French Billionaire Detained in Africa Corruption Probe
One of France’s most powerful businessmen, Vincent Bollore, was detained for questioning Tuesday in an investigation into alleged corruption during lucrative port deals in Africa.
Read moreAfrica
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Summoned Over Alleged Diamond Looting
A Zimbabwean parliamentary committee is summoning former leader Robert Mugabe to explain past comments on alleged diamond looting — the first time a public institution has called him to account for such claims made during his 37-year rule.
Read morePainting Europe’s Snow Orange
The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel satellite captured photos this week of what caused snow in Eastern Europe to turn orange: sand from the deserts of North Africa drifting across the Mediterranean Sea.
Read moreNew Evidence Points to Sophisticated Tools, Distant Trading for Early Humans
Anthropologists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a team of international collaborators discovered that early humans in East Africa displayed sophisticated behavior, trading and tool crafting tens of thousands of years earlier than previously assumed.
Read moreStudy: Hunters’ Lead Bullets Are Poisoning African Vultures
A third of the vultures caught and tested in the African nation of Botswana for a new study had elevated levels of lead in their blood, likely the result of them eating the flesh of animals shot by hunters using lead bullets.
Read moreEthiopia Deports British Journalist Over Accreditation Issue
Ethiopian immigration officials have deported a British journalist over an accreditation row that both sides are disputing.
Read moreChina Builds Ambitiously in Africa as US Sounds the Alarm
The sleek, green-and-white trains glide past the congested, ragged streets of Addis Ababa along the city’s new light rail — built and financed by China. The towering silver African Union headquarters here was built by China, too. So was the new ring road system around the city. And the new railway connecting landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti.
Read moreUS, Russia Trade Blame as Diplomats Fail to Meet in Africa
They could have run into each other sipping coffee in the lobby, perhaps at the bar at Ethiopia’s finest hotel. But U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov didn’t meet, and now both countries are trading accusations about who’s to blame.
Read moreShipper Accused of Smuggling in $32M Lawsuit
A trading company claims in a federal complaint that the Liberian company it contracted to ship hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil also tried to smuggle weapons to Yemen, and let Saudi Arabian forces confiscate the oil when it got caught.
Read moreTillerson Pledges $533 Million in US Humanitarian Aid to Africa
Hours before departing on a week-long visit to Africa, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday the U.S. will commit $533 Million in humanitarian aid to address food insecurity, famine and health concerns on the continent.
Read moreEthiopian Jews Threaten Mass Hunger Strike Over Israel Move
Representatives for thousands of Ethiopian Jews announced Wednesday they will stage a mass hunger strike if Israel eliminates funding to allow them to join their families in that country.
Read moreDonors Pledge $510 Million for West Africa Anti-Terror Force
International donors pledged about $510 million Friday to help five impoverished countries in West Africa’s vast Sahel region set up a new counterterror force as a deadly jihadist threat grows.
Read moreBad Investment
Hellenic Petroleum, as successor in interest to the Don Rose Oil Co., claims in court that it lost $2.7 million in a fraudulent investment scheme that was supposed involve to purchase gold and diamonds being mined in developing nations.
Read moreEthiopia’s Prime Minister Submits Resignation After Protests
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced Thursday he has submitted a resignation letter after the worst anti-government protests in a quarter-century, saying he hoped the surprise decision would help planned reforms succeed and create a “lasting peace.”
Read moreVictims of 1990 Liberian Church Massacre Seek Damages
Four survivors of a brutal machete and gun attack that left 600 dead at a Lutheran church during Liberia’s civil war on Monday sued the military commander they claim ordered the carnage.
Read moreWest African Nation of Guinea Reports Lassa Fever Death
Authorities in Guinea announced the first death from Lassa fever in more than two decades Thursday, heightening anxiety about another hemorrhagic fever in the West African country where an Ebola epidemic first emerged.
Read moreUS Investigator of Ivory, Rhino Horn Trade Killed in Kenya
A leading American investigator into the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade has been found stabbed to death in his home, Kenyan police and officials said Monday.
Read moreStone Tools in India Suggest Earlier Human Exit From Africa
Just a week after scientists reported evidence that our species left Africa earlier than we thought, another discovery is suggesting the date might be pushed back further.
Read moreKenya’s High Court Orders Government’s TV Shutdown to End
Kenya’s High Court on Thursday ordered the government to end its shutdown of the country’s top three TV stations after they tried to broadcast images of the opposition leader’s mock inauguration, a ceremony considered treasonous.
Read moreStudy-Abroad Drowning
A mom whose 15-year-old drowned in the hotel pool while on a study-abroad trip to Tanzania wants punitive damages from Explorica, Kids n Culture and the girl’s teacher.
Read more