More than 600 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 34 countries in Africa as of 19 March, compared with 147 cases one week ago. Although the region has seen a significant increase in confirmed cases recently, there are still fewer cases than in other parts of the world. “The rapid evolution of COVID-19 in […]

São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea have agreed on the establishment of a Special Zone for Joint Exploration to explore and develop cross-border oil and gas reserves believed to be in the blocks bordering each country’s maritime zone. The decision was taken during a meeting this week in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital, between Osvaldo […]

The African Development Bank on Wednesday announced health and safety measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in countries where it has a presence, including its headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The measures include telecommuting, video conferencing in lieu of physical meetings, the suspension of visits to bank buildings, and the cancellation of […]

Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, and the increasing measures being imposed by the Swiss authorities in response to the pandemic, the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland has postponed the trial of Liberian war crimes’ suspect Alieu Kosiah. The trial was scheduled to take place in Bellinzona, Switzerland, from April 14 to April 30, 2020. The court […]

President George made the following statement on Monday in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, after the West African country recorded its first case of the coronavirus. MY FELLOW CITIZENS AND FOREIGN RESIDENTS: I would like to speak directly to you today concerning the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is rapidly spreading around the world. The spread of this […]

The Norwegian Government has announced the closure of Norway’s border to foreign nationals who lack a residence permit in Norway. They will be turned away at the border under provisions of a Norwegian law relating to the control of communicable diseases. Temporary entry and exit controls will also be introduced at the internal Schengen border. […]

On 11 March, the Swedish Government adopted an ordinance on a prohibition against holding public gatherings and events. What does this decision mean? The Government is making use of the possibility in the Public Order Act (Chapter 2, Section 15) to prohibit public gatherings and events if this is necessary to combat an epidemic. The […]

A Sierra Leonean national, Gibril Massaquoi, was arrested on Tuesday in Tampere, Finland, by the Finnish police who suspect that he committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Liberia between 1999 and 2003. The crimes he allegedly committed include homicide, sexual violence, and the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Gibril Massaquoi was in the […]

Facebook has announced the launch of its Community Accelerator program which will be available in the following countries across South Saharan Africa: South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.   An evolution of the Facebook Community Leadership Program (FCLP), this six-month accelerator program provides training, mentorship and funding to help community leaders grow their communities. Up to $3 […]

The Swedish Government has appointed a commission for gender-equal lifetime earnings. The commission has been instructed to present proposals that aim to increase economic equality between women and men in Sweden in the long term. Minister for Gender Equality Åsa Lindhagen said “Historically, Sweden has made major progress with regard to economic equality. “Despite this, […]