggled to combat multiple armed groups amid a swiftly deteriorating security situation.Smail Chergui, head of the AU’s Peace and Security Commission, said the…

Nigeria’s death toll from lassa fever hits 118 – Report

ABUJA, Feb 28 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — The deaths recorded from the Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria has reached 118, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed.From Jan 1 to Feb 23, 2,633 suspected cases, with 689 confirmed cases and 118 deaths have been recorded in the country.The number of…

South African unions threaten protests over public sector wages

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South African trade unions threatened protests, after they said the government wanted to renege on the terms of a public sector wage deal struck in 2018. Unions said government officials informed them that they could not afford to pay public servants wage increases that were…