The war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of the country’s most promising athletes. But that hasn’t stopped Kyiv from sending a 140-member Olympic team to the Paris Games. Some athletes have been directly caught up in the conflict. Others watch and worry from outside their homeland. Lisa Bryant has more from the French capital.
Nigerian police fired teargas at protesters in the capital Abuja and the northern city of Kano as thousands of people took to the streets across the country to protest economic hardships. Some security experts say militants belonging to Islamic extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State may have undergone military instruction in South Africa under the guise of being trained as security guards. U.S. President Joe Biden says his government worked with allies to arrange a prisoner swap with Russia, including three Americans and one U.S. resident.
Ethiopia is easing foreign-exchange curbs as part of an economic reform package, as the deeply indebted nation awaits a multibillion-dollar bailout from international lenders. Senior U.S. officials say the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, has helped drive economic progress in sub-Saharan Africa. The deaths of a top Hamas leader and a senior Hezbollah commander are raising new questions about talks to arrange a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
A cascade of crises facing U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign led him to drop out of the race, and some political analysts in Africa say he has prioritized the continent like no other American president. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris aims to run for president. South Sudan’s national basketball team delivered a surprising performance over the weekend when the team nearly beat the U.S. men’s national basketball team in their final exhibition match before the Olympic games.
Paris is putting the finishing touches to the Olympic Village for the upcoming Paris Games, as it is about to open its doors for the arrival of participating athletes. Lauren Anthony of Reuters reports.
Known as ‘The Dancing Queen’ of athletics, owing to her intricate rhythmic moves preceded by a joyous leap every time she crosses the finish line first, Mary Moraa says she finds joy in a sport that she fell in love with at an early age. The 24-year-old has overcome her tough grief-filled upbringing to sit on top of the world in the Women’s 800 meters discipline. After winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in 2023, she’s determined to win another medal at the Paris Olympics this year.
South Africa’s newly-appointed minister of sports – a self-described former gangster – wants to promote a sport that has associations with South African gangster culture. The sport of “spinning” involves fast-moving cars and dangerous stunts, and as Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg, the way it’s conducted is not always legal.
The West African bloc ECOWAS has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalized their breakaway union. South Africa’s new minister of home affairs has extended the visas of thousands of foreigners in the country until the end of the year, a move aimed at keeping skilled workers while their visa extensions are processed. This coming week could be consequential for U.S. President Joe Biden’s reelection bid as voices continue to grow for him to leave the race amid concern over his age and capacity to lead.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he is ready to retire at the end of his term and hand the presidency to a new ZANU-PF leader. Kenya President William Ruto has ordered significant cuts in the federal budget and other reforms to pay off the country’s debt burden, in a move seen as a concession after weeks of protests against a tax bill. After more than 500 Egyptians died during the 2024 Hajj in Mecca, the Egyptian government is responding to calls for stricter regulations on travel companies organizing Hajj trips.
Andre Matias, an Angolan rower, who after participating in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games had planned on putting his oars away, recently secured a spot to compete in this year’s games, being held in Paris. VOA’s Mayra de Lassalette has more.
In a historic case, the Supreme Court ruled today that former presidents are entitled to immunity from prosecution for official actions – but not private conduct. Coordinated suicide bombings killed 18 people and wounded 19 in Nigeria’s Borno state in the latest attacks to shake public confidence in security. After weeks of political maneuvering, South Africa now has a cabinet after one of the most contested elections in the nation’s history, with opposition parties holding 12 ministries.
The United States Africa Command has organized a conference in Botswana with defense chiefs from 30 African countries next week to discuss the security and stability challenges. U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee represents the U.S. state of Michigan, and he is part of a delegation now on the continent advocating for greater ties. South Africa’s rand strengthened this week to below 18 to the dollar, the first time it’s been there in more than a year, and South African stocks rose after President Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated for a second term.
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