West Africa

Tottenham Hotspur's Mohammed Kudus suffered a setback in his recovery from quad?injury. The struggling Premier League club announced this on?Thursday. This was a blow to the Ghanaian international. Kudus (?25) was injured against Sunderland when Thomas Frank was Tottenham's coach in January. He was expected to be back in March. Kudus did not play in any matches played by Frank's successor, Igor Tudor. Tudor left Tottenham last month. Ghanaian reports stated that Kudus, who scored 13 goals in 46 appearances for Ghana, would be out of action for three more months. This could mean he won't play in the World...

Transport drivers in three?locations in Guinea-Bissau, including the capital, went on strike Tuesday after the government raised fuel prices as a'response' to the Iran _war, but prohibited any increase in passenger fare. Residents reported that taxi and van drivers were not working in Gabu, which is the largest city of the east. They also said that Mansoa was the same. This forced passengers to walk long distances. Caram Gassama is the chairman of the country’s drivers’?union. He said that vans with at least 15 seats began their strike in Bissau on Tuesday. Taxis are expected to follow suit on Wednesday....

SITE Intelligence Group's footage, which tracks jihadist activities worldwide, shows that Islamic State militants blew up explosives and ran amok among passenger planes in an attack on Niger's international airport. Washington has ordered non-emergency employees of the government and their families to leave 'Niger due to safety concerns. Abdourahamane Tiani, the military leader of Niger, accused France and the presidents Benin and Ivory Coast of being the sponsors of the attack without providing any evidence. The Benin government denied the allegations, and Ivory Coast summoned Nigerien Ambassador Tiani to condemn his comments. Gunfire and loud blasts were heard throughout the...

According to a public letter published on Tuesday, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said he hadn't divested his shares in Republic Airways. However, he would continue not to be involved with any issues that might impact the airline’s finances while he worked to sell his holdings. Last week, Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell stated that Bryan Bedford, former CEO of Republic and FAA Administrator, had violated his ethics agreement because he hadn't completed the sale of shares within 90 days after his confirmation. Bedford informed Cantwell, in a Monday letter, that he was recused from any matters affecting...

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON DEC 12 - U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Friday that he would not allow military helicopters or commercial passenger planes?to come?into close proximity near Reagan Washington National Airport. This is despite a bill before Congress which some critics claim could cause unsafe traffic. The crash of an Army Black Hawk on January 29, near Reagan, between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk killed 67 people. It also raised concerns about aviation safety. We will not allow fixed-wing or helicopter traffic to cross that airspace. Duffy told a press briefing that...

Director general of the Nigerian civil aviation authority said that they are looking at certifying China’s C919 jets for Nigerian carriers. This is because Nigerian airlines have taken on more aircraft, and relations with Beijing are warming up. COMAC, a Chinese planemaker, is currently producing the C919 narrow-body aircraft to compete with the leading Western planemakers Airbus & Boeing and has had several discussions with Nigeria about the aircraft. This month, the Nigerian aviation minister said that Nigeria is open to COMAC to use the country as an access point to the larger African market. COMAC, the state-owned company, faces...

Director general of the Nigerian civil aviation authority said that they are looking at certifying China’s C919 for Nigerian carriers. This is because Nigerian airlines have taken on more aircraft, and relations with Beijing have been warming. COMAC, a Chinese plane manufacturer, is currently producing the C919 narrow-body aircraft to compete with the leading Western planemakers Airbus & Boeing and has had several discussions with Nigeria about the aircraft. COMAC, a state-owned company, is facing challenges in its bid to expand into the African market. The two models of its planes do not have benchmark certifications by Western regulators and...

The Mali Ministry of Territorial Administration announced on Thursday that the transitional government of Mali has filed a complaint against Algeria before the International Court of Justice accusing it of aggression after its neighbour shot down a Malian reconnaissance drone. Mali claimed that Algeria intentionally shot down its drone near Tinzaouaten, in Mali's Kidal Region, during the night between March 31 and April 1, near their shared desert frontier. The statement said: "This blatant attack, which the Malian government strongly condemns and was intended to hinder the neutralisation by the Malian Armed and Security Forces of armed terrorists, is the...

The CEO of Mexican airline Volaris said that he believes a solution to the dispute between the U.S.A. and Mexico in aviation may be reached within the next few days. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued orders on Saturday requiring Mexican Airlines to submit their flight schedules. Threatening to reject requests If the Mexican government does not respond to U.S. concerns about flight changes in Mexico City. Mexico was governed by the previous government. Move cargo flights The main airport in the capital city is being moved to a more distant, newer site. cutting passenger flight slots Enrique Beltranena, CEO...

Sheinbaum pointed out that the United States had not yet informed her government in writing of any possible sanctions against Mexico's aviation sector. She said she did not see a reason why the neighboring nation would take such measures. The comments follow the U.S. Department of Transportation's announcement on Saturday that it would respond to Mexico's decision of cutting flight slots and forcing cargo carriers to move operations to Mexico City. This will affect U.S. Airlines. Sheinbaum stated in her daily press briefing that there was no reason to sanction Mexico for the changes made to its airport system. Sean...

The Trump administration announced Saturday that it will take a number of actions against Mexico in response to the Mexican government's decision to cancel some flight slots for U.S. airlines and to force U.S. freight carriers to relocate their operations to Mexico City. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, said that if Mexico fails to respond to U.S. concerns about decisions made in 2022 or 2023, the department may disapprove Mexican flight requests. Department of Transportation also proposes to remove antitrust immunity for the joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in order to address issues with the competitive...

On Monday, a group of countries, including France, Kenya and Spain, pledged to tax private jets and premium-class flights in order to raise money for climate action. Despite the fact that many wealthy nations are reducing their official development assistance to developing countries and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, others have looked for new funding sources, such as taxing polluting industry. The announcement made on the first day of the U.N. Development Summit in Seville, Spain was the first from the "Sevilla Platform for Action", which aims to implement the new global financing framework that had been agreed...

CMA CGM announced that it had suspended all cargo shipments from Mali. The French group also said road transport was experiencing difficulties due to safety issues and fuel shortages. Early in September, the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin announced a ban on fuel imports into this landlocked West African nation. Since then, the group has attacked convoys that were trying to enter the country and reach Bamako. CMA CGM India's website said Wednesday that road shipments from Mali have been suspended until further notice. The group issued a statement saying that it would not accept new bookings of...

Mali's state media reported late Monday that militants affiliated with the Islamic State have freed four Moroccan truckers kidnapped back in January. This shows the growing intelligence collaboration between Mali and Morocco. A diplomatic source at the time said that in January, three men and their trucks vanished while traveling without escorts from Dori, Burkina Faso, to Tera, Niger. This area is known for its jihadist threat. State media broadcast footage of them with Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali's junta. The report said that they were freed Sunday. Burkina Faso led by the Junta, Niger and Mali battling militants...

Steyr Automotive, Austria's electric truck manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it has received an order from China's SuperPanther to produce electric trucks in Europe for its sale. Chinese automakers are expanding in Europe. They are betting on their low prices and advanced technology, to penetrate a market that is traditionally dominated only by European and American brands. This expansion has stoked tensions in trade between Brussels and Beijing. There is also a dispute over EU tariffs imposed on EVs made in China to protect European producers. China can avoid tariffs on its models if they are manufactured in Europe. Steyr...

4 Moroccan truck chauffeurs went missing on Saturday as they crossed the restive border area between Burkina Faso and Niger, a source from the Moroccan embassy in Burkina Faso and a Moroccan transportation union stated. Three trucks, one carrying a spare motorist, vanished as they drove without an escort from Dori in Burkina Faso to Tera in Niger, an area understood for Jihadist risks, the diplomatic source said. Junta-led Burkina Faso and Niger are battling Islamist militant groups connected to al Qaeda and Islamic State, whose insurgencies have actually destabilised Sahel states in West Africa over the previous years. The...