Daily News on Issues Affecting Africa for August 12th

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are: Chinese aid towards Ebola, South Africa's views on Israel, art and war in Sudan, and Nigeria's power struggle.

Chinese Government Brings in U.S$1.7 Million Ebola Materials

The Government of the People's Republic of China has donated several health materials valued at US$1.7m to boost up government's efforts to fight the deadly Ebola virus that has claimed the lives of many Liberians. Presenting the items on behalf of the Chinese Government yesterday, the Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, Yur Zhany, said the donation is the Chinese people's way of identifying with Liberia as the country strives to fight the Ebola virus.

To Read More from AllAfrica Click Here

Gaza conflict: South Africa's Mbeki calls for Israeli goods boycott

South Africa's ex-President Thabo Mbeki has called for a boycott of Israeli goods to show solidarity with Palestinians. The public should mobilise against Israel so that it "does pay a price for the position that it is taking", Mr Mbeki said in the capital, Pretoria. About 2,000 people, mostly Palestinians, have died in the conflict in Gaza since July. Most South Africans have historically supported the Palestinians. BBC South Africa analyst Farouk Chothia says they include the country's first black president - the late Nelson Mandela - Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and prominent Jewish leaders such as Ronnie Kasrils and the late Joe Slovo.

To Read More from BBC Africa Click Here

Can artist campaigns help reunite the center and the periphery in Sudan?

In the 1990s, as the war continued to escalate in Southern Sudan, Northern Sudanese activists arrived in conflict-affected areas in what was called a 'peace convoy'. Initially the activists felt they were "mistrusted and no-one wanted to speak" to them, but after some days, this changed and people began to open up. Much the same has happened since 2011, when war broke out in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan and activists began pitching the idea of visiting the conflict areas and the refugee camps to send a message of solidarity.

To Read More from African Arguments Click Here

Nigeria's Power Problem

LAGOS, Nigeria — The NEPA people came the other day. Actually, their official name has changed, but NEPA — an acronym for the utility formally known as the National Electric Power Authority — is easier to say and jibes so well with our expectations: Never Expect Power Always. Though the organization is now called the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the new name doesn't work as an acronym, though its initials, P.H.C.N., are popularly agreed to stand for: Problem Has Changed Name.

To Read More from the New York Times Click Here

The rise of Africa's banking champions

A significant part of private equity investment in Africa is being targeted specifically at the financial services and telecommunications sectors, both of which benefit directly from Africa's strong economic revival and population growth. As a result, there has been a rapid expansion of banking activities across the continent in recent years that, encouragingly, has not been driven by global/western banks alone.

To Read More from How We Made it in Africa Click Here