Africa (except North Africa)

GABORONE, May 25 (Reuters) - Botswana will not back down on demands for a bigger share of rough diamonds from its joint venture with De Beers, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on Thursday, upping the stakes as talks for a new sales deal appear to be stalling.

Botswana and De Beers mine the precious stones through their equally owned, 54-year-old mining venture, Debswana Diamond Co. The current diamond sales deal, in place since 2011, has been extended three times since 2020 but is set to expire next month.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nearly five years after he was arrested at a South African airport, Mozambique’s former finance minister has lost a last-ditch court appeal and faces extradition to the United States over a $2 billion corruption scandal related to loans to Mozambican state-owned companies.

NAIROBI, May 24 (Reuters) - Chinese hackers targeted Kenya's government in a widespread, years-long series of digital intrusions against key ministries and state institutions, according to three sources, cybersecurity research reports and Reuters' own analysis of technical data related to the hackings.

Two of the sources assessed the hacks to be aimed, at least in part, at gaining information on debt owed to Beijing by the East African nation: Kenya is a strategic link in the Belt and Road Initiative - President Xi Jinping's plan for a global infrastructure network.

JUBA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Wednesday granted 70 million U.S. dollars to South Sudan to boost women's social and economic empowerment (SSWSEEP), an official said.

World Bank Country Manager for South Sudan Firas Raad said the grant is aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs in formalizing and scaling up their business activities and helping survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) access vital services that will enable them to recover and rebuild their lives.

PRETORIA, May 22 (NNN-SANEWS) — Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, will this week attend the International Meeting of High-level officials responsible for Security Matters in Russia.

This annual meeting, to be held from Tuesday to Thursday, will discuss general trends in the international security situation, including global food security.

Furthermore, Minister Ntshavheni will engage with relevant authorities on matters material to the initiatives announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the African Leaders’ Peace Mission to Russia and Ukraine.

LUANDA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Angolan President Joao Lourenco has spoken highly of the socioeconomic contribution of the Chinese-built Caculo-Cabaca Hydropower Station, saying that the station would bring significant benefits in terms of energy supply and improved well-being for the Angolan people.

BRAZZAVILLE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso on Saturday attended a ceremony for the opening of a road construction project launched by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) in the country's northern province of Sangha.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Pauline Hungwe huddled in the bathroom of her apartment in Sudan, terrified and only peeking out of a window for a second to see the walls of nearby buildings disintegrate as they were hit by artillery fire.

She was convinced her building was next and she was going to die. The only thing she thought to do was call her son back home in Zimbabwe.

“I thought I was done,” she said. “I told my son, ‘I am gone.’”

ACCRA, May 18 (NNN-GNA) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board, yesterday approved a three-billion-U.S. dollar Extended Credit Facility for Ghana, to help the country address its current economic crisis.

In a statement, the IMF said, the decision would enable an immediate disbursement of about 600 million dollars to Ghana, adding that, the facility would support “a comprehensive reform programme” by the Ghanaian government, to tackle the deep economic crisis brought on by a combination of large external shocks and preexisting fiscal and debt weaknesses.

DAKAR, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The wonders of China come to life through the brushes of African artists at the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

The recently opened painting exhibition, titled "Perspectives Across Oceans: China through the Eyes of African Artists," showcased a vibrant array of Chinese landscapes and scenes as seen by African painters.