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☆ Malawi: Six more bodies found after hippo capsized boat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Rescuers have recovered six more bodies from a river in southern Malawi days after a boat carrying about 37 people was capsized by a hippo on Monday. Police spokesperson Agnes Zalakoma said the bodies were recovered Wednesday from the Shire River in Malawi’s Nsanje district, bringing the death toll to seven. A lawmaker for the Nsanje district, Gladys Ganda, said the villagers were crossing the Shire River to get to their farms at the Malawian border with Mozambique when the boat they were traveling in was struck by the hippo. Police spokeswoman Zalakoma earlier told CNN that accidents are common on the river. In January, a canoe carrying 15 people capsized in the Shire River after hitting a tree trunk, leaving one person dead and six others missing and feared dead, Zalakoma told CNN.

CNN —A United States convoy was attacked in Nigeria on Tuesday killing four people, including two personnel from the US consulate and two police officers, and kidnapping three others, according to local police and US officials. “No US citizens were involved and therefore there were no US citizens hurt,” said John Kirby of the US National Security Council. “We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed.”When the assailants saw security forces “they made away with two police operatives and a driver of the second vehicle in the convoy,” Ikenga Tochukwu, deputy superintendent of police, said. “No US citizen was in the convoy,” he added. Police said that joint security forces “have embarked on a rescue and recovery operation in the area.”A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that “Mission Nigeria personnel are working with Nigerian security services to investigate.”They continued: “The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organizing trips to the field,” they continued.

☆ Malawi: Toddler dead, 23 others missing as hippo capsizes boat in Nsanje district
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A toddler has died after a boat ferrying more than 30 villagers across the Shire River in Malawi’s Nsanje district was attacked by a hippo, causing it to overturn, authorities said. A police spokesperson, Agnes Zalakoma, said the incident happened early Monday and 23 of the boat’s 37 passengers were missing and feared dead in the water, which is infested with crocodiles and hippos. “Well-wishers managed to rescue 13 people while 23 others went missing and the dead body of the toddler has been found,” Zalakoma said in a statement Monday, adding that the deceased child was only one-year-old. According to a lawmaker for the Nsanje district, Gladys Ganda, the villagers were crossing the Shire River to get to their farms at the Malawian border with Mozambique when their boat was hit by a hippo. In December, a two-year-old Ugandan boy was attacked by a hippo which swallowed half of his body before spitting him out, Uganda’s police said.

☆ Seun Kuti: Nigerian musician in court after arrest for alleged police assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian singer and saxophonist Seun Kuti, youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, appeared in court on Tuesday following his arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer. A Lagos court denied a request by prosecutors to detain Kuti for 21 days, his lawyer Femi Falana told CNN. Seun Kuti Getty ImagesKnown for his music activism and outspoken criticism of the government, Kuti has been a vocal advocate against police brutality. Together with his late father’s former band, Egypt 80, which he now leads, Seun Kuti has performed for audiences worldwide, touring extensively in the United States, France, Japan, and the UK. With his brother Femi, Kuti has carried forward the Afrobeat legacy of his father who died in 1997.

CNN —At least 400 people have died after floods and landslides hit the Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province last week, officials told CNN. “We have 401 deaths in Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages in Kalehe territory,” Kasi said. Congolese Red Cross volunteers and residents of Nyamukubi wrap in blankets the bodies of people who died in heavy flooding in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 6, 2023. People are crossing the lake, another danger.”This aerial photograph taken on May 6, 2023 shows a landslide that engulfed Nyamukubi village, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. People walk next to a house destroyed by the floods in the village of Nyamukubi, South Kivu province, in Congo, Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —A Nigerian senator, his wife and a doctor were on Friday jailed in the UK over an organ harvesting plot, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement. Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced at the UK’s Old Bailey court to nine years and eight months, four years and six months, and 10 years in prison respectively. Some of the country’s political class wrote to the UK court appealing for leniency ahead of his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency failed to hold sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria questioned why high profile politicians were using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

☆ Nigeria: Clemency pleas for senator found guilty of organ harvesting plot in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian MP Ike Ekweremadu will be sentenced in the UK Friday after being found guilty of an organ harvesting plot, but fellow lawmakers in his country have joined growing calls for leniency in his case. Many of the country’s political class have written to the UK courts appealing for leniency during his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. … The conviction has already been done but we are seeking clemency because this is the first time our colleague is getting involved in this kind of thing,” Lawan said. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency are unlikely to hold any sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria have raised eyebrows that high profile politicians are using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

CNN —Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides on Tuesday in western Rwanda killing at least 109 people in the Western and Northern Provinces, according to state media Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA.) The Rwanda National Police warned that due to heavy rains, the roads Mukamira-Ngororero and Rubavu-Rutsiro are temporarily unavailable. Police officers are available to direct traffic,” the Rwanda National Police said in their twitter account. The Rwanda Meteorology Agency had warned in its forecast for May that many parts of the country will receive more rainfall than average this month. Last year, 205 people died from disasters across Rwanda, MINEMA said in its Disaster Effects Situation Report.

☆ Indomie: Nigeria probes popular noodles after recalls by Malaysia, Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says it is investigating the popular Indomie brand of instant noodles following recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan where health authorities say they detected a potentially cancer-causing substance. “The public is … informed that the implicated Indomie instant noodle is not registered for sale in Nigeria. Indomie: The instant noodle giant in Nigeria 01:18 - Source: CNNIndonesian food giant Indofoods has defended the safety of its products. Indonesian food giant Indofoods says Indomie noodles is available in more than 100 countries across the world in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Indomie first launched instant noodles in 1972 with a chicken flavor but is now produced in many varieties.

CNN —Uganda’s parliament has passed an amended version of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 on Tuesday. Under the new proposed bill, homosexual conduct will still be illegal, but identifying as homosexual without conducting in homosexual acts will not be outlawed. The new bill has made amendments to distinguish between those who identify or appear to be LGBTQ+ and those who actually engage in homosexual acts. Sign it or veto itThe bill will now be returned to President Museveni who will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. Scientists and academics had urged Museveni to veto the bill, which has been widely condemned by Western nations and human rights organizations.

☆ Goldman Prize winner 2023: Zambian who took on a UK mining giant and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chilekwa Mumba Courtesy Goldman Environmental PrizeOn Monday, Mumba, 38, was awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work for the community and setting legal precedent. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC. CNN has contacted Vedanta and the Zambian state mining company for comments. The government, however, says that approved projects will follow environmental policies set by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). For Mumba, who now runs an orphanage in the Zambian capital Lusaka with his wife, the battle is far from over.

CNN —Police have now recovered 89 bodies from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya, believed to be linked to a cult that allegedly encouraged its followers to starve themselves to gain salvation, the country’s government said. His lawyer told CNN on Tuesday he was denied bail over investigation interference fears. “The court is of the opinion that he might interfere with investigations,” Nthege’s lawyer George Kariuki told CNN. Kariuki said prosecutors have been given 14 days to investigate the case, adding that Nthege has not been charged. The case has sent shockwaves through Kenya and the government has vowed tighter regulations on religious bodies and organizations.

CNN —Ten members from the same family, including seven women and three men, were killed by gunmen Friday in the city of Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province of South Africa, police said Friday. The mayor of the area told local media that they needed to bolster capacity of local police stations. South Africa has been rocked by several mass shootings in recent months – some, say police, are related to taxi business violence while others appear to be linked to drug cartels. South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, according to police statistics. Four other people were killed in a separate shooting incident in a bar in Pietermaritzburg on the same evening.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s botched attempt to replace its banknotes has been declared invalid by the country’s Supreme Court. In a ruling Friday, the country’s highest court said a presidential directive to discontinue the use of old naira notes following a redesign was illegal. The court said the old banknotes should continue to be legal tender, alongside new versions, until the end of this year. The Nigerian presidency has yet to respond to the Supreme Court ruling. Sixteen Nigerian states took the federal government to the Supreme Court to challenge the short notice they were given to exchange the old notes for new ones.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed Nigeria’s central bank to reissue old 200-naira ($0.43) banknotes withdrawn just days ago as concerns grow that the botched introduction of new money could disrupt general elections later this month. In a televised broadcast Thursday, Buhari expressed sympathy for Nigerians experiencing hardship and announced that the old 200- naira note will return to circulation for 60 days. The higher denomination notes remain canceled but can be exchanged at the central bank and other designated points, he said. He also assured Nigerians that the supply of cash would improve in the coming days. “I have been reliably informed that since the commencement of this program, about 2.1 trillion naira ($4.5 billion) out of the banknotes previously held outside the banking system, had been successfully retrieved,” he said.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria was forced Wednesday to delay plans to replace its banknotes with a redesigned currency after chaotic scenes at ATMs as millions of people struggled to get their hands on the new cash. The new naira notes are, however, “fortified with security features that make them difficult to counterfeit,” President Buhari said last year. Across the country, banks have increasingly become targets of mounting anger over the frustrating search for the new naira notes. Angry Nigerians vandalise Bank premises over frenzy of new naira notes. Nigerians are desperately relying on their banks to distribute new bills after the February 10 deadline to exchange the old currency saw many scrambling to deposit their old notes.

CNN —The body of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda, a fighter recruited by the mercenary group Wagner for combat operations in Ukraine, was returned to Zambia on Sunday. The body was received by Nyirenda’s family and foreign ministry officials, the ministry stated in a series of tweets Sunday. A relative of Lemekani Nyirenda, who died in the conflict in Ukraine in September, is consoled as his coffin arrives at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Sunday. A hearse carrying the remains of Lemekani Nathan Nyirenda at Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Salim Dawood/AFP/Getty ImagesFlorence Nyirenda, Lemekani Nyirenda's mother, is comforted by family members at the airport in Lusaka, on December 11.

☆ Zambia: One survivor as police find bodies of 27 suspected Ethiopian nationals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Zambia’s police service says it is investigating the deaths of 27 men, all believed to be Ethiopian nationals, whose bodies were found on Sunday “dumped” by the roadside near the capital, Lusaka. Only one of the men – who were all aged between 20 and 38 years – survived, Mwale said. Some Ethiopian nationals are lured with promises of job opportunities in South Africa but end up being held in dire conditions, according to immigration officials cited by the Lusaka Times. Four more bodies of Ethiopian nationals were found “in a decomposed state” a day after, near the site of the mass grave in Mzimba, Malawi’s police said at the time. In July, Zambia’s immigration officials intercepted more than 50 Ethiopians who were believed to have been smuggled into the country on their way to South Africa.

☆ Nigerian first lady ‘directed student beating at presidential villa,’ lawyer alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s first lady ordered security operatives to detain a student and also supervised his beating at the country’s presidential villa, his lawyer has alleged. Spokespeople for Nigeria’s national police and Department of State Services told CNN they were unaware of Adamu’s arrest. Mrs. Buhari should be prosecuted for taking the law into her hands,” Mohammed told CNN. His uncle Shehu Azare told CNN he is now focused on writing his final exams and would not speak out about his ordeal. So, there’s no point for that (apology),” his uncle Azare told CNN.

Zelensky’s unlikely career path has taken him from comic actor to wartime president in the space of only a few years. Zelensky has been named Time person of the year, along with "the spirit of Ukraine." Zelensky follows Elon Musk as TIME person of the year for 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin was TIME person of the year in 2007. The title is not necessarily awarded as an honor, but indicates that the winner had influence on the world’s events.

☆ Three migrants survived an 11-day voyage sat on ship's rudder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Reuters Nimi Princewill | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Spanish coast guard has rescued three people who were stowed on top of the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Nigeria. In a photograph distributed by the coastguard on Monday, the migrants are shown perched on the rudder of the oil and chemical tanker Althini II. The Althini II arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria on Monday after an 11-day voyage from Lagos in Nigeria, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking website. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe. Last year, more than 20,000 migrants crossed from the West African coastline to the Canary Islands, according to the Red Cross.

☆ Nigerians unimpressed with resigned Naira banknotes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says that the redesigned notes will replace notes currently in circulation by Jan. 2023. But many locals are not impressed, describing the supposedly redesigned banknotes as a mere color revamp, given their similarities to the old notes. “Snapchat filter, waste of time and resources, so a whole CBN cannot employ experts to redesign the naira notes. The Nigerian leader added that replacing the current currency with the redesigned notes will help to combat the hoarding of funds outside of the banking system. Old naira notes will be completely phased away by the end of January next year, the CBN says, as locals scramble to deposit their old notes at commercial banks.

CNN —A Zambian student, jailed in Russia was killed during a battle in Ukraine, Zambia’s foreign ministry said Monday. The student was a 23-year-old student the Zambian government had sponsored to study nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. Nyirenda was convicted in 2020 of unspecified crimes in Russia and sent to prison for nine years and six months. CNN has contacted the Zambian foreign ministry for more information. However many foreign students reported facing segregation and racism at borders.

☆ Uganda’s President Museveni slams ‘Western double standards’ over Germany coal mine plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has slammed Western countries over what he calls a “reprehensible double standard” in their response to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In September, Russia which had come under a raft of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, halted gas supplies to Europe, leaving the region that was dependent on Russian oil and gas imports scampering for alternatives. But Europe’s largest economy has now been forced to prioritize energy security over clean energy as gas supplies from Russia froze. Just like Germany, many other European countries are reviving coal projects as alternatives to Russian energy. Making ‘a mockery’ of climate targetsMuseveni, 78, says Europe’s switch to coal-based power generation “makes a mockery” of the West’s climate targets.

☆ Nigeria: TikTokers caned and ordered to wash toilets as court rules they defamed Nigerian governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Two TikTok comedians have been publicly whipped in Nigeria for making a video that a court in the northern Kano State ruled had defamed the state Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, according to a judicial spokesperson. The two friends, according to Ibrahim, were sentenced on Monday after being brought before a magistrate’s court on Friday. They didn’t even ask or beg for a lawyer to stand for them,” Ibrahim told CNN. “They were arraigned before the Kano State Magistrate Court for defaming the character of Governor Umar Ganduje on their TikTok social media account. They were also ordered to make a video on social media to publicly apologize to Governor Ganduje.

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