African leaders to broach thorny issue of paying Russia for fertilizers in Kyiv and Moscow talks
A delegation of six African leaders set to hold talks with Kyiv and Moscow aim to โinitiate a peace processโ but also broach the thorny issue of how a heavily-sanctioned Russia can be paid for the fertilizer exports Africa desperately needs, a key mediator in the talks said.
African nations consider swapping debt for climate funding
African countries saddled with debt and ravaged by losses and damages from weather events like cyclones, drought and extreme temperatures have agreed to consider swapping debt to invest in climate action in a meeting of finance ministers in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
African activists cast doubt over climate talks' credibility
Climate activists in Africa are expressing anger toward the United Nations climate agency, accusing it of allowing corporations and individuals with dubious climate credentials to greenwash their polluting activities by participating in its annual climate conference.
As Africa's climate warms, rich countries pledge more funds
Rich countries said they will spend about $25 billion by 2025 to boost Africaโs efforts to adapt to climate change as the continent continues to struggle with drought, cyclones and extreme heat, according to officials at a summit in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Monday.
Africaโs wildlife parks managers meet to boost conservation
Officials are meeting in Kigali in Rwanda this week as part of the continentโs first-ever Africa Protected Areas Congress in a bid to expand the protection of land and marine wildlife, despite little funding and the low quality of many existing conservation areas in the region.
Africa needs better weather warning systems, urge experts
Better climate-related research and early warning systems are needed as extreme weather โ from cyclones to drought โ continues to inflict the African continent, said Sudanese billionaire and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, who heads up his own foundation.
Growing African mangrove forests aim to combat climate woes
In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.
UNHCR appeals to Italy not to impede migrants rescue boats
The head of the U.N. refugee agency says he has urged Italy not to unnecessarily impede NGOs that operate migrant rescue ships in the central Mediterranean, as warmer weather is expected to bring the usual seasonal uptick in the departure of smugglersโ boats from Libya.
Africa CDC says India vaccine woes could be 'catastrophic'
An AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is administered at the Ndirande Health Centre in Blantyre Malawi, Monday, March 29, 2021. Malawi is vaccinating health care workers, elderly and those with health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, using the AstraZeneca doses that arrived early in March. COVAX has largely relied on distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine, because it is cheaper and only requires ordinary refrigeration. Nkengasong said it is not yet known what impact the uncertainty might have for scheduling second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in African countries. AdIf those 400 million people receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it would represent more than half the continent's goal of 750 million, Nkengasong said.
BLM in Italian Fashion campaign shows early tangible results
A digital runway show by five Italian fashion designers of African origin opens Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2020, one tangible result of a campaign launched last summer by the only Black Italian designer belonging to the Italian fashion chamber. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)MILAN โ A digital runway show by five Italian fashion designers of African origin opens Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, one tangible result of a campaign launched last summer by the only Black Italian designer belonging to the Milan fashion chamber. โWhen you want to do something, you can do them immediately,โโ said Jean, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion campaign. The collaboration with the Italian fashion council will continue in September, when five new designers from Italyโs minority communities will be featured during fashion week. AdSteele said Black designers are also under-represented in the United States, despite the role that Black culture has had on inspiring fashion there.
Tech Time: Ann Arbor student raises 30K on TikTok to build Malawi school
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ From Ann Arbor to Africa one local student raised enough money in two months to build a school more than 8,000 miles away. The studentโs mission of building the school was made possible through a viral social media video he created. I was like we should try to build a school in a developing country,โ said Simon Kim, a University of Michigan student. Iโm like weโre going to build a school. Once the money was raised, a partnership formed with a non-profit called Build On, which has experience in Malawi.
Chinese TV features blackface performers in New Year's gala
(AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)BEIJING โ Chinese state TV included dancers in blackface portraying Africans in a holiday gala for the second time in three years, prompting criticism online, as Asia welcomed the Year of the Ox with muted festivities amid travel curbs to contain renewed coronavirus outbreaks. The โAfrican Song and Danceโ performance Thursday came at start of the Spring Festival Gala, one of the worldโs most-watched TV programs. It included Chinese dancers in African-style costumes and dark face makeup beating drums. But China Central Television has faced criticism over using blackface to depict African people in past New Year broadcasts. The Commerce Ministry said it found 48 million more people in Chinese cities planned to celebrate where they live instead of traveling.
You have to try the โmagicโ sauce at this African restaurant
That is what happened to me after Tati recommended I try the Senegalese food for the first time at Matyโs African cuisine. Matyโs African Cuisine was the only Senegalese restaurant in Metro Detroit at the time it opened. They wanted to own their own restaurant, and finally, after years of working at chain restaurants, Amady and Maty were able to open up Matyโs African Cuisine on Detroitโs north side. Right now Matyโs African cuisine is offering dine-in and takeout, you can place your order by calling (313) 472-5885. Matyโs African cuisine is located at 21611 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48219.
African countries scramble to bury virus dead, get vaccines
(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)JOHANNESBURG โ Shipping containers have become overflow mortuaries for the dead from COVID-19 in South Africa, while some other African nations are now looking to China for the next wave of vaccine doses. President Cyril Ramaphosa said more vaccine doses will arrive in the coming months from the global COVAX facility, the African Union's vaccine acquisition task team and direct purchases from manufacturers. AdNeighboring Zimbabwe will be among the first countries to receive China's COVID-19 vaccine, the country's ambassador said Tuesday, as the southern African country reels from a deadly resurgence of the coronavirus. A top Zimbabwean official recently said the government had budgeted $100 million to buy around 20 million doses. There are fears that the new, more infectious variant of the virus arrived when scores of thousands of Zimbabweans living in South Africa returned home for the holiday season.
The Latest: Anchorage opens up after COVID-19 drop, vaccines
Plastic surgeon Daniel Suver receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine from Andrea Castelblanco during a vaccine clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is averaging about 60 new COVID-19 cases a day, said Dr. Janet Johnston, the epidemiologist for the Anchorage Health Department. More than 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Japan. Ad___SACRAMENTO -- California reported its second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths โ while the rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to drop. ___ALBANY, N.Y. โ New York may have undercounted COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents by thousands.
Tanzania's leader denies COVID-19, and countrymen push back.
Tanzania's President John Magufuli openly expressed doubt about COVID-19 vaccines and accused people who were vaccinated outside the East African nation of bringing new infections into the country. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)NAIROBI โ Tanzaniaโs president says God has eliminated COVID-19 in his country. But pandemic concerns have returned to the spotlight in Tanzania as the world focuses on the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines. โVaccines are inappropriate.โ He urged the health ministry not to rush into vaccinations without being satisfied about their safety. AdAfrican health officials were already worried about misinformation campaigns around COVID-19 vaccines as the first doses begin arriving on the continent of 1.3 billion people.
Michigan medical community comes together so 6-year-old can walk again
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. โ Michiganโs medical community came together to help a child in need. Christ Thiobino came to Michigan about 3 years ago and he was fitted with prosthetic legs at the University of Michigan. โHeโs really been walking around mostly on his hands over the last several months, waiting on his new legs,โ Webb said. Christ needs to re-learn how to walk with newly fitted legs. The Childrenโs Medical Mission Network of Ohio sponsored the mission effort.
African health official blasts 'terrible' vaccine inequality
NAIROBI โ โIt will be extremely terrible to seeโ rich countries receiving COVID-19 vaccines while African countries go without, especially as a new surge in cases begins on the continent of 1.3 billion people, Africaโs top public health official said Thursday. He has warned that the coronavirus could become endemic in Africa if vaccinations take too long. Africa's 54 countries now have a total of more than 2.3 million confirmed infections, including 100,000 in the past week. The U.S. has said the waiver would be a โbroad and unprecedented step,โ according to notes from an internal WTO meeting last month. โItโs like inviting someone to dinner and giving them a plate but then keeping all the food.โ___Maria Cheng in London contributed.
Russia to establish navy base in Sudan for at least 25 years
MOSCOW โ Russia has signed an agreement with Sudan to establish a navy base in the African nation for at least a quarter century, part of Moscow's efforts to expand its global reach. The deal published Tuesday on the official portal of government documents allows Russia to simultaneously keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ones, in Port Sudan on the Red Sea. The document states that the Russian navy base should โhelp strengthen peace and stability in the regionโ and isnโt directed against any third parties. In exchange for Sudan's permission to set up the base, Russia will provide Sudan with weapons and military equipment. After signing the agreement that allows Russia to keep up to 11 warships there, it has moved to modernize and expand the facility.
With Ethiopia on brink of escalation, diplomacy in doubt
Tigray women who fled a conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray region, wait to receive aid at Village 8, the transit centre near the Lugdi border crossing, eastern Sudan, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020. Meanwhile, hundreds if not thousands of people have been killed, some 40,000 people have fled into Sudan and the U.N. says 2 million people in the sealed-off Tigray region urgently need help. I mean, our goal is a quick end to the conflict," Nagy told reporters late last week. In a rare intervention on an African issue, Trump told the State Department to suspend millions of dollars of aid to Ethiopia and asserted that Egypt would โblow upโ the dam. But where Ethiopia will be by the time Biden takes office two months from now is unknown.
From Autoworker to Spa Owner: โThe Massage Divaโ
Getting a massage at Rejuvenation Station is fairly different than many massage spas in Metro Detroit. A cousin of hers gifted her a massage when she retired and Winfrey-Moore said โthat massage changed her life". โI worked in every sector of massage therapy before opening up my spa and I wanted to incorporate all of it," said Winfrey-Moore. โI encourage all young entrepreneurs to go into their own massage businesses, it is extremely rewarding.โTo see other inspiring local businesses and recommendations, go to our Vote 4 The Best page. Our Sponsor -- Weโd like to thank Wallside Windows for their longtime sponsorship of Vote 4 the Best and their support of southeast Michiganโs local businesses.
Trump: Sudan to join UAE, Bahrain in recognizing Israel
In exchange, Trump notified Congress on Friday of his intent to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Previously, the Trump administration engineered diplomatic pacts between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain โ the first since Jordan recognized Israel in the 1990s and Egypt in the 1970s. โThis is one of the great days in the history of Sudan,โ Trump said, adding that Israel and Sudan have been in a state of hostilities for decades, even if they had not been in direct conflict. โToday, Khartoum is saying yes to peace with Israel, yes to recognition of Israel and yes to normalization with Israel," Netanyahu said. "This is a new era, an era of true peace โ peace that is proceeding and widening with additional Arab countries.
Activist fined for dislodging African art from Paris museum
Diyabanza was fined 2,000 euros ($2,320) for trying to take a 19th-century African funeral pole from a Paris museum. He streamed the incident online in a protest against colonial-era injustice like the plundering of African art. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)PARIS โ A Congolese activist was fined 2,000 euros ($2,320) on Wednesday for trying to take a 19th-century African funeral pole from a Paris museum in a protest against colonial-era injustice that he streamed online. In the Quai Branly protest, Diyabanza and other activists dislodged the funeral pole from its perch while he gave a livestreamed speech about plundered African art. The presiding judge insisted the trial should focus on the specific funeral pole incident and that his court wasnโt competent to judge Franceโs colonial era.
The Latest: UN panel says corruption hits the poor hardest
โCorruption and tax avoidance are rampant,โ said former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitฤ, a panel co-chair. โOur weakness in tackling corruption and financial crime has been further exposed by ... COVID-19,โ said former Niger prime minister Ibrahim Mayaki, a panel co-chair. โResources to stop the spread, keep people alive and put food on tables are instead lost to corruption and abuse. ___4:55 p.m.China, the United States and Russia have traded allegations at the United Nations about who mishandled and politicized the coronavirus pandemic. Sarraj delivered his prerecorded remarks to the world bodyโs first-ever virtual General Assembly from Tripoli, where his U.N.-backed government is based.
Spartacus the serval cat found safe after escape from home
In this Aug. 26, 2020, photo provided by Dean King, Spartacus his pet exotic African serval cat, stands up to look at a coffeemaker in his home in Merrimack, N.H. The 40-pound (18-kilogram) serval cat has been found safe and sound after escaping from his home on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and spending days in the New Hampshire wild. (Lisa King via AP)MERRIMACK, N.H. โ A 40-pound (18-kilogram) African serval cat named Spartacus has been found safe and sound after escaping from his home and spending days in the New Hampshire wild. The family owns the cat legally and has a permit from the stateโs department of fish and game, police said. Spartacus lives indoors, spending the days in an enclosure and roaming the family house at night.
83 migrants rescued in Sahara Desert, says migration agency
(AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)DAKAR More than 80 African migrants have been rescued after being found in a remote stretch of the Sahara Desert where hundreds of others have died along the perilous journey in recent years, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. The 41 females from Nigeria, including twin 4-year-old girls, and 42 males from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Ghana, were in distress, dehydrated and in need of medical assistance when they were found last week, the U.N. migration agency said. The migrants rescued last Thursday were found in an isolated place far from any form of life, he said. Since 2016, more than 1,870 migrants have been rescued through operations in Nigers desert, among them more than 400 this year alone, the U.N. agency said. It is impossible to know how many migrants have died attempting to cross the Sahara.
Locusts now threatening parts of southern Africa, UN says
JOHANNESBURG Locusts are threatening another part of Africa, with up to 7 million people in the southern region facing further food insecurity, the United Nations said Friday. The outbreaks of African migratory locusts in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are not related to the huge outbreak of billions of desert locusts that has affected East Africa for months, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said. While far smaller, the southern outbreaks need quick attention to prevent a wider problem as farmers and others already struggle to recover from a serious drought last year and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. agency said in a statement. Swarms of the voracious insects can eat enough food for 2,500 people in a day, according to a separate Food and Agriculture Organization document on the southern Africa outbreaks. Some of the worst-affected areas are very difficult to reach, FAO southern Africa coordinator Patrice Talla said.
Pompeo in Sudan, top US official to visit since uprising
CAIRO U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Sudan on Tuesday, the top U.S. official to visit the African country since last year's ouster of its autocratic leader, Omar al-Bashir. Pompeo's visit on Tuesday is meant to discuss the normalization of ties between Sudan and Israel and also show U.S. support for the country's fragile transition to democracy. Pompeo is also the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the African county since 2005, when Condoleezza Rice visited. Pompeo was also to discuss the removal of Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sudan is now on a fragile path to democracy after the popular uprising led the military to overthrow al-Bashir in April 2019.
Women taken from African mothers by Belgium now want redress
Her friend Lea Tavares Mujinga was even younger the day her mother was forced to give her up: just a 2-year-old toddler. We have been destroyed, both morally and psychologically, Bitu Bingi told The Associated Press on Monday, the eve of the 60th anniversary of Congos independence on June 30, 1960. Excuses are not enough.Now in their 70s, Bitu Bingi and Tavares Mujinga want reparations. There, Tavares Mujinga was reunited with her older brother, who had been seized a few years earlier. Bitu Bingi recalls that food was scarce, and rare were the days when she could properly wash.We did not know how chicken tasted.
Uniquely Detroit museum in the D
Today we took a trip back to when photographer Alex Atwell took us to a spot thats Uniquely Detroit. The museum is called Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum. We have one goal which was to expose the culture of African people to the people of Detroit, said owner Olayami Dabls. Some of the items in the museum are extremely rare. Watch the video above to see some of the unique beads at the gallery.
Slave's grave vandalized in UK city in apparent retaliation
The Grade II-listed, brightly painted memorial to Scipio Africanus have been smashed and a message was scrawled in chalk on flagstones nearby. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)LONDON British officials said Thursday the grave of an enslaved African man has been vandalised in an apparent retaliation attack after protesters in the city of Bristol toppled the statue of a prominent slave trader. Two headstones in memory of Scipio Africanus, who lived in Bristol in the 18th century, were smashed. This looks like a retaliation attack for the recent events involving the Colston statue, local official Mark Weston said. During his life, Scipio Africanus was a servant to Charles Howard, the 7th Earl of Suffolk.
African nations seek scrutiny of US, others over racism
GENEVA African nations have prepared a draft resolution at the U.N.s top human rights body that singles out the United States and would launch intense international scrutiny of systemic racism against people of African descent in the wake of recent high-profile killings of blacks by American police. The draft text, a copy of which has been obtained by The Associated Press, could become the centerpiece for an urgent debate hastily scheduled for Wednesday for the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 47-member body two years ago, accusing it of an anti-Israel bias and of accepting members from some autocratic governments that are serial rights violators. On Monday, the council agreed unanimously to hold the urgent debate on racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and the violence against peaceful protests in the wake of the George Floyd killing in the United States. ___Follow all AP coverage of stories about racial injustice and police brutality at https://apnews.com/GeorgeFloyd.
Somali who was target of threats wins US municipal election
LEWISTON, ME A city in Maine that is home to thousands of African newcomers has elected a Somali American to its city council. Safiya Khalid (sah-FEE'-yah kah-LEED') soundly defeated a fellow Democrat on Tuesday for a seat on the Lewiston City Council. She says her victory is proof that "community organizers beat internet trolls." The 23-year-old Khalid was subject of social media criticism and threats, much of it originating outside Maine. Somalis fleeing war and famine began settling two decades ago in Maine's second-largest city.
Cows painted like zebras can fend off flies
Stripes help cows avoid pesky fly bites, a new study found. Black cows painted to look like zebras are significantly less likely to endure pesky horse fly bites nearly 50% less, according to a new study published in PLOS One. A team of Japanese researchers recruited six cows and gave them each black-and-white stripes, black stripes and no stripes. While unpainted cows and cows with black stripes endured upward of 110 bites in 30 minutes, the black-and-white cows suffered fewer than 60 in the same period, researchers found. Fly bites cost the cattle industry billionsWhen helpless cows are the victims of fly bites, it stings the humans who own them, too.
Penguins intern at American publishing company
An African penguin is seen at the breeding area at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, South Africa. But this one, about two particular penguins from the Maryland Zoo interning at New York- based publisher Penguin Random House is one of the best ones you'll hear. The African Penguins were brought over from the zoo in Baltimore and were nothing if not productive members of the publisher's book distribution center. The Maryland Zoo maintains the largest colony of African penguins in North America, the zoo's website says. Since 1967, more than 1,000 African penguins have hatched there.