HGE NEWS

No more QR codes: WhatsApp to let you log in on laptops, tablets with this new option To make WhatsApp more private and secure, the Meta-owned instant messaging app is reportedly working on a new way to link devices without depending entirely on QR codes. As per WABetaInfo, Whatsapp is developing a passkey-based device linking feature for Android that will make the process faster while adding another layer of security. The feature is still under development and is expected to

In Musina, in northeast South Africa, on the border with Zimbabwe, hundreds of undocumented migrants are preparing to return home following a wave of sometimes violent anti-migrant protests across the country. Meanwhile, nearby, some people are still seeking to enter South Africa and they do so, braving crocodiles to cross the Limpopo River via wooden rafts, before slipping away into the thorn scrub. This scene highlights how the protests have not deterred everyone. Some who

Nigeria said on Sunday that two of its nationals were killed in South Africa last month amid xenophobic violence targeting people from elsewhere on the continent. In a statement, it added that they died on 28 June in the build up to an end-of-month unofficial deadline by anti-illegal immigrant groups for foreigners to leave the country. Abuja said one of the men was allegedly killed by police officers in Pretoria and the other by unidentified attackers in Mpumalanga province.

Nigeria is expanding military cooperation with Benin and Niger to ward off jihadist groups from the Sahel trying to enter its northwest. A new tri-border military sector is being created to secure the Nigeria-Benin-Niger border, Nigeria’s defense minister said on Thursday. The plan is a "work in progress," Christopher Musa said, without giving a definite timeline. He also said he plans to visit Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in the coming months, all governed by military rulers

Uganda has launched the first phase of a large-scale evacuation of its citizens from South Africa, bringing home 273 nationals amid rising anti-illegal immigration protests and xenophobic violence. More charter flights are planned as hundreds more Ugandans seek voluntary repatriation. A total of 273 Ugandan nationals arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard a special Uganda Airlines charter flight in the early hours of Friday, marking the first phase of the government'

African and Caribbean leaders in Ghana on Friday urged former slave-trading nations to issue apologies and reparations over the trafficking of enslaved Africans after a landmark United Nations resolution in March declaring it “the gravest crime against humanity.” The 'Next Steps' conference in the Ghanaian capital of Accra issued a declaration calling on countries involved in the Atlantic slave trade to “offer full, formal and unconditional apologies as a foundational step to

Fitch Ratings raised South Africa's credit rating on Friday, citing stronger fiscal discipline and lower-than-expected debt, marking its first upgrade of the country in more than two decades. The agency lifted the rating one notch to 'BB' from 'BB-', keeping it below investment grade. "The upgrade primarily reflects South Africa's record of prudent fiscal management and progress on fiscal consolidation, despite weak economic growth and domestic and external shocks," the ratin

Traders are facing big losses after Uganda closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo over Ebola contagion fears. Leah Masika was on the verge of tears as she thought of her valuable consignment of plantain stuck in a long convoy of trucks on both sides of the Uganda-Congo border on Thursday. Her cargo, destined for Uganda, was starting to leak water, and would go bad within hours if there was no movement. The Ugandan trader was awaiting clearance from author

Counting is underway in Guinea after Sunday’s legislative and municipal elections. The vote marks a new step towards the return of democratic rule after the 2021 coup that brought President Mamadi Doumbouya to power. Seven million voters were eligible to elect 147 members of parliament. But turnout was reportedly low in the capital Conakry and the central city of Labe. Most candidates were drawn from the presidential camp after the government dissolved the main opposition par

Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus‑stricken cruise ship MV Hondius began flying home on military and government aircraft after the vessel anchored in Tenerife, with one American testing positive and a French traveler developing symptoms during their separate repatriation flights on Sunday. Evacuations under tight biosecurity after ship docks in Tenerife Seventeen Americans were flown out, and U.S. officials confirmed that one tested positive for hantavirus despite showi