Morocco updatesSign up to myFT Daily Digest to be the first to know about Morocco news. Even before allegations that Morocco may have tried to bug phones belonging to French president Emmanuel Macron, the North African kingdom was having a tense time with European powers.Rabat had allowed migrants into Spain because it was annoyed with Madrid. It had squabbled with Germany over its position on the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Now, spying allegations made public last week into the use by governments of the Pegasus malware, created by Israel’s NSO Group, have ratcheted up the tension further. The claims…
Author: King Jaja
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Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui took a shock gold medal in the men’s 400m freestyle on Sunday. The 18-year-old won from the outside lane after qualifying slowest, but finished with stunning pace to beat Australia’s Jack McLoughlin with a time of three minutes 43.36 seconds. “I just can’t believe it. It’s a dream and it became true. It was great, it was my best race ever,” said Hafnaoui.It was Tunisia’s fifth ever gold – and third in swimming. US swimmer Kieran Smith took bronze at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.Hafnaoui, son of former Tunisian national basketball player Mohamed Hafnaoui, competed in the…
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Teodoro Obiang Mangue, who is also vice president of Equatorial Guinea, had participated in “corrupt contracting arrangements and soliciting bribes, to fund a lavish lifestyle inconsistent with his official salary as a government minister.”The Equatorial Guinea government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.Britain said Obiang had bought a $100 million mansion in Paris, a $38 million private jet, a luxury yacht, and dozens of luxury vehicles including Ferraris, Bentleys and Aston Martins.The foreign ministry said he also bought “a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia including a $275,000 crystal-covered glove that…
Children of African immigrants to South Africa experience prejudice and victimisation from their peers at certain schools, some told a virtual meeting against xenophobia in schools on Saturday. Human rights organisation Africa Unite hosted the event attended by 20 representatives from schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape. The meeting aimed to enhance cohesion between local and immigrant learners and build empathy, unity, and peace. It included testimonies from immigrant learners and poems read by South African learners. Shalom, whose parents were Zimbabwean, (her mother died when Shalom was two years old) goes to school in Mitchells Plain. “Even…
Stone Town is a very modern city. It was founded during the time of the sultanate of Oman (17th cenury) as a village of fishermen. It mixed both Persian and Arab cultures, plus the ancient traditions of the Bantu tribes who already lived there before the Shirazi age. As a real city, Stone Town started only in the 19th century: in 1830 to be exact. From that year on, the old village became larger and larger, had stone buildings of great beauty and gardens too. It was such a wonderful place that, only ten years later, the sultan of Oman…
On the Mbei river, about 85km east of the Gabonese capital of Libreville, plans are well advanced for a 34MW “run-of-the-river” hydroelectric plant. Unlike bigger hydroelectric stations that depend on a dam, Kinguele Aval will have a modest reservoir that should, at least in theory, minimise environmental destruction. It is expected to generate enough electricity for one in six residents of Libreville, a city of about 700,000 people.The $205m plant will be owned by a joint venture between Gabon’s sovereign wealth fund and Meridiam Infrastructure Africa Fund — a French investor that has 14 projects on the continent, including a…
The Textile and Fashion Value Chains Conversation looking at Opportunities in Kenya’s Private Sector happened on 25th March 2021 online. The African Development Bank, iMC Worldwide and Fashionomics Africa supported it. Emmanuela Gregorio from African Development Bank opened the session and Jacqueline Shaw from Africa Fashion Guide moderated the event. The panellists included Oscar Alochi (Nairobi Fashion Hub), Jason Musyoka (Viktoria Ventures), Chebet Mutai (Waziwazi), Olivia Awuour (Pine Kazi) and Akinyi Odongo. Emmanuela Gregorio: This event seeks to understand how businesses have positioned themselves in the fashion market. Consumer trends and country reports with detailed information that can be used by investors.…
“A massive influx of doses means that Africa must go all out and speed up the vaccine rollout by five to six times if we are to get all these doses into arms and fully vaccinate the most vulnerable 10% of all Africans by the end of September,” said Dr Moeti. Nearly 70% of African countries will not reach the 10% vaccination target for all countries by the end of September at the current pace. Around 3.5 million to 4 million doses are administered weekly on the continent, but to meet the September target this must rise to 21…
Health officials say a slight overall dip in COVID cases on the African continent is welcome, but it doesn’t reflect the reality in many nations that are seeing a surge. New case numbers were down by 1.8 percent during the week ending July 18, according to numbers cited Friday by the World Health Organization. But South Africa accounts for 37 percent of cases and when it’s removed from the mix, other countries collectively are seeing a nine-week surge. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the African region’s WHO director, said the “third wave” surge is now at a crossroads. At least 13 countries…
Black-owned and operated Sugar Plum Scrubs is a self-care business that was launched by Eshe Simba two years ago to serve the needs of women who like to feel pampered while showing up as their authentic, natural selves. By incorporating locally grown lavender alongside Caribbean-inspired ingredients, Sugar Plum Scrubs invites you update your summer beauty and self-care routine by using special products to create the ultimate spa experience from home. Simba started Sugar Plum Scrubs because she suffered from ingrown hairs and instead of buying a product to solve her ailment, she decided to create one. It all started in…