Author: WAJ Editor

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman and Democratic socialist, has launched a bid to become the next mayor of New York City, hoping to unseat political heavyweight and former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York at the age of seven and later became a US citizen. He is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. If elected, he would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor. Mamdani first entered public office in 2020, representing Queens in the New York State Assembly. He…

Mali has announced a partnership with Russian company Yadran to build a state-run gold refinery, aiming to generate more revenue from its vast gold resources and reduce its reliance on raw bullion exports. Economy and Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou announced on Thursday that the new firm, SOROMA-SA, will be 62% owned by the Malian state, with Yadran owning the remaining 38%. The refinery will be built on a five-hectare site near Bamako airport and is expected to process up to 200 metric tons of gold per year, four times Mali’s current refining capacity of around 50 tons. The move is…

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s posthumous pardon of nine executed Ogoni activists has sparked outrage among members of the ethnic group, who say the move is far from justice and fails to address decades of grievances. President Tinubu announced the pardon on June 12 as part of Democracy Day commemorations. The “Ogoni Nine”, which include renowned author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, were executed by the country’s former military regime in 1995 for protesting the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta by oil companies. The executions drew global condemnation at the time and remain a deeply painful chapter in Nigeria’s history.…

The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) has confirmed that there is no threat of radioactive leakage following Israel’s latest airstrike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. The agency reassured the public that the situation is under control and poses no danger to Egypt or the wider region. The announcement comes after Israeli forces reportedly targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including the Natanz facility in Isfahan, during airstrikes on Tehran early Friday. ENRRA said it was actively monitoring developments through a nationwide network for radiation detection and early warning. The agency stressed that background radiation levels were being continuously monitored and…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the flood-hit Eastern Cape province on Friday, where at least 78 people have died and many others remain missing after severe weather battered the region earlier this week. The visit comes as authorities face mounting criticism over delays in their emergency response. Ramaphosa toured Mthatha, one of the hardest-hit towns, and inspected the eFata bridge where a school bus was swept away by rising floodwaters on Tuesday, claiming the lives of several students. The floods followed an extreme weather system that brought torrential rains, strong winds, and even snowfall to parts of the province.…

Morocco is increasing investment in desalination plants, water transfer infrastructure and dam construction as part of a national strategy to combat prolonged drought and meet rising water demand in agriculture and urban centers, Water Minister Nizar Baraka said on Thursday. Speaking at a water policy conference organized by Medias24 in Casablanca, Baraka emphasized the country’s urgent response to years of water scarcity that has depleted reservoirs, reduced livestock numbers, increased food inflation and contributed to rising unemployment. Morocco currently operates 17 desalination plants, with four more under construction and nine more planned. The government aims to reach a total annual…

The Tanzanian government has proposed a comprehensive amendment to the Mining Act that would require all firms with government contracts to process a portion of their gold domestically, as a move aimed at strengthening local value addition and increasing transparency in the gold sector. The proposed amendment, announced by Tanzanian Finance Minister Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba during the presentation of the 2025/2026 national budget in Parliament on Thursday, June 12, aims to amend Section 59 of the Mining Act, CAP 123. The amendment would require contracted companies to allocate at least 20/ percent of their gold production for domestic smelting, refining…

Kenyan police officer had been arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of political blogger Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody, local media reported. The arrest came as widespread protests erupted in Nairobi, with demonstrators demanding accountability and justice. Ojwang, 31, was announced dead on Sunday, two days after being detained in western Kenya. His death has reignited long-standing concerns about police brutality and allegations of extrajudicial killings in the country. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Nairobi on Thursday, with some setting vehicles on fire. Police are claimed to use tear gas to disperse the…

A Tunisian court has sentenced Abir Moussi, a prominent opposition leader and vocal critic of President Kais Said, to two years in prison for remarks targeting the country’s election commission, his lawyer said on Thursday. Moussi, who heads the Free Constitution Party, has been in custody since 2023 after being arrested outside the presidential palace. Authorities have accused him of trying to incite disorder, a charge his supporters see as part of a broader effort to suppress dissent. The decision is the latest in a series of legal actions that critics say reflect an intensifying crackdown on opposition figures under…

China has announced plans to halt all tariffs on imports from 53 African regions as part of a new economic initiative aimed at boosting trade ties and supporting industrial growth across the continent. The change was announced after a high-level meeting in Changsha where Chinese and African foreign ministers reviewed progress on the coherence made during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) performance in Beijing. China currently provides duty-free and quota-free access to most of Africa’s least developed countries (LDCs). The new arrangement will grant similar privileges to middle-income countries such as Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco,…

Local authorities confirmed that at least 32 people were dead and dozens were missing after two boats overturned on Lake Tumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Equatoria Province on Thursday. The boats, carrying more than 100 passengers, left the port of Bikoro on the lake’s eastern shore on Wednesday afternoon. The vessels set off despite being clearly overloaded and despite unstable weather conditions, according to a statement from the Ecuadorian Panel of Civil Society Experts. Witnesses described severe crowding, with some passengers reportedly turned away due to lack of space, civil society member Akula Dieu said. Details on the…

Egyptian officials have stopped a group of international activists from marching to the Gaza border, effectively preventing an effort intended to protest the ongoing blockade and restrictions on humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestine’s Gaza Strip. The activists had planned to walk 48 kilometers across the Sinai Peninsula to the Rafah Border on Sunday, aiming to draw global attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and put pressure on Israel to halt its blockade. Organizers described the march as a bid to “create international moral and media pressure” to allow the entry of aid. However, according to an Egyptian official,…

The death toll from the floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province has climbed to 67, authorities confirmed on Thursday, as emergency teams continue to search for the missing. The updated figure includes 10 additional bodies discovered during ongoing rescue operations, provincial and national officials announced during a joint press briefing. “We are currently in the process of identifying the deceased and coordinating with their families,” said Zolile Williams, a provincial government minister, emphasizing the human impact of the tragedy. Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, stressed the emotional toll of the disaster: “These are not just…

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority of Kenya (IPOA) on Thursday revealed that 20 people have died in police custody in the past four months, amid renewed public anger over police conduct. The announcement comes after nationwide protests erupted after 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang was detained for allegedly criticising a senior police officer online. Ojwang, who reportedly died from head injuries while in custody, has come under fierce criticism after pathologists disputed police claims that the injuries were self-inflicted. IPOA President Issak Hassan, speaking outside the National Assembly, confirmed the 20 deaths in custody, highlighting growing concerns over the use of…

Mali has formally passed a bill amending the Transitional Agreement that would allow President Assimi Goita to serve renewable five-year terms starting in 2025. The move coincides with similar political developments among member states of the Confederation of Sahel States (CSA), which includes Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The bill was approved by the Malian Council of Ministers on Wednesday and follows proposals made during a national dialogue in December 2021. According to an official government statement, that conference emphasized the need to prioritize political and institutional reforms before holding elections. As part of this process, the state adopted a…

More than 130 senior leaders from 30 African countries and the United States gathered in Rabat, Morocco, from June 10-12 for the 7th annual Africa Senior Leader Conference, which aims to strengthen military leadership and regional partnerships across the continent. The event, co-hosted by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), provided a platform for NCOs to share strategies, address common challenges and enhance professional collaboration. This year’s theme, “Resilient, Adaptive, Transformative,” reflected the evolving demands of modern military leadership. “Africa is a meeting point for global interests,” said AFRICOM Senior Leader Sergeant Major Michael Woods. “Technology…