Mass kidnap of 129 students unprecedented in uprising that has killed 1,500 people so far this year Twenty-four more Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists have escaped but 85 are still missing, an education official said on Friday. Continue reading... ...
Civil service global roundup: Lagos governor encourages younger leaders and veterans favoured in US federal hiring The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies is organising a two-and-a-half-day training programme on the prevention of mass atrocities. Continue reading... ...
The archbishop of Canterbury has had successes over female bishops and payday lenders, and is now trying to steer the church away from telling people how to behave Justin Welby now looks like the best archbishop of Canterbury the Church of England could possibly have, but when he was appointed he was almost unknown, and had only been a diocesan bishop for nine months. What got him the job after he...
Ukraine, Syria, Nigeria - hidden dangers ahead Little or no appetite for international action Last weekend, John Brennan, director of the CIA visited Kiev. Apart from giving moral support to the interim Ukrainian government he offered what is described as "non-lethal" assistance, almost certainly kit to counter Russian jamming and protect their own communications. "In today's digital...
What can the rest of the developing world learn from Brazil's economic development and narrowing inequality gap? Researchers explain the three elements of sustained growth Brazil isn't getting the best press at the moment, with ongoing problems with the construction of the World Cup stadiums and protests about public services . Recently economic growth in the country has slowed , with some commentators...
Islamic militants killed at least 71 people in a bus station bombing and kidnapped 100 school girls this week. Despite his bold words, President Goodluck Jonathan is failing to address the problem, says Simon Allison At the beginning of this year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said its only a matter of time before his government defeats Islamist militant group Boko Haram . Boko Haram insurgency...
Headteacher says only 14 of 129 kidnapped schoolgirls have returned after army claims almost all had been freed The fate of more than 100 girls and young women abducted by Islamic extremists was thrown into uncertainty when their school's headteacher denied a report from Nigeria's military that almost all the students were free. "Up till now we are still waiting and praying for the safe return...
Nigeria's military says schoolgirls have been let go but eight of more than 100 are still unaccounted for Scores of female students kidnapped by suspected Islamic militants from a school in the north-east of Nigerian have been freed, Nigeria's military reported on Wednesday. Only eight of more than 100 students are unaccounted for, major general Chris Olukolade said in a statement that gave no details....
We Nigerians must deal with our fear of examining the civil war and the wrongs of the past. Biyi Bandele's new film is a step forward Half of a Yellow Sun, Biyi Bandele's new film adaption of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel , explores the effect of the Nigerian civil war on the lives of four characters. It is a subtle movie of a large war, intimate and revealing of the personal tragedies...
Officials say about 100 pupils were abducted from school, but some later escaped from open truck Suspected Islamist extremists have abducted about 100 female pupils from a school in north-east Nigeria, but some later escaped from the back of an open truck, officials say. The girls were abducted after midnight from a school in Chibok, on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, an insurgent hideout, said the...
International development secretary says system must be overhauled to ensure that more is done to prepare for disasters The global humanitarian aid system is being "stretched to breaking point" by climate change, war, population growth and extremism, and must be overhauled to ensure that more is done to prepare for disasters rather than merely relieve them, the British government will warn...
This adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel, though often sluggish, is a valuable reminder of Britain's toxic post-imperial legacy Some of Britain's notable "postcolonial" fiction has translated uneasily into cinema: Monica Ali's Brick Lane and Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children didn't entirely work as movies. Zadie Smith's White Teeth was adapted, with more success, as a television...
Nigeria's GDP has been revised up by 89%. Here are five things this tells us about the finances of Africa's most populous nation Nigeria is now officially Africas biggest economy . Its GDP was revised up to £307bn this week, after economists re-adjusted the way they calculate the figures for more than 24 years. Most other countries go through this process (known as "rebasing") every...
My friend Anne Bent, who has died aged 91, was an influential figure in the teaching of midwives: she drew up the first UK midwifery rules and established the first full-time training course for midwifery teachers. Although she worked mostly in England, Anne's experience in Africa in the 1960s laid the foundation for her later achievements. Having joined the Church Mission Society in 1951, she was...
With retro fashion hot on the continent right now, This is Africa catches up with Loux the Vintage Guru the designer behind Namibia's sharpest dressers Black hipsters in tweed jackets and round spectacles? Trilby hats? Oversize coats? From the fashionistas of Lagos to the streets of Jozi, vintage is trending in Africa right now. And at the forefront is Namibian designer Loux the Vintage Guru, who...
Nigeria's recalculation of gross domestic product data to include Nollywood nudges country well ahead of South Africa Nigeria has overtaken South Africa as the continent's largest economy after it overhauled its gross domestic product data for the first time in more than two decades. Official figures for 2013, released by Nigeria's statistics bureau, put the country's GDP at $503bn (£307bn) nearly...
Complicated statistical recalculation adds $240bn to the economy - the equivalent of finding six Ghanas within Nigeria, says Tolu Ogunlesi After months of delays and mounting anticipation, Nigerias economy has been officially rebased. It is now worth $510bn (2013 figures) an 89% rise, far in excess of analysts predictions. Nigeria is now Africas largest economy, pushing South Africa to a distant second...
Nigerian economy worth $510bn, far more than previous estimate of $292bn and surpassing South Africa's $353bn Officials say Nigeria's recalculated economy is worth $510bn (£307bn), by far the biggest in Africa, easily surpassing that of the previous continental titleholder, South Africa, at $353bn. The figures are the result of the first recount since 1990 of the GDP of Africa's biggest oil producer....
Multinationals sought legal support from UK government to fight allegations of rights abuses in Nigeria and Papua New Guinea The extent of lobbying conducted by Shell and Rio Tinto in seeking legal support from the UK government to dismiss allegations of human rights abuses has been revealed in internal memorandums released by the Foreign Office. The documents, obtained by the Corporate Responsibility...
Civil service global roundup: Thailand toasts its civil servants and New Zealand commission vows to fight gender inequality About 1,050 civil servants who were working in the service illegally will be retired in the next three weeks, the Daily Times of Nigeria reported . Continue reading... ...