APO International

 The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-idb.org), the trade finance arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, announced that two of its trade finance deals have been honored in the prestigious Islamic Finance News (IFN) Deal of the Year Awards for 2024. In Egypt, the ITFC record-breaking US$604 million syndicated financing for the Arab Republic of Egypt represented by Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) was recognized as the Sovereign […]

 The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) hails the setting up of the national preventive mechanisms (NPMs) in Benin, Madagascar, Nigeria, and South Africa as a significant step in advancing and fulfilling their obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). “The OPCAT’s torture prevention architecture is built on the partnership between the SPT, the international body designated by the treaty, and the NPMs, our national counterparts. These national partners […]

 The warning over essential supplies at North Darfur’s Zamzam camp comes after families and children have endured seven months of living in famine conditions, with crippling food shortages and a lack of basic services. Heavy shelling and heightened violence in recent weeks have put children at increased risk and further complicated efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance, with access to the camp now nearly impossible, the aid agency said. Time is running out […]

 The World Health Organization (WHO) has intensified its response efforts to combat a cholera outbreak in Ethiopia’s Gambella region, which has infected more than 1,200 people. The outbreak, first detected in Akobo Woreda on February 11, has since spread to eight woredas and four refugee camps. As part of its intervention, WHO has deployed a surge team of experts to provide on-site support for the response, these specialists, who focus […]

 Bank of Uganda is set to regulate operations of mortgage refinancing institutions once the Mortgage Refinance Institutions Bill, 2025 is passed into law. The Bill mandates the Central Bank to consider applications for approval to carry out Islamic mortgage refinance business. “A person shall not conduct a mortgage refinance business in Uganda without a licence or an approval in the case of Islamic mortgage refinance business issued by the Central Bank […]

 After an interview process, the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has recommended the names of nine people to fill vacancies on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Board. Committee Chairperson Ms Liezl van der Merwe said that as the committee finalises the interviews and scoring processes, it is imperative to acknowledge the significant challenges youth unemployment pose to the nation. The NYDA plays a pivotal role […]

 The 12th Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee (RSC12) of the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) for Africa is underway in Mbabane, Eswatini, from March 11 to 13, 2025. This pivotal gathering brings together key stakeholders from the African Union (AU), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Research Institutes to address […]

 President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Dharambeer Gokhool of Mauritius on the occasion of his country's Independence Day. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, also sent similar messages to […]

 Just before dawn on a February morning, the smell of burning thatch suddenly filled the air. Neighbours immediately rushed to the scene, and yet they arrived too late. Inside what used to be a home, they found the charred remains of a young woman and her children. The horrific sight of this suicide scene was met with mourning whispers, then village life moved on, back to business pretty much as […]