Category: World

Kenya lost 2.3bn Kenyan shillings ($21m; £16m) during the procurement of Covid-19 items, according to a recent audit report. Auditor General Nancy Gathangu said managers at the state body responsible for purchases, the Kenya Medical Supply Authority (Kemsa) violated procurement rules leading to the loss of public money. The government ordered an investigation following a...

The Ghana Nigeria Business Council has issued a statement celebrating 60 years of Nigeria’s Independence. Below is a copy of the statement On this day we are celebrating 60 years of Nigeria’s Independence. Our big brother has won many victories over the years and they continue to be the beacon and light of our continent....

Nigeria has developed a Covid-19 test kit that can give results in less than 40 minutes and be used by low-skilled people. The Health Minister Olurunimbe Mamora said it is much faster and 10 times cheaper than the PCR testing method currently in use. The kit is yet to be approved by regulatory bodies but...

The Covid-19 pandemic began last year in a city in central China, but has since grown to affect nearly every country on earth. The virus has put world leaders in hospital while exposing inequality. It has asked major questions of governments and encroached on the daily lives of billions. And it shows no signs of...

Armenia says one of its fighter jets was shot down by a Turkish jet in a major escalation of the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Armenian foreign ministry said the pilot of the Soviet-made SU-25 died after being hit by the Turkish F-16 in Armenian air space. Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in...

South Africa’s economy lost 2.2 million jobs in the second quarter of 2020 during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, the authorities say. It is the biggest fall in job numbers since the employment survey began in 2008. Restrictions were brought in to try and prevent the spread of the virus and the economy subsequently shrank at...

Operations of South African Airways (SAA), the country’s national carrier, have been suspended with immediate effect. “This means SAA will complete repatriation flights that have already been scheduled but will not schedule any further flights,” Business Day news site reports. Administrators said they were putting the struggling state-owned carrier under “care and maintenance” until funding...

Donald Trump paid just $750 (£587) in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House, the New York Times says. The newspaper – which says it obtained tax records for Mr Trump and his companies over two decades – also...

US President Donald Trump has nominated Amy Coney Barrett, a favourite of social conservatives, to be the new Supreme Court justice. Speaking by her side at the White House Rose Garden, Mr Trump described her as a “woman of unparalleled achievement”. If confirmed by senators, Judge Barrett will replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who...

The Nigerian military says 18 people have been left dead after an ambush on a government convoy in the north-east of the country. It said four soldiers, 10 police officers and four civilians were killed in the attack targeting Borno state officials on Friday. The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack,...