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Image copyright CAROLINE MWAWASI/TUKO Image caption Peninah Bahati Kitsao says the help she has received is "a miracle" Kenyans have rallied to the aid of a widow filmed cooking stones for her eight children to make them believe she was preparing food for them. Peninah Bahati Kitsao, who lives in Mombasa, hoped they would fall asleep while they waited for their meal. She used to wash laundry locally but such work is hard to come by now as people have restricted their interactions because of coronavirus. A shocked neighbour, Prisca Momanyi, alerted the media to her plight. After being interviewed by Kenya's NTV , the widow has received money via mobile phone and through a bank account that was opened for her by Ms Momanyi, as the mother of eight does not know how to read and write. Ms Kitsao, who lives in a two-bedroomed house without running water or electricity, has described the generosity as a "miracle". "I didn't believe that Kenyans ca...

By Suleiman Ugbokhe Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi, Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area The Executive Chairman of Etsako East local government area, Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi has wished the Muslim faithful a successful observance of Ramadan (fasting), which commences today. The one-month long fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, mandates Muslims to abstain from food from dawn to dusk everyday during the period. Hon. (Mrs) Benedicta Ebuehi, while wishing the Muslims a spiritually rewarding fasting, appealed to them to continue to comply with government guidelines aimed at curtailing the deadly coronavirus pandemic. "One of these guidelines is social distancing, which discourages crowding - a reason why both Christians and Muslims have been enjoined to suspend congregational prayers for now until coronavirus pandemic is brought to an end," the Executive Chairman said. "It is well known that one of the hallmarks of Ramadan ...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption The satellite was launched from the remote Central Desert, according to the IRGC Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has successfully launched a military satellite into orbit for the first time. The satellite, named Nur ("Light"), reached an orbit of 425km (264 miles) after being carried by a three-stage Qased launcher, a statement said. Iran has attempted several launches in the past year that have failed. If the success of Wednesday's launch is verified, it seems likely to add to the tensions between Iran and the US. Hours afterwards,  President Donald Trump tweeted  that he had instructed the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea". He appeared to be referring to an incident in the Gulf a week ago, in which the US said  11 IRGC Navy vessels repeatedly conducted "harassing" approaches of six US Navy and Coast Guard ships . I...

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption So far coronavirus deaths in Africa have been much fewer than in Europe and the US Africa could become the next epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. UN officials also say it is likely the pandemic will kill at least 300,000 people in Africa and push nearly 30 million into poverty. The past week in Africa has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. There have been almost 1,000 deaths and almost 19,000 infections across Africa, so far much lower rates than in parts of Europe and the US. The UN Economic Commission for Africa - which warned 300,000 could die - called for a $100bn (£80bn) safety net for the continent, including halting external debt payments. The WHO says the virus appears to be spreading away from African capitals. It has also highlighted that the continent lacks ventilators to deal with a pandemic. More than a third of Africa's population lacks access to adequat...