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Millions around the world caught a glimpse of the North Korean men’s team in two World Cups. The secrecy surrounding the North Korean national team was also evident in the case of star player Han Kwang Song. Carl Recine/Action Images/ReutersEarning respectWhen An joined the North Korean national team upon receiving a call-up letter in 2002, he remembers not being immediately accepted by teammates. To be accepted by the squad, newcomer An had to prove himself to the other North Korean players. Although, as fate would have it, An met his former teammate and current manager of the North Korean national team, Sin Yong Nam, last March.

Persons: –, Yong Hak, Han Kwang, Han, “, ”, Yong, Son Heung, Pak Kwang, Choe, I’ll, ” Han, Yong Nam, ‘ It’s, ’ ”, “ Han’s, ‘, …, Kim Jong Hun, Jong Tae, Philip Fong, Kim, Jong Tae Se, Carl Recine, didn’t, Sin Yong Nam, Sin Organizations: CNN, Korean men’s, CNN Sport, North, Korean, Juventus, Qatari, Al, UN, North Korean, –, SC, Cagliari, South, Tottenham Hotspur, Radio Free Asia, Tokyo's, Getty, Portugal, DPRK, Thailand Locations: North Korea’s, East, Italy, Middlesbrough, England, South Africa, Portugal, North Korean, Japan, Qatar, North Korea, Myanmar, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Austria, Tokyo, DPRK, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Korean, AFP, Korea

☆ Amanda Knox returns to Italian court for slander trial linked to Meredith Kercher’s murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Knox, Sollecito and Ivory Coast native Rudy Guede, whose DNA was present in the murder room, were all convicted of the murder in 2009. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters/FileKnox and Sollecito’s murder convictions were overturned by a Perugia appellate court in 2011 after an independent review of key forensic evidence, only to have that acquittal overturned by Italy’s supreme court in 2013. The 36-year-old Seattle native, now a mother of two, along with Sollecito, were definitively cleared in 2015 of Kercher’s murder after Italy’s supreme court voided the 2013 re-conviction. After being cleared of murder, Knox remained convicted of slander against Lumumba, a ruling upheld by Italy’s supreme court in 2015. The decision will then have to go to Italy’s supreme court once more.

Persons: Rome, Amanda Knox, Knox, Patrick Lumumba, Meredith Kercher, Lumumba, Raffaele Sollecito, Rudy Guede, Guede, Sollecito, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Italy’s, ” Knox, Monica Lewinsky Organizations: Rome CNN, Democratic, Ivory Coast, of Human, CNN, White House, Hulu Locations: Italy, Italian, Perugia, Kercher’s, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sollecito, Ivory, Seattle, Florence

☆ I'm a Gen Zer who moved to London from the US. I wouldn't recommend it if you're used to American salaries and social life.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementMoving to London can be tough if you're used to American salaries and social lifeI've looked into moving to New York. My friend who moved to New York when I moved to London started at $80,000. One of my favorite things about London is anytime people from home come over, I'm like, "Let's take a trip." I want to try other cities, but I think I'm just going to end back up in London. I really love London.

Persons: —, Gladys Nkengasong, I've, Nkengasong, Let's, let's, It's, I'm Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Atlanta, Ivory Coast, England, Southampton, London, New York, Canada, Europe, France

☆ Cocoa prices tumble 19%, giving up a chunk of their record-setting gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A farmers holds cocoa beans while he is drying them at a village in Sinfra, Ivory Coast, on April 29, 2023. Cocoa prices dropped more than 19% on Monday, giving up a large part of the strong gains that lifted them to all-time highs earlier this year. Prices last traded at around $7,175, after dropping about $1,700 per metric ton. Earlier in the year, cocoa futures hit a record of $11,722 per metric ton. Cocoa prices soared this year amid a shortage of cocoa beans due to supply disruptions, including heavy rains and disease.

Locations: Sinfra, Ivory Coast

☆ Evan Ndicka: Italian football match abandoned after Roma player suffers ‘medical emergency’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Sunday’s Serie A soccer match between Udinese and AS Roma was abandoned in the second half after Roma’s Evan Ndicka experienced a “medical emergency” on the pitch, Roma said. Ndicka was taken to hospital for further evaluation, where the rest of the team later went to visit him. Forza Evan!”Video of the match showed Ndicka, who was away from the ball at the time, bend over and then sit down on the turf in the 71st minute. Reuters“Following the on-field medical emergency involving Evan Ndicka, the match between Udinese and Roma has been suspended,” Roma said in a statement on X. Forza Evan, we are all with you!”Udinese also showed its support for Ndicka, posting: “We are with you, Ndicka.”

Persons: CNN —, Roma’s Evan Ndicka, Roma, Ndicka, “ Evan, ” Roma, Forza Evan, ”, Evan Ndicka Organizations: CNN, Serie, Udinese, AS Roma, Forza, Bluenergy, Ndicka, Reuters, Roma, ” Udinese Locations: Ivory Coast, Udine, Italy

☆ Google DeepMind wants to make AI a part of soccer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Google DeepMind launched a prototype AI soccer tactics tool last month. DeepMind developed the tool with Liverpool FC, known for its data-driven approach to soccer. AdvertisementGoogle DeepMind is bidding to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into soccer by launching a new tool to help coaches make better tactical decisions. DeepMind researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Google DeepMindHaving that knowledge on hand helped the collaboration between DeepMind and Liverpool to run smoothly, according to Veličković.

Persons: Google DeepMind, DeepMind, —, Zhe Wang, Didier Drogba, Divock, Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Ian MacNicol, Petar Veličković, Billy Beane, Ian Graham, they've, Liverpool —, Monterrey's Sergio Canales, Yuri Cortez, We're, Wang, it'll Organizations: Google, Liverpool FC, Service, English Premier League soccer, Nature Communications, Soccer, Former Ivory Coast, Chelsea, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, UEFA, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool FC's, Ph.D.s, Harvard, Inter Miami, Getty Locations: London, Cambridge, Anfield, DeepMind, Liverpool, AFP

☆ This solo traveler drove from London to Lagos in a Peugeot 107
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —On January 24, content creator Pelumi Nubi, who grew up in London, set off on a solo drive from the UK capital to Lagos, Nigeria in her beloved purple Peugeot 107. In order to ensure that her vehicle would be suitable for the 10,000-kilometer journey, Nubi had it specially modified, adding a bed and a kitchen facility inside. However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges, some more serious than others. Bigger pictureNubi, seen in Kenya before undertaking her London to Lagos challenge, hopes that her travels will inspire us to pursue their dreams. While she believes that she’s now the first Black solo female traveler to have driven from London to Lagos, Nubi isn’t hugely interested in such titles and says that this was never her goal.

Persons: Pelumi Nubi, “ It’s, ”, Nubi, Omololu Olurinde, Kunle, she’d, Omololu, I’ve, ‘ Lumi, “ She’s, she’s, “, it’s, ” Nubi, It’s, Lumi, Nubi isn’t Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Peugeot, Osprey Locations: London, Lagos, Nigeria, France, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigerian, West Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Lake Como, Italy, Spain, Paris, Mauritania, ”, Gambia, Guinea, Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Kenya, Yamoussoukro, South Africa

☆ How African Immigrants Have Revived a Remote Corner of Quebec
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | Nasuna Stuart-Ulin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Not long ago, the handful of African immigrants in Rouyn-Noranda, a remote city in northern Quebec, all knew one another. There was the Nigerian woman long married to a Québécois man. And, of course, the doyen, a Congolese chemist who first made a name for himself driving a Zamboni at hockey games. A couple from Benin has taken over Chez Morasse, a city institution that introduced a greasy spoon favorite, poutine, to this region. And women from several corners of West and Central Africa were chatting at the city’s new African grocery store, Épicerie Interculturelle.

Persons: Chez, Interculturelle Locations: Rouyn, Noranda, Quebec, Nigerian, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congolese, Africa, Benin, West, Central Africa

☆ As cocoa prices soar this Easter, chocolatiers consider alternatives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Cocoa prices are surging so high, the Easter Bunny might want to hoard its chocolate. Poor climate and crop diseases in West Africa – home to 70% of global cocoa production – have tightened supply and caused prices to skyrocket. As prices rise, some chocolatiers are exploring cost-cutting alternatives, like diversifying their products to depend less on cocoa. Yet mining often destroys farms and the possibility of a livelihood in cocoa production, Issaka said. “Given the persistently high cocoa prices, it may be necessary for us to make responsible adjustments to pricing in the future,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

Persons: Hershey’s, Shaquille O’Neal, Michele Buck, Billy Roberts, Roberts, ” Roberts, Issaka, Will Kletter, Kletter, “, Peng Xu, Christopher Taylor, Li, Taylor, ”, “ We’re, “ It’s, ” Taylor Organizations: CNN, Cadbury, NCA, “ Brands, Industries, International Cocoa Organization, Rabobank, US, ”, Euromonitor Locations: West Africa, North Region, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Silicon, Washington ,, Manhattan

☆ Cocoa prices hit $10,000 per metric ton for the first time ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Workers collect dry cocoa beans in front of the store of a cocoa cooperative in the village of Hermankono on Nov. 14, 2023. Futures for May delivery were up 3.9% at $10,030 per metric ton, marking the first time the commodity breaks above the $10,000 mark. Cocoa has been on a tear this year, soaring nearly 138%. Ivory Coast, the biggest coca producer in the world, is facing hotter-than-normal temperatures — which have led to dryer-than-usual conditions and crop yields. Correction: Cocoa prices are up more than 100% this year.

Locations: Hermankono, Ivory Coast, U.S

☆ Cocoa prices are soaring to record levels. What it means for consumers and why 'the worst is still yet to come'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A farmers holds cocoa beans while he is drying them at a village in Sinfra, Ivory Coast, on April 29, 2023. Consumers could start to see the effect of surging cocoa prices as the world faces the worst supply deficit in decades, with farmers in West Africa struggling against bad weather, disease and failing trees. The world is facing the largest cocoa supply deficit in more than 60 years and consumers could start to see the effect at the end of this year or early 2025, Joules said. The International Cocoa Organization has forecast a supply deficit of 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season, a 405% increase from a deficit of 74,000 tons in the previous season. Cocoa prices will likely remain elevated for some time because there are no easy fixes to the systemic issues facing the market, he said.

Persons: Michele Buck, Paul Organizations: Hershey, CNBC, National Confectioners Association, Rabobank, International Cocoa Organization Locations: Sinfra, Ivory Coast, West Africa, Cocoa

☆ The cocoa market is so hot that the commodity has crushed bitcoin's 150% gain in the last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cocoa prices are hovering near historic highs around $8,000 per metric ton. The chocolate commodity has outperformed bitcoin in the last year, gaining more than 200%. A bad harvest and lack of investment have sent cocoa prices higher over recent months. Related storiesRoughly three-fourths of the world's cocoa, per Bloomberg, comes from four countries in West Africa: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Last month, chocolate giants Hershey and Cadbury both warned of potential price hikes for consumers in light of the cocoa supply shortage.

Persons: —, that's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Processors, Reuters, International Cocoa Organization, Hershey, Cadbury Locations: West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria

“If you have minerals or oil under the ground, how do you come up with a price for a long-term contract? The shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles has caused a spike in the demand for critical minerals, driving these kind of loans. Adesina, whose Abidjan, Ivory Coast-based institution helps finance development in African countries, said these arrangements come with a litany of problems. Photos You Should See View All 60 Images“These are the reasons I say Africa should put an end to natural resource-backed loans," Adesina said. After Chad, Angola and the Republic of Congo approached the IMF for support, the multilateral lender insisted on the renegotiation of their natural resource-backed loans.

Persons: Akinwumi Adesina, paydowns, Adesina, ” Adesina, Glencore, Trafigura, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: African Development Bank, Associated Press, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Chartered, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Railway Group, Gecamines, Alliance for Green Infrastructure Locations: Lagos, NIGERIA, China, Congo, Nigeria, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, Chad, Angola, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, Beijing, Nigerian, AP.org

☆ William Troost-Ekong: Nigeria’s football captain on rollercoaster journey to the AFCON final
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Callum Sutherland | Amanda Davies | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Only six months ago, the Super Eagles skipper had been considering walking away from international football entirely following disagreements with coach José Peseiro. “[It] resulted in us not actually speaking for a few months,” the defender told CNN World Sport’s Amanda Davies in a recent interview. Captain William Troost-Ekong (center, number 5) celebrates after scoring a penalty during Nigeria's AFCON semi-final match against South Africa on February 7, 2024. After dispatching a penalty in regular time, Troost-Ekong made no mistake during the subsequent shoot-out to help send his side into the final in Abidjan. Once again, it was a lead that came courtesy of a Troost-Ekong goal; this time from a powerful header.

Persons: William Troost, José Peseiro, Ekong, Amanda Davies, I’ve, ”, “, AFCON, –, Issouf Sanogo, Sebastian Haller, Les Éléphants, Peseiro Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, Super Eagles, The, Eagles, Equatorial, Guinea Bissau, South, Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, Nigerian Football Federation, English Premier League, Watford, Greek, PAOK Thessaloniki, PAOK Locations: Qatar, Portuguese, Dutch, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, AFP, Cameroon, Angola, Abidjan, “, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Italy

☆ Cocoa prices just hit a record high. Here's what's driving the gains and what it means for chocolate makers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

If you think chocolate prices this Valentine's Day were more expensive than usual, it's not you. Year to date, futures contracts are up nearly 27%, with cocoa prices rising in six of the past seven weeks. Here's a breakdown of what's driving cocoa prices higher and how it impacts the investment case around two major chocolate stocks. Doshi thinks cocoa prices could sell off about 20%, taking them to around $4,500 to $4,800 per ton. In an interview with CNBC last week, he underscored the rising cocoa price outlook as the key driver for his lower rating.

Persons: Humza Hussain, El, Aakash Doshi, Doshi, Bernstein, Bruno Monteyne, … There's, Mondelez, Alexia Howard, Hershey, Michele Buck, Bernstein's Howard, Howard, I'd, Bryan Spillane, Morgan Stanley, Pamela Kaufman, Bank of America's Spillane Organizations: Asset Management, CNBC, Hershey, Citi, 2H, Street, Bank of America, Bank of, Cadbury Locations: Mondelez, El Niño, Ghana, Ivory, Nigeria, Europe

☆ Ivory Coast Seizes 100 Tons of Cocoa at the Border With Guinea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

That compares with 1,000 CFA francs a kilogram in Ivory Coast, where the price is fixed and guaranteed throughout the year. Global cocoa prices have hit record highs in recent months amid worries about a bean deficit this season and with concerns growing for the next. Ivory Coast and neighbouring Ghana, the world's second biggest producer, have said smuggling hampers their effort to meet their yearly production target. "This year, despite the high price in both countries compared to Ivory Coast, there is less leakage... People are really finding it hard to get cocoa out of Ivory Coast," said Abel Gbale, a cocoa buyer in Danane, the country's last major town before the borders with Liberia and Guinea. Amadou Konate, a cocoa buyer based in Man, the main city in western Ivory Coast, said cocoa producers earn nothing from smuggling and the middlemen pocket all the money.

Persons: Ivory Coast's, Yves Brahima Kone, Kone, Abel Gbale, Amadou Konate, Ange Aboa, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Frances Kerry Organizations: Ivory, Cocoa Council, CFA, Reuters Locations: ABIDJAN, Guinea, West African, Liberia, Ivory Coast's, Ivory Coast, Sipilou, Ghana, Danane

☆ Valentine's Day chocolate prices highest in years amid cocoa shortage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But lovers may experience sticker shock this year due to higher cocoa and sugar prices. "Chocolate prices are the highest we've seen in years," said a representative of NielsenIQ. He noted that in spite of higher prices, the chocolate market is robust in mature markets like Europe and North America. Now, chocolate and Valentine's Day are synonymous, even if critics say the affiliation is perpetuated by marketing gimmicks. That being said, chocolates are not the only Valentines' Day treats that will dent the wallet this year.

Persons: Scott Olson, Sergey Chetvertakov, David Branch, there's, Kim, Mintec, It's, Andrew Francis Wallace Organizations: Valentine's, Getty, P, El Nino, Food Institute, Branch, CNBC, Bloomberg, National Confectioners Association, Toronto Star Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Wells, Asia, India, Africa, Azaguie, Europe, North America, Western Europe, Singapore, Toronto

☆ Sébastien Haller: After recovering from testicular cancer, Ivory Coast striker scores winner in AFCON final
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In the quarterfinals against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, once again scoring a last-minute equalizer before grabbing a winner in extra-time. The team’s uncanny ability to come back from the brink had earned them the nickname ‘Zombie Elephants’ and Ivory Coast lived up to its moniker again in the final. After Nigeria had taken a first-half lead through William Troost-Ekong’s header, the host nation fought its way back into the match. Cheered on from the stands by legendary striker Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast equalized just after the hour mark through Franck Kessié. Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and FIFA President Gianni Infantino also watched as Ivory Coast claimed its third AFCON title.

Persons: Sébastien Haller, Ouattara, Haller, Les Éléphants, Coast, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, –, Themba, Faé, William Troost, Didier Drogba, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra’s, “, Ivory Coast’s Adingra, ” Drogba, Arsène Wenger, Gianni Infantino Organizations: CNN, Ivory, Africa, of Nations, German, Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund, Cancer, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Congo, Reuters, Arsenal, FIFA Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory

We can quickly show you where to watch an AFCON live stream for free to see Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast today. Watch the Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast live stream today at 3 p.m. How to watch the AFCON final in the UKBBC3 on TV or online via the iPlayer will have the AFCON final showing tonight. Take a look at the steps above to watch the AFCON final live stream for free from anywhere. How to watch the AFCON final in the USAIf you want to watch Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast online in the USA, you'll find it on the BeIN channel.

Persons: We've, Victor Osimhen, Ivory, ExpressVPN, You'll, you've, we've, you'd Organizations: Business, of Nations, Star, Ivory, SABC, BBC, BBC3, BBC . Watch, Sky Sports, Ivory Coast Locations: Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ivory, Napoli, Africa, South Africa, USA, FuboTV, Iraq, North Korea, Belarus

☆ Host nation Ivory Coast continues miraculous run to AFCON final to set up a matchup against Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The host nation is seeking its third AFCON title, while Nigeria is looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time. ET on Sunday and will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast midfielder Ibrahim Sangare (L) fights for the ball with DR Congo's Simon Banza. Against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, grabbing a last-minute equalizer. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made two saves and striker Kelechi Iheanacho netted the deciding penalty to send Nigeria into the final.

Persons: Ouattara, Ivory, Les Éléphants, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, Ibrahim Sangare, DR Congo's Simon Banza, Franck Fife, Faé, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra, Sébastien Haller, Ivory Coast's, Sia Kambou, William Troost, Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Osimhen, Percy Tau, Teboho Mokoena, Issouf Sanogo, Grant Kekana, Stanley Nwabali, Kelechi Iheanacho Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, beIN Sports USA, DR Congo, Guinea, Equatorial, Coast, Ivory, DR Congo's, Getty, Senegal, Against, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Super Eagles, South Africa Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ivory, Abidjan, South Africa, Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, AFP, Against Mali, Europe, AFCON, Cameroon, Angola, Africa

☆ China Keeps Building Stadiums in Africa. But at What Cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | Joao Silva | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Alassane Ouattara stadium rises like a piece of sculpture from the dusty brown earth north of Ivory Coast’s largest city, its undulating roof and white columns towering over the empty landscape like a spaceship that has dropped onto a uninhabited planet. On Sunday, the three-and-a-half-year-old stadium will host its signature moment, when the national soccer teams of Ivory Coast and Nigeria compete in the final of Africa’s biggest sporting event, in front of tens of thousands of fans chanting and cheering in a stadium financed and built by China. While that is nothing new for the tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, the arena is just the latest example of the contradictions that emerge from Chinese projects built on Chinese terms, and on African soil. Stadiums have been a cornerstone of China’s diplomatic reach into Africa since the 1970s, but their number has increased since the early 2000s, part of a larger Chinese strategy to build infrastructure — from highways to railroads, ports to presidential palaces and even the headquarters of the African Union — in exchange for diplomatic clout or access to natural resources.

Persons: Ouattara Organizations: Africa, of Nations, African Locations: Ivory Coast’s, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, China, Africa

☆ A Graphic Novel Finds a Relatable Hero in a Modern African Woman
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

One of the most successful African comics has no super heroes, and certainly no supernatural powers. Instead, “Aya,” a graphic novel series, is full of everyday heroes, and topping the list is Aya herself, a young woman navigating the delights and obstacles of early adulthood in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. Inspired by the childhood years that its author, Marguerite Abouet, spent in Ivory Coast and focused on daily life in a working-class suburb of Abidjan, the country’s largest city, the series mixes humor and biting takes on society, with a feminist twist — all vividly captured by Clément Oubrerie, the illustrator. In the books, Aya and her friends go on awkward first dates, hook up and share countless shenanigans that celebrate Ivory Coast’s favorite sport after soccer — “palabrer,” or talking endlessly.

Persons: “ Aya, ”, Aya, Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie, Ivory Locations: West African, Ivory Coast, Abidjan

☆ Chinese city cancels Argentina soccer match after Messi backlash in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A city in mainland China has canceled its plan to host a soccer match featuring Argentina’s national team amid a growing backlash in the country against star player Lionel Messi. Messi has faced an outpouring of criticism after he remained on the bench during an exhibition game featuring his Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in Hong Kong. Public relations nightmareMessi stayed on the substitute bench when Inter Miami played the Hong Kong team on February 4, despite repeated requests from the Hong Kong government and organizer, Tatler Asia, for him to get on the field. Messi later said this had been a “shame,” and that he had wanted to participate. “Our aspiration was to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is.

Persons: Lionel Messi, Messi, jeered, hasn’t, XFEST, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Argentina’s, Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Hangzhou Sports Bureau, Hangzhou Olympic Sports, Argentina, Beijing Workers, Hong Kong, Hong, Tatler Asia, Vissel Locations: Hong Kong, China, Hangzhou, Argentina, Nigeria, Ivory, Vissel Kobe, Japan, Beijing, Asia

☆ Cocoa prices surge to all-time highs as bad weather hurts West Africa crop yield
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The hand of Alain Kablan Porquet in dry cocoa beans, in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, November 19 2023. Cocoa prices have surged to all-time highs this week as bad weather conditions hammer crop yields in West Africa, home to three quarters of the world's production. Cocoa futures prices have surged more than $1,000 or nearly 40% since the start of the year to hit an intraday all-time high of $5,874 per metric ton Thursday. The El Nino weather phenomenon is causing drier temperatures in West Africa, hurting crop yields in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the two largest producers of the bean. "The changing weather patterns means that the potential yields of cocoa are now permanently impaired," Hamza Hussain, a commodities analyst at TD Asset Management, told CNBC Thursday.

Persons: Alain Kablan, Hamza Hussain Organizations: El, Asset Management, CNBC Locations: Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, West Africa, Ghana

☆ Playing Soccer in Abidjan? Get Yourself a Pair of Lêkê.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Elian Peltier | Joao Silva | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The wealthy pros of Ivory Coast’s national soccer team were resting in their luxury hotel last week, preparing for a match in Africa’s biggest tournament, when Yaya Camara sprinted onto a dusty lot and began fizzing one pass after another to his friends. Shiny soccer cleats like his idols’? No thanks, said Mr. Camara, a lean 18-year-old midfielder, as he wiped sweat from his brow. “How did the pros started playing when they were kids like us? With lêkê,” he added, referring to the sandals that are ubiquitous not only in his pickup game but almost any place an Ivorian puts their feet.

Persons: Ivory, Yaya Camara, ’, Camara Organizations: soccer team, Africa’s Locations: Ivory Coast’s

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