Troops belonging to Libya’s strongman Khalifa Haftar were pushed back on Friday from a key checkpoint just 27 km from capital Tripoli. He had ordered his troops on Thursday to march on the capital, escalating a conflict with the internationally recognized government. militiamen from the coastal town of Zawiya, retook the base after a “short exchange of fire, though Haftar… Read More

Global life expectancy grew by 5.5 years between 2000 and 2016, the World Health Organization said Thursday, warning though that unequal income and access to healthcare translates into far shorter lives for many. The UN health agency also stressed significant gender differences in life expectancy worldwide. On average, a child born in 2016 can expect to live 72 years, up… Read More

Oud has been a key ingredient of traditional Middle Eastern perfumes for thousands of years. The distinctive musky scent comes from the wood of the Indian and South American Agarwood tree. Customarily, in its pure oil form, men wear it as a cologne, while women burn woodchips, and waft the perfume through their hair and clothing. Oud in incense form… Read More

Guinea’s main opposition parties, civil society and trade unions have announced the creation of a coalition to prevent President Alpha Conde from seeking a third term in 2020. Alpha Condé, the first democratically elected president of the former French colony in West Africa, has often questioned the relevance of the limitation of the number of mandates on the continent. His… Read More

The United Nations Secretary General has described as shocking the plight of migrants held in detention centres in Libya. Antonio Guterres, who had travelled to Tripoli to promote an international peace agreement, took the opportunity to learn about the wellbeing of African migrants in Libya which has become a transit point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean sea to… Read More

The Sussex royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, undertook a private visit to southern African country Botswana in 2017, they disclosed recently on their new Instagram account. But it has taken two years to share photos of the trip which was linked to elephant conservation efforts being championed by Harry and his senior brother, Charles. The couple travelled to the… Read More

Tanzania has given the clearest indication yet that it will reconsider harsh laws that have seen the media landscape shrink under the President John Magufuli government. According to the Mail and Guardian news portal, the admission of review was made when the Information Minister, Harrison Mwakyembe, met with two media rights groups in the city of Dodoma. The country’s 2016… Read More

As the curtain closes on the election season in Nigeria, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secured a key victory when it retained control of the key oil-producing state of Rivers, according to official results from a vote marred by violence and delay. Incumbent governor Nyesom Wike, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was re-elected for a second term… Read More