Africa

Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has given a bonus of $US85,000 to each of the players who clinched a place at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. A 2-1 win over Congo Brazzaville saw them qualify for the global showpiece for the first time since 1990. The president announced the …

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has pulled out of October’s election re-run. Mr Odinga said his withdrawal would give the electoral commission enough time to introduce reforms that will help deliver a more credible election. The Supreme Court annulled the result of the original 8 August poll after finding irregularities …

Kenya’s Supreme Court has annulled the result of the country’s recent presidential election. Citing irregularities, the Supreme Court said a new poll should be held within 60 days. The election commission had declared incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of last month’s election. But opposition candidate Raila Odinga claimed that …

A third attempt to ban the use of plastic bags in Kenya, for the last 10 years, has finally been strictly effected. The government of Kenya, says anyone found manufacturing, selling or carrying plastic bags will face fines of up to $38,000 or a prison sentence of about four years. …

Angolans are preparing to go to the polls to choose a new president. But although the country’s long-serving leader is standing down, he and his family do not seem ready to give up power. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 74, has been president of Angola since September 1979 – a …

Zimbabwe has declared President Robert Mugabe’s birthday on February 21 a national holiday, a state daily reported on Saturday, honouring the veteran politician in power since 1980 who opponents accuse of brutal repression and devastating the economy. The declaration of the Robert Mugabe National Youth Day came after lobbying by …

Private schools in Rwanda face an uncertain future amid dwindling admissions as learners increasingly enroll in public schools. Desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public rates. However, the government has rejected the idea. More than 30 …

Kenya has opened a major new railway between the port city of Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi, 18 months early. President Uhuru Kenyatta said during the launch that the $3.2bn (£2.5bn) Chinese-funded line signalled a new chapter in the country. He warned that he would authorise the execution of vandals …

More than 40 West African migrants died in the Sahara desert this week after their truck broke down in arid northern Niger, the Red Cross told Reuters on Wednesday. Six survivors walked to a remote village where they said that 44 people, mostly from Ghana and Nigeria and including three …

Uganda’s prestigious Makerere University has threatened disciplinary action against a female student for wearing a skirt which was “cut into many strips” and which exposed “part of her nakedness” at a student dinner, local media reports. In a letter addressed to Rebbeca Nadumba, the university management said: “It is alleged …