Oil companies are paying popular influencers to pump their gas on social media, sparking a backlash from some climate-conscious fans for promoting planet-warming fossil fuels among young people.Young online celebrities best known for posting about video games, their dogs or their holidays to millions of followers are also dropping in unexpected plugs for gasoline stations, …

Oil firms pay Insta, TikTok influencers for adsWed, 30 Aug 2023 06:31:52 GMT Read More »

Soon after Judy Kengo was sworn into office last year, the Kenyan legislator faced her first public test when a doctored photo of a lookalike kissing another woman surfaced online.The aim of the misleading photo, she says, was to force her to quit her position in the county assembly of Kwale, a staunchly conservative region …

Sex, lies and social media: Women face tough fight in African politicsWed, 30 Aug 2023 06:12:49 GMT Read More »

Strength in depth among forwards and backs has South Africans believing that captain Siya Kolisi and his Springboks can successfully defend in France the Rugby World Cup they won four years ago.Winning back-to-back titles at the global showpiece has proven difficult with only the Richie McCaw-skippered New Zealand achieving the feat, in 2011 and 2015.But …

Springbok strength in depth boosts hopes of retaining World CupWed, 30 Aug 2023 02:16:17 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s army chief returned home Tuesday after visiting Egypt on his first trip abroad since the outbreak of war in April, with the latest violence killing dozens of civilians in battle-scarred Darfur.As Abdel Fattah al-Burhan travelled for talks with key ally Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, medics and witnesses said 39 civilians were killed, most …

Sudan army chief home after first foreign trip in warTue, 29 Aug 2023 19:44:07 GMT Read More »

Former Algerian defence minister Khaled Nezzar has been indicted in Switzerland on charges of committing crimes against humanity in the 1990s during the civil war, state prosecutors said Tuesday.The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) said it had filed an indictment in the Federal Criminal Court against the 85-year-old, who faces accusations including …

Algerian ex-minister indicted by Swiss over civil war ‘torture’Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:03:21 GMT Read More »

Algeria’s foreign minister on Tuesday proposed a six-month transitional plan for neighbouring Niger, whose coup leader seeks a far longer timeline back to democracy. Ahmed Attaf gave his suggested framework after a tour last week to three of Niger’s neighbouring countries in the West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to send a military force if …

Neighbour Algeria seeks six-month transition for coup-hit NigerTue, 29 Aug 2023 17:40:44 GMT Read More »

Former rebels in northern Mali on Tuesday accused the armed forces of carrying out new strikes on their positions, reflecting mounting tensions in the flashpoint region.A spokesman for the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) told an AFP reporter that the armed forces carried out air strikes on the group at Anefis, in the Kidal region, …

Mali ex-rebels accuse army of more air strikesTue, 29 Aug 2023 17:07:00 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s army chief on Tuesday visited Egypt on his first trip abroad since the outbreak of war in April, with the latest violence killing dozens of civilians in battle-scarred Darfur.As Abdel Fattah al-Burhan headed for talks with key ally Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, medics and witnesses said 39 civilians were killed, most of them …

Sudan army chief visits Egypt as deadly violence grips DarfurTue, 29 Aug 2023 16:37:16 GMT Read More »

Kenya’s struggling national carrier Kenya Airways on Tuesday reported a surge in losses in the first half of the financial year due to increased foreign exchange and borrowing costs. The airline, which is part owned by Air France-KLM, is labouring under a mountain of debt and has been running losses for years despite numerous government bailouts. Pre-tax …

Kenya Airways losses deepen on weaker shillingTue, 29 Aug 2023 15:57:12 GMT Read More »

Zimbabwe’s main opposition on Tuesday called for fresh elections after its presidential candidate lost to incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa in a vote it lashed as flawed and illegal. The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) urged the African Union (AU) and southern Africa’s regional bloc to help mediate a solution to the crisis that followed last Wednesday’s vote. “Zimbabwe …

Zimbabwe’s opposition calls for fresh vote after ‘illegal’ electionTue, 29 Aug 2023 15:33:33 GMT Read More »