AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenya’s polls chief cast doubt Wednesday on his organisation’s ability to hold a credible vote next week, as opposition leader Raila Odinga vowed to disrupt the election with mass protests. In the latest bombshell to hit the presidential election, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe has banned the importation of fruit and vegetables to save scarce foreign currency in the face of a worsening economic crisis, state media reported Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told The Herald that President Robert Mugabe had directed that the importation of horticultural products be …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | At least 50 people want to become Zimbabwe’s hangman, a job that fell vacant over a decade ago, officials said Tuesday, stressing that applicants were “very interested” in the role. The country, which has an unemployment rate of more than 90 percent by some measures, last …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Talks between representatives of rival authorities in strife-torn Libya have hit a new snag after a parliamentary delegation suspended its participation in the UN-backed discussions hosted by Tunisia. Years of political turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi have left Libya divided between …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Ugandan police on Wednesday banned what it termed illegal demonstrations over plans to remove presidential age limits, seen as paving the way for President Yoweri Museveni to serve a sixth term in office. A bill removing the age limit for the president was introduced in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Rent-a-room giant Airbnb said Tuesday that it had provided accommodation for 1.2 million visitors to Africa over the last year — double the previous year as tourism expands across the continent. The website now offers more than 100,000 accommodation options in Africa, global public affairs …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, who was shot and critically injured at his home last month, is now out of intensive care, his party CHADEMA said Tuesday. Lissu, who was attacked on September 7, left the unit at a hospital in Nairobi last week, after having …

United Nations, United States | AFP | South Sudan’s government has shown little interest in a new regional peace initiative that the United States has described as a final chance to end the war, the UN peacekeeping chief said Tuesday. The UN Security Council has thrown its weight behind the drive …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  One of Kenya’s eight election commissioners quit Wednesday in a searing statement accusing her colleagues of political bias and saying an upcoming presidential election cannot be credible. “The commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017. I …

  Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South African President Jacob Zuma sacked a vocal critic from his cabinet on Tuesday, a move set to deepen tensions before the ANC chooses a new party leader in December. In his second reshuffle this year, Zuma dropped higher education minister Blade Nzimande, …