Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria’s longest-serving president and a veteran of the independence struggle who has held on to power for some 20 years despite ill health. The 82-year-old survived the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled other leaders in the region. But after weeks of demonstrations …
Read More »Facebook’s call for global internet regulation sparks debate
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s call for “globally harmonized” online regulation raises questions about how internet platforms can deal with concerns about misinformation and abusive content while remaining open to free speech. Here are key questions about the latest proposal from Facebook: What is Facebook …
Read More »Algeria’s Bouteflika to resign ‘before mandate ends’
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said Monday, after a succession of loyalists deserted him in the face of massive protests. The 82-year-old, who has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, …
Read More »Gun control, climate: a new US generation takes to the barricades
New York, United States | AFP | In the United States, David Hogg is a leading campaigner for gun control, while in Europe, Greta Thunberg fights to defend the climate. They may only be teenagers, but both have drawn worldwide followings for their clear messages and fierce commitment — symbols …
Read More »A tale of two Delhis: Deadly air exposes rich-poor divide
New Delhi, India | AFP | Walls draped in lush vertical gardens and air filtered through purifiers insulate diners at a swanky New Delhi food court from the choking haze outside in one of the most polluted places on earth. But these eco-eateries, offering cleaner air as well as modern …
Read More »Rwanda’s genocide killers learn new life back home
Mutobo, Rwanda | AFP | Dozens of ex-militia killers stroll around an open camp beneath mist-shrouded volcanoes in Rwanda. They are learning to reintegrate into the country whose government they have spent years trying to overthrow. These are men who helped carry out Rwanda’s horrific 1994 genocide, and then formed …
Read More »Stanbic suspends trading on Uganda Securities Exchange
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Stanbic Bank Holdings Limited has suspended trading on the Kampala based Uganda Securities Exchange until further notice. In a notice signed by Paul Bwiso, the USE chief executive officer, circulated on April 01, said that the institution is undergoing reorganization through the formation …
Read More »White House 2020 spouses eye new title: First Gentleman
Washington, United States | AFP | From Martha Washington to Melania Trump, the role of US first lady is as old as the republic itself. But if one of half a dozen Democrat hopefuls get their way in 2020, the nation could soon have a first gentleman — potentially …
Read More »One year on, tough times loom for Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | In his first speech as Ethiopian prime minister last April, Abiy Ahmed called for an end to the repressive, exclusionary governance that had plunged the country into turmoil. It was a promise on which he is seen to have delivered dramatically, earning him both …
Read More »Comedian heads to run-off against incumbent for Ukraine presidency
Kiev, Ukraine | AFP | Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky topped the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election Sunday, exit polls showed, setting him up for a run-off with the incumbent after voters expressed frustration over corruption and a stalling economy. When he announced his long-shot candidacy at the start of the …
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