TANZANIA: Magufuli critic Tundu Lissu shot and wounded Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Gunmen shot and wounded prominent Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu, an outspoken government critic, outside his home in the capital Dodoma. The opposition, rights groups and Tanzania’s government expressed shock and demanded a full investigation. “The attack …
Read More »Leaked Chebukati memo reveals failings in Kenya’s election
THINGS FALL APART: Leaked Chebukati memo reveals failings in Kenya’s election body Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The chairman of Kenya’s election commission has written to the panel’s CEO, questioning a host of failings in the conduct of last month’s presidential poll, annulled by the Supreme Court. In the …
Read More »S.Africa business confidence lowest in 32 years: survey
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Business confidence in South Africa has plummeted to its lowest level in more than 30 years as political uncertainty, unemployment and dwindling trade weighed heavily, a survey showed Wednesday. South Africa’s economy, which is the most developed in Africa, is plagued by sluggish growth …
Read More »Massive protests in Togo for constitutional reform
Lome, Togo | AFP | Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters protested across Togo on Wednesday calling for constitutional reform, despite an apparent government concession to their demands. Amnesty International country head Aime Adi told AFP “at least 100,000” were in the capital, Lome, with similar demonstrations taking place in …
Read More »Angola’s ruling MPLA wins election
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola’s Electoral Commission declared Wednesday that the ruling MPLA party had won last month’s election, in a victory that allows outgoing President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to install a party loyalist in his place after 38 years in power. The Popular Movement for the Liberation …
Read More »Southern Africa panel to probe Lesotho assassination
Maseru, Lesotho | AFP | Southern Africa’s regional body on Wednesday said it was sending a rapid-response team to probe the assassination of Lesotho’s army commander, a killing it lashed as “barbaric” and a blow to peace efforts. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been trying to foster peace …
Read More »Egypt, US armies set to resume joint exercise
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s military will host a biennial exercise with the US army next week for the first time since 2009, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The Bright Star exercise, scheduled every two years since 1981, will take place this year from September 10 …
Read More »‘Migration cannot be stopped, but can be managed’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 4th International Conference NOW in Kampala on “African Youth and Migration” concluded on Tuesday with a call to the African (AU) and European Union (EU) to try to develop common concepts of managing – not stopping – migration. “The AU and EU should work …
Read More »Buhari’s Nigeria, Zuma’s South Africa exit recession in Q2
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria and South Africa have both exited recession, notching up economic growth of 0.6 percent and 2.5 percent respectively in the second quarter, official data showed on Tuesday. Nigeria’s economy returned to growth after five consecutive quarters of contraction, driven by a strong performance in …
Read More »Bell Pottinger accused of ‘racial’ S.Africa PR campaign
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British public relations firm Bell Pottinger was expelled from a trade body Tuesday over a controversial campaign in South Africa which was found “likely to inflame racial discord”. The decision by the Britain-based Public Relations and Communications Associations (PRCA) comes after Bell Pottinger ran a …
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