Africa

Clashes between Sudan military factions spill over into full-scale violence

5:17pm April 15, 2023

Fighting erupted Saturday morning in Sudan's capital Khartoum between two factions of Sudan's armed forces, with reports of gunfire and explosions across the city.

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A program called MomConnect fields questions via mobile phone about pregnancy and babies. It started in South Africa and now is offered in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Timor-Leste as well.

Health & Safety

A robot answers questions about health. Its creators just won a $2.25 million prize

12:49pm April 14, 2023

by Ari Daniel

At the Skoll World Forum this week, South Africa's Reach Digital Health was one of five honorees. They offer health advice via mobile phones to millions, focusing on pregnancy, babies and COVID.

World News

Tunisian authorities target Black migrants in crackdown on sub-Saharan Africans

5:20am April 12, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Authorities in Tunisia are targeting Black migrants in a crackdown on sub-Saharan Africans. NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with NYU Abu Dhabi professor Monica Marks, who's been talking to affected migrants.

The slither of a deadly Cobra in a cockpit prompted an emergency landing

5:44pm April 08, 2023

by Kate Bartlett

Of all the things to go wrong midair in the cockpit of a plane, finding an unwanted poisonous snake under the pilot's seat must surely be one of the worst scenarios.

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How Nakhane wrote an 'existential sex album'

6:04pm April 05, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with South African musician Nakhane about their new album, Bastard Jargon. Percussive and made for the dancefloor, it also probes deep cultural and political questions.

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During his flight on Monday, "As I turned to my left and looked down, I could see the head of the snake receding back underneath my seat," pilot Rudolf Erasmus says. "At which point there was a moment of stunned silence, to be brutally honest." He turned the plane around and landed safely at a nearby airport.

World News

He felt the slither of a venomous snake in the cockpit — then turned the plane around

4:18pm April 05, 2023

by Kate Bartlett

South African pilot Rudolf Erasmus made an emergency landing after discovering a Cape cobra accompanying him in the cockpit on Monday. The snake has not been found again since the plane landed.

Lagos, the biggest city in Nigeria, is experiencing a population boom

5:13am April 05, 2023

by Emmanuel Akinwotu

Nigeria's megacity Lagos is the economic engine for the most populous country in Africa. But the booming city is unprepared for the influx of those searching for a better life.

Members of the Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda engage in the ritual of burning leavened foods before the Jewish holiday of Passover. There are some 2,500 Abayudaya Jews in the country. In the past they have faced persecution for their beliefs but are steadfast in their commitment to Judaism.

For Passover, I sent matzo to the Jews of Uganda. They've given me a gift as well

11:09am April 02, 2023

by Dan Ornstein

An American rabbi reflects on his online friendship with Jacob, a member of Uganda's Abayudaya Jewish community — and what he has learned from their conversations.

June Steenkamp, the mother of Reeva Steenkamp sits inside the correctional service car Thursday at the Atteridgeville Prison for the parole hearing of Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria, South Africa.

Oscar Pistorius, South African Olympian, is denied parole in his girlfriend's murder

1:34pm March 31, 2023

by The Associated Press

Pistorius was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for in 2017, four years after he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp in their home, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff listen to a guide as they tour Ghana's Cape Coast slave castle, a prison and embarkation point for slaves en route to the Americas.

Vice President Harris wiped away tears as she toured Ghana's Cape Coast slave castle

4:51pm March 28, 2023

by Deepa Shivaram

The vice president visited a castle that was one of the last stops before enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic. "The horror of what happened here must always be remembered," she said.