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☆ Cocoa prices are soaring. Here’s what that means for your chocolate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —If you have a sweet tooth, take note: Cocoa prices have been soaring — and that could drive chocolate prices higher. Because of that, there is an “outsize impact of the region’s weather patterns on world cocoa prices and supplies,” according to Gro Intelligence’s post. Tony's Chocolonely welcomes higher cocoa prices. Petra Figueroa/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images“We are very happy that cocoa prices are rising,” said Pascal Baltussen, chief of impact and operations at Tony’s. “Cocoa prices have been way too low for West African cocoa farmers to earn a living income.”Cocoa futures are used to determine the prices paid to farmers for cocoa in Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Persons: El, Paul, Christophe Gateau, Niño, ”, Intelligence’s, Tony's Chocolonely, Petra Figueroa, Pascal Baltussen, Alex Assanvo, Côte, “ Price, Tony’s, Baltussen, Steven Voskuil, Hershey, “, we’ll, —, Laura Paddison, Rachel Ramirez Organizations: New, New York CNN, Rabobank, International Cocoa, Getty, Cocoa Organization, Gro Intelligence, Hershey Locations: New York, Europe, Asia, Agboville, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Amsterdam, Tony’s, NIQ

He warned that contaminated medicines could still be found for several years, because adulterated barrels of an essential ingredient may remain in warehouses. Cough syrups and the ingredient, propylene glycol, both have shelf-lives of around two years. Unscrupulous actors sometimes substitute propylene glycol with toxic alternatives, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, because they are cheaper, several pharmaceutical manufacturing experts told Reuters. The WHO said it has also offered help to Liberia and Cameroon – which recently signalled that it too may have contaminated cough syrups for sale. The contaminated syrups in Liberia were made by India's Synercare Mumbai, according to the Nigerian regulator.

Persons: Rutendo Kuwana, Kuwana, –, syrups, Naresh Kumar Goyal, QP Pharmachem, India's Synercare, Synercare, It's, Jennifer Rigby, Krishna N.Das, Edward McAllister, Stanley Widianto, Sumit Khanna, Sophie Yu, Sara Ledwith, Michele Gershberg Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Pharmaceutical, Marshall, Indonesian, –, PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries, AFI, Pharmaceuticals, Marion Biotech, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: LIBERIA, CAMEROON, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia, Uzbekistan, Micronesia, Indonesian, – Timor Leste, Cambodia, Senegal, Philippines, Cameroon, syrups, Marshall Islands, India's Synercare Mumbai, Nigerian, Liberian, India, Panama, Delhi, Dakar, Jakarta, Ahmedabad, Beijing

☆ Titan of Cameroon's opposition politics John Fru Ndi dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It is with sadness that we announce the transition into eternal glory of John Fru Ndi on June 12, 2023, at 11:30 p.m.," it said. "I salute the memory of a singular, charismatic and courageous leader," said current opposition leader Maurice Kamto. An English-speaking businessman from Cameroon's northwest region, Fru Ndi formed the SDF, the first opposition party in the bilingual Central African country, which is dominated by its French-speaking majority. Fru Ndi claimed the vote had been rigged and he was placed under house arrest as riots swept opposition strongholds. As Biya's grip on power tightened, Fru Ndi secured fewer votes, according to official figures.

Persons: John Fru Ndi, Paul Biya, Fru Ndi, Moussa Faki, Maurice Kamto, Ndi, Cameroon's, Akere Muna, Akintunde, Cabral Libii, Biya, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Nellie Peyton, Anait, Edward McAllister, Conor Humphries Organizations: Social Democratic Front, Union's, Central, REUTERS, Cameroon People's Democratic, Thomson Locations: YAOUNDE, Central, Cameroon's, Central African, Cameroon, Yaounde, CAMEROON, U.S

☆ John Fru Ndi, titan of Cameroon's opposition, dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsJohn Fru Ndi, titan of Cameroon's opposition, diesPostedJohn Fru Ndi, who formed Cameroon's first opposition party and battled President Paul Biya at the ballot box for decades, has died aged 81 his party has said. David Doyle has more.

Persons: John Fru Ndi, Cameroon's, Paul Biya, David Doyle

☆ Uncle Sam wants migrants. Facing shortages, military recruiters trade citizenship for service.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The biggest challenges have been identifying geographic pockets of immigrant populations, finding ways to reach them and helping any of those interested navigate the complex military recruiting applications and procedures. The Air Force effort began this year, and the first group of 14 graduated from basic training and were sworn in as new citizens in April. As of mid-May there were about 100 in basic training who had begun the citizenship process and about 40 who had completed it. Thomas said the program required changes to Air Force policy, coordination with U.S. By the time Air Force recruits finish their seven weeks of training, the process is complete and they are sworn in as American citizens.

Persons: —, Bidari, Kalden Lama, Ed Thomas, Thomas, Natalia Laziuk, I've, Christine Wormuth Organizations: US Army, Navy, Service, U.S . Army Reserves, Army, Air Force, Army Staff, Dallas, Marine Corp, Defense, . Citizenship, Immigration Services Locations: Nepal, Dallas, U.S, America, American, United States, Cameroon, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Chicago, Mexico, Haiti, Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Dominican Republic

☆ How a 14-Year-Old Came to Animate a Scene in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Carlos Aguilar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Early in the thrill-packed sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the story takes a brief yet memorable detour into a dimension that resembles Lego building blocks and figures. The clever and amusing scene, a tribute to “The Lego Movie,” was not the work of seasoned animation artists, but that of a 14-year-old fan turned professional creator living in Toronto. Forgoing the instructions for a set of Lego blocks, he built cars with his own designs. “I also used to make comics when I was younger,” Mutanga said during a recent video interview. “Looking back at them now, they’re not the greatest, I’m not going to lie, but it was good practice for telling stories.”

Persons: ”, Preston Mutanga, “, ” Mutanga, they’re, I’m Locations: Toronto, Minnesota, Northwest Region, Cameroon

☆ Samuel Fosso, known for his iconic self-portraits of famous figures, wins prestigious photography prize
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Maheshpreet Kaur Narula | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

These faces aren’t from history books – they are self-portraits of renowned photographer Samuel Fosso, and they have earned him this year’s Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. A jury then awards one artist a £30,000 ($37,000) prize for their significant contributions to contemporary photography. Samuel Fosso strikes the iconic pose of Olympian Tommie Smith in this photograph from the 2008 series "African Spirits." Samuel Fosso/Courtesy JM Patras, Paris“It’s never evident, what Black people suffered for independence or during slavery,” said Fosso. And yet he was still surprised to receive a call announcing he’s won this year’s Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Persons: Samuel Fosso, Maison, ”, ” Fosso, Martin Luther King, Jr, Shoair Mavlian, “, He’s, Prince Nico Mbarga, Tati, –, Fosso, Kwame Nkrumah, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Angela Davis, Tommie Smith, Paris “ It’s, Fondation Louis Vuitton, he’s, they’ve, ” Samuel Fosso’s Organizations: CNN, Börse, ’, Central African, Guggenheim, Fondation Louis, Tate Locations: London, Europe, Nigerian, Paris, Cameroon, Nigeria, Biafra, Central African Republic, Ghana’s, New York

☆ Ports in China's oil hub Shandong scrutinizing old tankers -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qingdao and Lanshan are two of the top five biggest Chinese oil importing ports, according to data from Kpler. Shandong is home to numerous independent refineries known as teapots that account for up to one-fifth of China's processing capacity. Port authorities could detain ships for days to rectify any issues, prompting shippers to divert cargoes to other Chinese ports, the sources said. Almost all tankers hauling crude to Qingdao for independent refiners are more than 10 years old, said Vortexa analyst Emma Li. In April, tankers calling at Shandong ports experienced delays after customs authorities stepped up checks on diluted bitumen cargoes.

Persons: Seapalm, Emma Li, Eikon, Muyu Xu, Florence Tan Organizations: Kpler, Shandong Maritime Safety Administration, Reuters, Seapalm Shipping, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China's Shandong, Qingdao, Rizhao, Lanshan, Shandong, Tokyo, Cameroon, Seychelles, Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning, Beijing

☆ Dieuveil Malonga visited 48 African countries to create a new 'Afro-fusion' cuisine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Malonga visited 48 of the 54 African countries in a bid to better understand the diverse traditions, dishes and ingredients. Combining his Euro-centric training with his experiences of African cuisine, Malonga developed his signature style. Nigerian restaurant Ikoyi became the first Michelin-star West African restaurant in the UK in 2018, and the meteoric success of Chika’s, a multi-million-pound UK snack brand that highlights Nigerian flavors, shows a growing appetite for West African food. While the trend caused controversy and a backlash from some in Africa, it also sparked interest in West African cuisine among US internet users that has continued since. Next will be African cuisine – that’s why we are preparing the market,” he adds.

Persons: Meza Malonga, Dieuveil Malonga, ”, Malonga, –, Dieuveil, Chris Schwagga, Europe’s, “, matriarchs, Meza Organizations: CNN, Michelin, Chefs, Malonga's, Ikoyi Locations: Uganda, Cameroon, Africa, “ Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Germany, Kigali, Rwanda, France, Europe, Malonga's Congolese, Congolese, Münster, Ivory Coast, Ghana, West, West African, Musanze, Lake Ruhondo

☆ Former tennis pro helps children shine on court in Cameroon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Now she wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to start a round of workouts, practice sessions, and school classes alongside nine other girls and 22 boys boarding at the Oyebog Tennis Academy in the town of Souza. She caught the eye of former national champion Joseph Oyebog when she was in tears after losing a practice match, aged just eight. Since graduating from the academy, some beneficiaries have won scholarships for further training abroad, while more than 20 academy trainees have International Tennis Federation rankings. He won national tournaments and competed in the Davis Cup international men's team competition. It offers tennis training at little or no cost.

☆ Joel Embiid's 'improbable' journey from newcomer to NBA MVP
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“He’s the biggest film nerd there is in the NBA,” Hanlen laughs. The ultimate scorerDespite his ‘Joel Troel’ alter-ego, Embiid’s approach to the game shows he is everything but a joker who fools around. Speaking after being named MVP, Embiid said: “I’d say the biggest key of it is, obviously, I’m all about family. Arthur is named after Embiid’s late brother who passed away shortly after the 2014 NBA Draft. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible.”Hanlen then summed up Embiid’s overall approach by saying: “I would just say he’s obsessed with greatness.

Now, according to an internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters, 5 million additional people in Sudan will require emergency assistance, half of them children. Even before the latest crisis, U.N. humanitarian appeals for Africa faced a $17-billion funding gap this year, risking leaving millions without lifesaving assistance. Last year, it spent a third of its overseas aid budget housing refugees inside the UK, a British aid watchdog said in March. Sudan was hosting over 1 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria, before the outbreak of fighting last month. Aid workers have been killed, food aid looted, and WFP says it's running out of stocks.

☆ Embiid hopes 'improbable' path to MVP will inspire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 3 (Reuters) - National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP Joel Embiid hopes to be a role model of perseverance after overcoming extraordinary odds, the Philadelphia 76ers center said on Wednesday. "I felt like it was kind of my fault because I left Cameroon, I left, you know, my family. I felt like I should have been there to do something," said Embiid, who missed the first two seasons of his career with a broken foot. Embiid, who came second in MVP voting to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the last two seasons, produced an undeniable MVP campaign this time around, averaging a career-high 33.1 points per game, with 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lion spotted in Chad's Sena Oura National Park for first time in 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —After a two-decade absence, at least one lion has returned to Chad’s Sena Oura National Park. Lions haven’t been spotted in the park for almost 20 years, says the news release. Lions are considered extinct in Sena Oura, located near Chad’s border with Cameroon, by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. “This has produced better protection of the national parks and wildlife populations are now starting to recover,” it added. Their populations are especially “small and fragmented” in west and central Africa, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

☆ Chad recalls envoy to Cameroon as dispute over Exxon's asset sale escalates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Exxon closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to Africa-focused oil and gas producer Savannah in a $407 million deal in December. Chad has nationalized the assets on its side of the border, including Exxon's share of the over 1,000 km (621 miles) Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline. Savannah Energy has said it will pursue its legal rights over Chad's decision to nationalize Exxon's assets it had acquired. The company said on Wednesday that it had sold a 10% stake of the share capital of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company which owns and operates the 903km Cameroon section of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline to Cameroon national oil company (SNH). Chad said in its statement that it was not informed of this sale which was contrary to the status of the pipeline company.

In South Africa, a social media influencer who added “Vladimir” to his Twitter name to convey his reverence for the Russian president transmits Russian-generated content over Twitter and Telegram to a growing audience that now numbers 148,000 followers. On Afrique Média, a television channel based in Cameroon that reaches millions of people in Africa and recently signed a partnership with RT, the state-funded Russian television network, pundits regularly praise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with one recently declaring, “Glory to Putin.”An animated video circulating online shows a brave Russian commando from the Wagner group, which is fighting for Russia in Ukraine, joining West African soldiers to defeat a horde of invading zombies from France. Over the past year, a flood of pro-Russian content has increasingly been surfacing on news outlets and social media platforms in Africa. The messages aim to drum up support for the invasion of Ukraine, and to frame Russia’s growing presence on the African continent as beneficial, while vilifying American and European — especially French — involvement in Africa.

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ Chad approves bill to nationalise assets ExxonMobil sold to Savannah Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 29 (Reuters) - Chad's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to nationalise oil assets and rights acquired last year by Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) from ExxonMobil's (XOM.N) affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Chad. In December, ExxonMobil closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to Africa-focussed oil and gas producer Savannah Energy in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government challenged the agreement. Out of 175 lawmakers present, 172 backed the law to nationalise the assets - a move Savannah vowed last week to contest. Chad's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said last week that all the relevant assets and rights would be nationalised, including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to the Exxon Mobil subsidiary. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane Writing by Anait Miridzhanian Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Standard Chartered agrees to sell business in Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, March 26 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered (STAN.L) plans to sell its Jordanian business to Arab Jordan Investment Bank (AJIB) (AJIB.AM), the two parties said on Sunday, as the emerging markets-focused lender presses ahead with plans to exit seven markets in Africa and the Middle East. All Standard Chartered Bank employees in Jordan will be transferred to AJIB, it said an emailed statement. AJIB said the purchase falls within the Jordanian lender's strategy to grow its market share in the country, which continues to grow after it acquired HSBC's banking business in Jordan in 2014 and National Bank of Kuwait's banking business in Jordan in 2022. Standard Chartered in April 2022 said it plans to leave seven markets, consisting of Angola, Cameroon, Gambia, Jordan, Lebanon, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh, Editing by Louise Heavens and Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How this 26-year-old went from running bitcoin trading desks in Taco Bells to creating the largest crypto exchange in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +28 min

Yellow Card CEO Chris Maurice just before meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Accra, Ghana. Chris MauriceFrom there, Yellow Card users can send or receive digital cash in eligible markets. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Yellow Card CEO Chris Maurice in Accra, Ghana loading cash onto his Mobile Money account, MoMo. Yellow Card has facilitated $1.75 billion in transactions since launching in 2019 and has about 220 employees – mostly in Africa. A resident checks his phone outside a mobile money kiosk in the Kibera district of Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.

☆ Equatorial Guinea confirms eight more Marburg cases - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, March 23 (Reuters) - Eight new confirmed cases of Marburg disease have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. This brings the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to nine and probable cases to 20 since the outbreak of the deadly disease similar to Ebola was declared in February. The areas reporting cases are about 150 kilometres (93 miles) apart, suggesting a wider transmission of the virus, the WHO said. Marburg virus disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO. Neighbouring Cameroon also detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease last month despite restricting movement along the border to avoid contagion.

☆ Chad says it has nationalized all assets owned by Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 23 (Reuters) - Chad has nationalized all the assets and rights including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), the Central African nation's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Exxon Mobil said in December that it had closed the sale of its operations Chad and Cameroon to London-listed Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government contested the agreement, saying the final terms were different from what Exxon Mobil had presented. It warned that it may ask courts to block Savannah's purchase of Exxon's assets in the country and take further steps to protect its interests. Exxon's assets included a 40% stake in Chad's Doba oil project, which comprises seven producing oilfields with combined output of 28,000 barrels per day (bpd). Exxon Mobil and Savannah Energy were not immediately available for comment.

☆ Nineteen athletes wounded after blasts at race in Cameroon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Nineteen athletes were being treated for blast injuries on Saturday after multiple small explosions during a running race in part of western Cameroon where English-speaking separatists are fighting government forces, a local doctor said. There was no immediate comment from authorities in the town of Buea in South-West Region, where 529 athletes were running up the highest mountain in West and Central Africa as they competed in the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope. "Our primary target was the Cameroon elite forces ... that were providing security for the athletes. Another video showed a different explosion going off near a pack of runners elsewhere on the route. Participants in the race included athletes from East, Central and Northern Africa and France.

☆ Spanish authorities detect first suspected case of Marburg disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Spain has detected its first suspected case of Marburg disease, a deadly infectious disease that has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, health authorities in the Spanish region of the Valencia said on Saturday. Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Equatorial Guinea quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement on Feb. 13 in its Kie-Ntem province, where the hemorrhagic fever was first detected. The WHO said it was increasing its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea. Cameroonian authorities detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease on Feb. 13 in Olamze, a commune on the border with Equatorial Guinea, the public health delegate for the region, Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said on Feb. 14.

☆ 'Unpredictable' election in Africa's largest economy is set to resonate around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

After 24 years of uninterrupted democracy since ending military dictatorship in 1999, Africa's most populous nation and largest economy is conducting its seventh election. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, speaks during the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York. Leena Koni Hoffmann, associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, told CNBC on Monday that the presidential election will be the "most unpredictable" since the transition to civilian rule. Alongside the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, Koni Hoffmann noted "missed opportunities" and "self-inflicted crises" under Buhari's regime. Economists panned the decision, which Koni Hoffmann suggested rendered Nigeria and its neighbors more vulnerable to the damage of the pandemic.

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