Africa

African cardinals and bishops taking part in a global Church summit on the family at the Vatican have complained it is Euro-centric, with not enough attention paid to issues that concern their parishes. Archbishop of Accra Charles Palmer-Buckle told a press briefing, Thursday that the working document which bishops and …

Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize, Friday for its contribution to building democracy after the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, the Nobel Committee said. The quartet is made up of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human …

Belarusian writer and journalist Svetlana Alexievich has won the 2015 Nobel Prize for literature. Announcing the prize in Stockholm, the chair of the Swedish Academy, Sara Danius, called her writing “a monument to courage and suffering in our time”. The award, presented to a living writer, is worth £691,000. Previous …

The General in charge of the failed coup in Burkina Faso last month has been formally charged, along with one other top official accused of supporting the overthrow of Burkina Faso’s government. General Gilbert Diendere and Djibrill Bassole, a former foreign minister, were charged Tuesday with “attacking state security.” During …

Oil prices rose, Wednesday after data showed the market was beginning to tighten, with falling supply, higher demand and lower inventories after two years of heavy surplus. Global benchmark Brent crude oil has dropped to around $50 from a high above $115 a barrel in June 2014 and many oil …

Facebook is to launch a satellite that will provide internet access to remote parts of Nigeria as well as rest of the African continent, the social network’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced. In partnership with French-based provider Eutelsat, Facebook hope the first satellite will be launched in 2016. “We’re going to …

Ghana’s Judicial Council has suspended seven out of the 12 High Court judges, Monday, in the wake of allegations of bribery stemming from a documentary made by an investigative journalist. The decision is part of a response to a three-hour film first screened in the capital last month that has caused …

Japan’s Takaaki Kajita and Canada’s Arthur B. McDonald won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Physics for their discovery that neutrinos, labeled nature’s most elusive particles, have mass, the award-giving body said on Tuesday. “The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to …

The World Bank, Monday, said it expects sub-Saharan Africa to soon account for half of those living in extreme poverty, as the body also positing that for the first time less than 10% of the world’s population will be living in extreme poverty by the end of 2015. The bank …

Economic growth in commodity-exporting countries is likely to slow more amid expectations for further weakness in commodity prices, particularly of energy and metals, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says in a new study. “A significant deceleration in growth rates is unavoidable for many (commodity-exporting) economies,” the IMF study said. The …

Ekiti state Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has opted for a low-key celebration of the 55th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria even as the date coincides with the 19th year of creation of the state. Former military ruler, late Gen Sani Abacha announced the creation of Ekiti from the old Ondo state …

World trade will grow by 2.8 percent this year and could be pegged back further by a United States interest rate rise, China’s economic slowdown or Europe’s refugee crisis, the World Trade Organization said, Wednesday. The forecast, revised down from a 3.3 percent forecast made in April, means 2015 will …

The new wave of violence which has left dozens of civilians dead and at least 100 injured highlights the fragility of the reconciliation process and the urgent need for enhanced protection of civilians, disarmament and an end to impunity in Central African Republic, Amnesty International said Monday. Clashes erupted over …

The death toll from last Thursday stampede in Mina, Mecca which claimed the lives of 769 Muslims, including 54 Nigerians, could be higher than earlier thought as Saudi Arabia has released to foreign diplomats over 1,000 photographs of the dead from the mishap. This is just as President Muhammadu Buhari, …

President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his determination to fully sanitize Nigeria’s oil industry and make it totally free of corruption and shady deals. Speaking at a meeting with President Xi Jinping of China on the sidelines of the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations on Sunday in New York, …

The Presidency has described as erroneous, mischievous and uncharitable, reports that have given the impression that President Muhammadu Buhari is not concerned about the well-being of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, or the security of the country, because the Nigerian delegation to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly …

Airtel Nigeria has launched the Airtel One Mic Vol.1 album performed by the four students who emerged winners in the Season of Airtel One Mic music talent hunt show. Brand ambassador for the telco, Innocent Idibia popularly known as Tuface also marked his 40th birthday at the occasion which held …

The Grammy Award-winning singers joined Pope Francis, Malala Yousafzai and children from around the world at a special ceremony to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals Shakira and AngéliqueKidjo celebrated Friday’s adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals with powerful performances before an audience at the United Nations General Assembly that included …

Burkina Faso’s interim President Michel Kafando has been formally reinstated a week after the military takeover. The ceremony took place in the capital, Ouagadougou, in the presence of several West African leaders who helped mediate an end to the crisis. The presidential guard carried out the coup. Its leader Gen …

Burkina Faso coup leaders agreed to return to their barracks and said they would restore the deposed president to power, signing a deal with the army that apparently defuses a tense standoff sparked by last week’s putsch. The breakthrough came late Tuesday after marathon talks in Nigeria’s Abuja, where West …

Following the political unrests in the West African country of Burkina Faso, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has moved to cancel the World Tourism Day celeb rations earlier awarded to the country. According to official sources the decision to hold the 2015 official World Tourism Day Celebrations in …

The Burkina Faso Army general who seized power in a coup last week apologized to the nation, last Monday, has now admitted he is ready to hand over control to a civilian transitional government. This is just as the country’s military approaches Ougadougou, following warnings that its forces would converge …

Former Finance minister and also the Supervising Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has announced she will be joining United States investment bank Lazard’s sovereign advice division. She has also been appointed chair-elect of the board of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates, she told …

President Muhammadu Buhari will host an Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, in Abuja. According to a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), the main item on …