WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists examining the genomes of West Africans have detected signs that a mysterious extinct human species interbred with our own species tens of thousands of years ago in Africa, the latest evidence of humankind’s complicated genetic... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will propose cutting billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid in his fiscal 2021 budget while seeking an increase in funds to counter developing economic threats from China and Russia, senior administration official... More »
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Guinness World Records has named a South African restaurant as the official titleholder for ‘Most Varieties of Milkshakes Commercially Available’. With a total 207 varieties on their menu, Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers and Ribs has a milkshake... More »
KAJIADO, Kenya (Reuters) – Two life-size lions crafted from scrap metal guard the entrance to the studio of Kenyan metal sculptor Kioko Mwitiki. Nearby a leopard, with holes in its metal body to mimic spots, crouches next to a giant elephant sculpture. Mwitiki... More »
BRIDGETOWN (Reuters) – Internationally acclaimed Barbadian poet, essayist and historian Edward Kamau Brathwaite, whose prolific writings sought to assert the identity of Caribbean peoples and their African roots, died at his home in Barbados on Tuesday. He was... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About 183 million years ago during the early part of the Jurassic Period, enormous amounts of lava flowed across the landscape in what is now South Africa, transforming the environment into a land of fire. But fossil footprints described... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The euro zone’s top bank supervisor blamed a “mess” of diverging laws across the bloc on Tuesday for the European Central Bank’s failure to stop Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, who is suspected of fraud, from controlling a bank in ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer continues his quest for a 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Tuesday but for his journeyman opponent Tennys Sandgren their quarter-final meeting is the latest chapter in a story of survival in professional tenni... More »
MILL VALLEY, California (Reuters) – Electric vehicle startup Rivian on Saturday displayed its pickup truck and SUV at an event in San Francisco’s Bay Area and said that when their prices are unveiled soon they will be lower than has been previously announced. ... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Injured All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea has been ordered to curb his use of the social media platform TikTok as he recovers from knee surgery. Savea, who injured his knee in the Rugby World Cup semi-final against England, had surger... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s agriculture minister urged authorities to prevent a recurrence in African swine fever outbreaks, according to a statement on the ministry’s website on Monday. Relevant departments must work to achieve this year’s pig production reco... More »
DAKAR (Reuters) – Five towering wooden figures dwarf visitors to the “Lend Me Your Dream” exhibition at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilisations. The sculptures of fire-darkened cedar stand in a circle, as if deep in conversation. The imposing work by Ivorian art... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Libya’s warring rival leaders will hold peace talks in Moscow on Monday alongside representatives from Russia and Turkey, Russian news agencies cited the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying. The talks come after a ceasefire in Libya, initiate... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei will return to defend her title at this year’s London Marathon, organisers said on Monday. Kenya’s Kosgei retained her Chicago Marathon crown last October in two hours, 14 minutes and four s... More »
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – About 20 soldiers were killed and nearly 1,000 people made homeless in a militant attack on a town in northeastern Nigeria, two residents and a military source said on Wednesday. The militants entered Monguno in Borno state posin... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to set aside an injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a rule that would withhold green cards from immigrants likely to require government assistance such as Medicaid or foo... More »
(Reuters) – Canadian Adam Hadwin and South African Erik van Rooyen have snuck into the field for next year’s Masters after finishing the year barely inside the top 50 in the world rankings. With no more official tournaments left on the global 2019 schedule aft... More »
(Reuters) – Merck & Co (MRK.N) said on Friday it expects to make licensed doses of its recently approved Ebola vaccine available in the third quarter of 2020 and price the single-dose injection at the lowest possible access price for poor and middle-income cou... More »
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia launched its first satellite into space on Friday, as more sub-Saharan African nations strive to develop space programs to advance their development goals and encourage scientific innovation. Before dawn on Friday, senior offic... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – An Earth observation satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil was launched into space on Friday under a bilateral programme seen as a template for broader cooperation among BRICS nations. The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A ... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Artist Simone Fugazzotto defended on Tuesday a widely criticized anti-racism campaign launched by Italy’s Serie A soccer league which features his paintings of apes. Racism has long plagued Italian soccer, with black players frequently target... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – United States captain Tiger Woods led from the front as the Americans dominated the Sunday singles to overhaul the Internationals at Royal Melbourne 16-14 and claim an eighth successive Presidents Cup. Woods clinched a record 27th win in ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron and Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou agreed on Thursday to propose a postponement to early 2020 of a meeting of Sahelian country leaders due to take place in France this month, the French presidency said. Th... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Patrick Reed had dug himself a hole before arriving at the Presidents Cup, his two-stroke penalty for flinging some sand away with his wedge in a waste bunker stoking controversy and putting a big target on his back at Royal Melbourne. By... More »
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian app iFood, which specializes in delivering ready-to-eat meals to consumers in large cities, is looking to expand its services to other areas and plans to increase operations in retail, chief financial officer Diego Barreto said ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for talk on climate, the EU’s long-term budget, Brexit, the euro zone and Russia sanctions, among others. Here are comments made by them on Thursday ahead of the summit.... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Nairobi’s governor pleaded not guilty to corruption and other economic crimes involving millions of dollars in a Kenyan court on Monday. Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko was arrested on Friday and is accused of conspiracy to commit corruption, fai... More »
(Reuters) – Tullow Oil Plc (TLW.L) on Monday said its Chief Executive Officer Paul McDade has resigned and the oil and gas explorer also scrapped its dividends, as it continues to face issues at its main producing assets in Ghana. The company has been facing p... More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African Airways (SAA) had to be placed on “business rescue” because there was no other viable and financially workable option to secure a credible future for the state-owned airline, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. SAA ... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Louis Oosthuizen said his late charge at the Australian Open has given him a big boost of confidence heading into this week’s Presidents Cup clash against Tiger Woods’s United States team at Royal Melbourne. The 2010 British Open champion ca... More »
BELLE OMBRE, Mauritius (Reuters) – Danish teenager Rasmus Hojgaard gave a nerveless display in a tense sudden-death playoff on Sunday to win the Mauritius Open in a three-man shootout. He made eagle on the third playoff hole, after Italy’s Renato Paratore had ... More »
GISENYI, Rwanda (Reuters) – An Ebola survivor has fallen ill with the disease for a second time in eastern Congo, the Congolese health authorities said on Sunday, saying it was not yet clear if it was a case of relapse or reinfection. The Ebola outbreak in Dem... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo gu... More »
((This December 6 story is refiled to fix typo in quote in paragraph nine)) By Tom Hals (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s daring has left its mark on electric cars and rockets, and now experts say the entrepreneur may have reshaped U.S. defamation law with his willingne... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles on Friday found in favor of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) boss Elon Musk in the defamation lawsuit brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The verdict w... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Braving perils from blood-sucking leeches to tigers and using transport as basic as elephants, scientists have journeyed like “Indiana Jones” to remote locations to collect wild cousins of crop seeds in a project to help tackle climate chang... More »
AZROU, Morocco (Reuters) – Mohammed Akki left his home in Morocco’s Middle Atlas mountains to seek regular work and a better life in the town of Azrou, but he still lives on the margins in a country enjoying an investment boom. Every morning, Akki walks miles ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A wave of social unrest across developing countries this year has caught many investors off-guard and is challenging models designed to gauge political risk for investors, prompting some to pull money out. That has led to worries that a with... More »
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – International organizations warned on Friday of a potential resurgence of Ebola in Congo after deadly militia attacks on health centers forced aid groups to suspend operations and withdraw staff from the epidemic’... More »
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe state doctors who were fired for going on strike have rejected a government offer to return to work, their union said on Friday. The doctors went on strike on Sept.3 to protest against poor wages, in some cases less than US$100 a mo... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Sovereign wealth funds regained their appetite for equities in the third quarter, piling into passively managed stocks in the United States and equities in mainland China and elsewhere, according to eVestment data. Passively managed S&P 500 ... More »
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s MTN Group (MTNJ.J) has signed an expanded roaming and services agreement with the country’s third-biggest carrier Cell C, MTN said on Monday, pushing shares in rival Telkom (TKGJ.J) down more than 5%. The deal puts a dam... More »
DAKAR (Reuters) – To capture the harsh reality of life in Senegal, film director Mati Diop chose young people she met at building sites, bars and in Dakar’s poorer suburbs as the stars of ‘Atlantics’, a ghost story about migrants and those they leave behind. T... More »
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Gambia has filed a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said on Monday. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), a... More »
KINSHASA (Reuters) – The Congolese central bank expects the economy to grow 4.6% in 2019, after revising down an earlier estimate of 5.1% during a policy meeting on Friday. The new figure is more in line with a forecast from the International Monetary Fund, wh... More »
LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Prosus PRX.AS held firm on its $6.3 billion offer to buy Just Eat (JE.L) on Monday as it argued the merits of its bid versus one from Takeaway.com for the British online takeaway delivery firm. The one change in the offer published... More »
(Reuters) – England’s Tyrrell Hatton beat Austria’s Matthias Schwab on the fourth playoff hole to clinch his second Rolex Series title at the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya on Sunday after a dramatic six-man playoff. For the first time at a professional golf... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Two teams of young video gamers from Europe and China will do virtual battle on Sunday – and there’s more than $1 million at stake. The teams will fight it out in blockbuster online game “League of Legends”, in a contest drawing millions of v... More »
NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG/LONDON (Reuters) – As jihadists wreaked ever more havoc in the last two years, mining firms in Burkina Faso rolled out extra security measures, from barracks for government troops protecting them to safe rooms for workers behind barbed wir... More »
(This 4th November story is refiled to fix punctuation in name of foundation) By Alexis Akwagyiram and Nneka Chile LAGOS (Reuters) – An artist who was born in Britain and raised in Nigeria has announced plans for a program to get painters, sculptors and other ... More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Protesters blocked roads in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Monday, pressing a wave of demonstrations against the ruling elite that have plunged the country into political turmoil at a time of acute economic crisis. The nationwide prote... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Kenyan half marathon world record holders Geoffrey Kamworor and Joyciline Jepkosgei powered to victories in the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Kamworor reclaimed the New York title he won in 2017 in two hours eight minutes and 13 second... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A large ancient wetlands region spanning northern Botswana – once teeming with life but now dominated by desert and salt flats – may represent the ancestral homeland of all of the 7.7 billion people on Earth today, researchers said on Mo... More »
LAGOS (Reuters) – Author Bernardine Evaristo hopes her Booker Prize-winning novel will help to alter perceptions of black British people among African readers and Britons she sees as grappling with heightened racial tension. In an interview with Reuters on Sat... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of a U.S. Senate panel reviewing two catastrophic Boeing 737 MAX crashes told Reuters ahead of hearings this week that the plane would not return to U.S. skies until “99.9% of the American public” and policymakers are convinced ... More »
(Reuters) – The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a U.S. raid is a further blow to a jihadist group that once held a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, experts said, but the organization and its ideology remain dangerous. Where once t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For a strange little lemur native to Madagascar that boasts one of the most unusual hands in the animal kingdom, a “high five” is more like a “trick six.” Scientists have discovered that this nocturnal tree dweller, called an aye-aye, po... More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri agreed on Sunday a package of reforms with government partners to ease an economic crisis that has sparked protests aimed at ousting a ruling elite seen as riddled with corruption and cronyism. Official... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China’s top central banker said on Saturday that potential escalation of trade tensions and policy uncertainty were the major risk factors facing the world economy, and market forces were keeping China’s yuan at an appropriate level. Yi ... More »
(Reuters) – Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts captured his first European Tour title in seven years on Sunday, winning the French Open by one shot after a final round of 72. The 36-year-old, who held a three-shot lead coming into the final day at Le Golf National, fir... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists who resurrected a 50,000-year-old gene sequence have analyzed it to figure out how the world’s deadliest malaria parasite jumped from gorillas to humans – giving insight into the origins of one of human history’s biggest killers. ... More »
MAPUTO (Reuters) – Mozambicans voted on Tuesday in an election that could test a fragile two-month-old peace deal between the ruling Frelimo party and its old civil war foe turned opposition rival Renamo. The presidential, legislative and provincial polls are ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – UBS Wealth Management said on Friday it still expects the UK government to ask for an extension to the deadline for exiting the European Union and to hold a general election, though it acknowledged that chances of a Brexit deal have increase... More »
KOBE (Reuters) – If Canada’s players are feeling nervous ahead of Tuesday’s Rugby World Cup game against twice champions South Africa they are not showing it, with coach Kingsley Jones saying the squad is in party mood ahead of the Pool B clash in Kobe. The Sp... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Pepco Group, a European discount retailer, has appointed former Tesco (TSCO.L) executive Trevor Masters as managing director of its largest business PEPCO. The group, formerly called Pepkor Europe and part of South Africa’s Steinhoff (SNHJ.J... More »
KOBE (Reuters) – South Africa are expected to breeze past Canada in Tuesday’s Rugby World Cup match but while the Springboks see the game as a chance to rest key players ahead of the knockout stages captain Siya Kolisi is happy not to have been left on the sid... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will be cheering on his team from space when they take on South Africa in their pivotal Rugby World Cup clash. Parmitano will be watching Friday’s Pool B match from the International Space Station as it orbits... More »
DOHA (Reuters) – Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce powered her way to 100 meters gold on Sunday to become the first person to win four gold medals over the distance at the athletics world championships. Fraser-Pryce, who returned to the track in earnest only l... More »
LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia’s communications regulator said on Thursday it had canceled the license for Vodafone’s local franchise holder, citing a lack of technical and financial capacity. Vodafone in 2016 licensed Afrimax, a telecommunications service provider... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Precious metals enjoyed their second biggest inflows in the week to Wednesday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as festering trade tensions and global growth woes triggered a rush for safe haven assets. A total of $2.8 billion w... More »
VIEUX FORT, St Lucia (Reuters) – Endurance athlete Cameron Bellamy completed the longest recorded ocean channel swim on Sunday, covering the 151.7 km (94 miles) from Barbados to St Lucia in the Caribbean in 56 hours and 36 minutes, according to the official we... More »
(Reuters) – Powerhouse Brazil showed just what a threat it will be at surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo next year, claiming gold and bronze in the men’s division and silver in the women’s to win top overall team honors at a qualifying competition in Japan. Less... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s new government allowed a French charity ship to bring ashore 82 migrants on Saturday in an apparent reversal of the uncompromising, closed-door policy of the previous administration. However, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who heads t... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – This Sunday in South Africa, an accountant, an entrepreneur and a boxing executive are among 20 friends running the Cape Town marathon – with saplings strapped to their backs. The group are promoting the planting of native trees amid a nati... More »
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – There have been five confirmed deaths from cholera in Sudan’s Blue Nile state since Aug. 28, the health ministry said in a statement. The ministry reported 67 cases of cholera since that date, with 18 of them still receiving treatment in i... More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Alaa al-Habashi was looking for ingredients for a Ramadan feast when he stumbled on an Ottoman-era mansion being used as a slaughterhouse and butcher’s shop in Cairo’s historic Islamic district. “I was blindsided by the beauty,” the U.S.-trai... More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Alaa al-Habashi was looking for ingredients for a Ramadan feast when he stumbled on an Ottoman-era mansion being used as a slaughterhouse and butcher’s shop in Cairo’s historic Islamic district. “I was blindsided by the beauty,” the U.S.-trai... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Shares in the spin-off of South African e-commerce group Naspers surged more than 25% in the first minutes of their market debut in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Prosus comprises Naspers’ global empire of consumer internet assets, with the jewe... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that Europe had decided to uphold the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and would keep trying to find solutions that averted escalation. “Step by step we will keep trying to find solutions with Iran that preve... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will do its part to avoid a proxy war in Libya, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, warning that the situation in the north African country risked destabilizing the whole of Africa. “In Libya, a situation is developing that c... More »
HARARE (Reuters) – The body of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was expected in the country later on Wednesday, a family spokesman said, but his final resting place remained a source of mystery amid a dispute between some family members and the govern... More »
LAGOS (Reuters) – “Oya!” shouts the director in Nigerian Pidgin English. Actors take their marks. Lighting blinks on. The film crew snaps into action after the order to hurry up. It’s another day in Nollywood, the affectionate nickname for Nigeria’s film indus... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Magic realism is a literary genre in which narrative is shot through with surreal, dreamlike, seemingly impossible moments. If famed author Salman Rushdie is a dean of the genre, perhaps it is not surprising that his life exhibits so many ... More »
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – The death toll from Democratic Republic of Congo’s year-long Ebola outbreak has climbed above 2,000, government data showed on Friday, as responders battle to overcome community mistrust and widespread security pr... More »
KAMPALA (Reuters) – A 9-year-old girl has died of Ebola in the East African nation of Uganda, a hospital official said, a day after she tested positive for the disease after crossing the border from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “It is true ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday its market sentiment indicator has fallen to a level so bearish it has triggered a “contrarian” buy signal for assets considered more risky, such as equities, for the first time since January. The... More »
KAMPALA (Reuters) – A nine-year-old girl has died of Ebola in the East African nation of Uganda, a hospital official said, a day after she tested positive for the disease after crossing the border from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is true she ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists on Wednesday announced the landmark discovery in Ethiopia of a nearly complete skull of an early human ancestor that lived 3.8 million years ago, a species boasting an intriguing mixture of apelike and humanlike characteristic... More »
ALGIERS (Reuters) – On the face of it, Algeria’s state-dominated economy has weathered six months of turmoil well, with flightloads of public sector workers heading abroad for holidays even as protesters who ousted the veteran president in April now target his... More »
BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron paved the way at a G7 summit for a diplomatic solution to the standoff between Washington and Tehran over a 2015 nuclear deal, but there was little else to show from a meeting at which allies were s... More »
BIARRITZ, Belgium (Reuters) – France on Monday issued a short statement at the end of a meeting of G7 leaders on several issues, but it was not a communique along the lines of those usually drawn up at the annual summit, reflecting divisions. The issues were t... More »
(This August 21 story corrects to make clear Kiva a nonprofit organisation, not charity, paragraph 1.) By Cooper Inveen (Reuters) – Kiva, a San Francisco-based tech nonprofit organization, is using blockchain to create an online ID database in Sierra Leone all... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Seven eggs from the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos have been successfully fertilized artificially, reviving hopes of saving the endangered animals, scientists said on Monday. The world’s last male northern white rhinoceros... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Sovereign wealth funds’ distaste for equities mostly faded in the second quarter, with some investors turning to emerging- market passive equity funds, data from the research firm eVestment showed on Thursday. Passively managed equity funds ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Ahead of the annual remembrance day for the abolition of the slave trade, art conservationists are working to restore a rare painting of a kneeling African slave to go on display in the British port city of Liverpool. Acquired by the Interna... More »
LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Crude oil prices rose on Monday following a weekend attack on a Saudi oil facility by Yemeni separatists and as traders looked for signs that Sino-U.S. trade tensions could ease. Price gains were, however, capped to some degree by ... More »
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe police have banned an anti-government demonstration planned for Monday by the country’s main opposition party in the city of Bulawayo, saying it would likely result in “public disorder”. Police banned another demonstration planned b... More »
GOMA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said it has vaccinated over 1,300 people who potentially came into contact with the Ebola virus in the Congolese city of Goma, helping contain what many feared would be a rapid spread in an urban center. A year-lo... More »
MADRID (Reuters) – American actor Richard Gere on Friday visited 121 migrants stranded for the past week on a rescue ship in the Mediterranean, as the European Union’s executive urged member countries to show solidarity in finding a solution. Arriving on a boa... More »
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Space Communication said on Wednesday its Amos-17 communications satellite was launched into space and was enroute to its orbital position after separating from its SpaceX rocket. The Israeli satellite operator is counting on Amos-17, whi... More »
