Paris, France | AFP | Despite Marine Le Pen’s drubbing in the French presidential election, her far-right National Front party expanded its footprint in the political landscape — and confirmed its move into the mainstream. Her anti-immigrant, anti-Europe stance won a record 34 percent of ballots cast on Sunday, which …
Read More »Buhari vows support for freed Chibok girls
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday vowed to help to 82 schoolgirls who have been freed from more than three years of Boko Haram captivity after a prisoner swap. The girls — who were among more than 200 kidnapped in 2014 from the Government Girls …
Read More »Nigeria president Buhari leaves for ‘follow-up medical consultation’
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari headed to London on Sunday for what his office said was a “follow-up medical consultation” with his doctors, after weeks of mounting concern about his health. Presidency spokesman Femi Adesina said the 74-year-old doctors would determine how long he stayed in …
Read More »Five takeaways from Trump’s inauguration
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on Jan.20 in Washington. The day’s events contained all the pomp and circumstance meant to signify the peaceful transition of power. But Trump’s combative first speech as president also showcased his intent to shake things up in …
Read More »Protests after unarmed Ugandan Olango shot dead by US police
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Protesters gathered on Wednesday in a California town following the police shooting of an unarmed black man who was reportedly mentally ill. The man, identified by a relative as Ugandan native Alfred Olango, 30, was shot on Tuesday in the San Diego …
Read More »Trump, Clinton lock horns on taxes, email controversy
Hempstead, United States | AFP | Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump bickered and traded insults in a fiery US presidential debate Monday, as they aggressively pitched their case to tens of millions of American voters. With the White House rivals in a dead heat six weeks before election day, Clinton …
Read More »Uganda takes on the ‘world’s most dangerous road’
Witchcraft, poor roadwork and dangerous driving — all have been blamed for the killer highway whose users will often turn to prayer before taking the road. Mpigi, Uganda | AFP | Wearing pristine white with her woollen socks pulled high, Ugandan traffic police officer Edith Nanteza exudes natural authority at …
Read More »Zimbabwe to print substitute US dollars as cash runs out
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe announced Thursday it will introduce next month “bond notes” equivalent to the US dollar, sparking fears of a return to the hyperinflation that wrecked the economy several years ago. The country, led by authoritarian President Robert Mugabe, adopted the US dollar and South African …
Read More »South Sudan says Clooney’s corruption report is ‘rubbish’
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A report commissioned by actor-activist George Clooney alleging massive corruption and war profiteering by leaders of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, is “completely rubbish”, the government said Tuesday. A spokesman for President Salva Kiir said the report released in Washington at a high-profile …
Read More »South Sudan’s ‘violent kleptocrats’ profit from deadly war
Washington, United States | AFP | South Sudan’s warring leaders and their cronies have amassed fortunes — including foreign properties and stakes in international firms — while prosecuting a murderous conflict, George Clooney charged Monday. After presenting the results of a detailed two-year inquiry to the media, Hollywood stars Clooney …
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