Mark C. Toner Deputy Spokesperson Daily Press Briefing Washington, DC April 6, 2016 (Excerpt – Nigeria): QUESTION: — regarding the Chibok girls. What has the U.S. Government done since 2014 to help facilitate their return? MR TONER: Right. You’re talking about the – right, the Chibok girls from Nigeria. Well, it’s the second anniversary, I […]
Tag: africa
USAID Joins Nespresso and TechnoServe to Support South Sudan's Coffee Farmers
Today the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it will invest $3.18 million to strengthen efforts to rebuild the coffee industry in South Sudan and improve coffee farmer livelihoods. USAID is partnering with Nespresso and TechnoServe, a non-profit development organization, in this joint effort. The country's coffee industry was decimated after years of civil […]
What is permissible and what is not when countering terrorism? UN experts welcome new African guidelines
A group of eighteen United Nations independent experts* has welcomed the new Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights while Countering Terrorism in Africa launched this year by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Speaking ahead of an upcoming ACHPR’s panel discussion in Banjul, The Gambia (11 April), in which Member States […]
February Demand Growth Stays Strong
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for February showing continuing strong demand growth for domestic and international travel. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 8.6%, compared to the same month last year. Monthly capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 9.6%, and load factor declined 0.7 percentage points to […]
Orange completes the acquisition of the Liberian mobile operator Cellcom
Orange (www.Orange.com) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of 100% of Cellcom, Liberia’s leading mobile operator(1), through its subsidiary Orange Côte d’Ivoire. Less than three months after signing the agreement with Cellcom Telecommunications Limited for the acquisition of its Liberian subsidiary, Orange has obtained all the official approbations necessary to complete the transaction. […]
MSF criticises humanitarian community for severe lack of medicine in South Sudan
International donors and the broader humanitarian community must take immediate action to address widespread shortages of essential medicines in South Sudan, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today in an open letter from MSF international president Dr. Joanne Liu. “The conflict in South Sudan has now continued for over two years, […]
U.S. Speaker of the House Visits Egypt
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo is pleased to welcome to Egypt the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, who is leading a delegation from the U.S. Congress for meetings with Egyptian officials on April 7. Speaker Ryan and the delegation plan to meet with President Sisi to discuss shared interests related […]
Robust outlook for global cereal supplies in 2016
World cereal production in 2016 is set to amount to 2 521 million tonnes, just 0.2 percent off last year's large output and the third-highest global performance on record, according to FAO's first forecast for the new season, released today. Large inventory levels and relatively sluggish global demand mean that market conditions for staple food […]
Top UN Development Official commends Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2030
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator and Chair of the UN Development Group, Helen Clark, congratulated H.E. Abdel Fattah El Sisi President of the Arab Republic of Egypt for his leadership on Egypt’s forward-looking Sustainable Development Strategy that he launched last month. Ms. Clark commended the emphasis that Egypt’s 2030 vision puts on key […]
UK special Representative for Climate Change to visit South Africa
Sir David King, the UK Foreign Secretary’s permanent Special Representative for Climate Change, will visit South Africa from 10-12 April 2016. His visit will focus on the Mission Innovation agreement as a follow up to the COP21 discussions in Paris in 2015. In June this year, Mission Innovation’s 20 signatory states, of which the UK […]