You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Africa 54 Managing Editor Vincent Makori and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
The long-running dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Nile River Dam project remains unresolved, and on the streets of Cairo, Ethiopian residents say racism and hostilities against them are intensifying. This comes as rains in Ethiopia are filling the reservoir of the controversial dam upstream, a development Egyptians see as an existential threat.
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has formally accepted the nomination of the ruling party to be its presidential candidate in October’s election. Opponents say a third term for Ouattara is against the constitution. Ouattara told supporters of the Rally of the Republican Party he is accepting the call to run in the interest of the nation and in order to continue putting his experience at the service of the country. Ouattara’s opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again, but Ouattara says his first two mandates do not count under the new constitution adopted in 2016.
Africa has reached a grim new COVID-19 milestone, topping one-million cases of coronavirus, according to Reuters. The disease is now spreading rapidly across a continent whose relative isolation had spared it the worst of the pandemic. Nearly 22,000 people have died from the highly contagious disease -- but over 676,000 people have recovered.
South Africa - which is the world's fifth worst-hit nation and makes up more than 50 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s cases has recorded more than 538,000 infections. Public health services in the country are overwhelmed and there are shortages of beds, protective gear and nurses. Covid-19 patients sometimes have to be treated alongside non-coronavirus patients.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says ten countries account for the vast majority of new COVID-19 testing taking place in Africa.
Uganda's crumbling public hospitals, doctors' strikes and corruption scandals make its success in the fight against coronavirus all the more unlikely. But at what price?
Two NASA astronauts safely landed back on earth after a trip to the international space station. Their historic journey aboard a commercial craft marked SpaceX’s first crewed flight raising hope for future travel.
A54 Entertainment: Kenya’s top afro-pop band, Sauti Sol teams up with Soweto Gospel Choir to bring us "Brighter Days”. Heather Maxwell, host of Music Time in Africa, presents her song of the week with Kwame Ofori. This Kenya - South Africa collaboration brings positivity and hope with the promise of brighter days.
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