Beijing, China | AFP | In China, where children are often saddled with a packed schedule of extracurricular activities before they even enter grade school, some parents are making room for a surprising pursuit: hip-hop dance classes. Inside a dance studio in central Beijing, a group of kids bopped up …
Read More »UN calls for calm after shots fired in Rohingya camp in Myanmar
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | The UN has called for calm after several Rohingya Muslims were shot and wounded in a Rakhine state camp, in a raid linked to the failed escape of more than 100 of the stateless minority from the grim settlements. Some 120,000 Rohingya have languished in …
Read More »Nigeria’s pro-business opposition leader launches campaign
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s opposition leader Atiku Abubakar launched his presidential campaign on Monday vowing to create millions of jobs to tackle rising inequality and insecurity in Africa’s top oil producer. Seated for a nine-minute address streamed live on Facebook and Twitter, Abubakar laid out his plan to …
Read More »Trump plans key staff changes at crucial point in presidency
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is planning to make several key staffing changes as he prepares to deal with newly empowered Democrats and with the looming outcome of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. “I have three or four or five positions that …
Read More »Soldier kills five mourners in DR Congo shooting
Tshikapa, DR Congo | AFP | A soldier in the Democratic Republic of Congo attacked a congregation of mourners, shooting dead five people and injuring ten others, police sources said Sunday. The motive of the shooter was unclear, they said after the overnight attack in the city of Tshikapa in …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari starts presidential election campaign
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday put the fight against corruption at the heart of his bid for another four-year term, as official campaigning got under way for elections next year. Voters go to the polls on February 16, four years after Buhari’s landmark victory …
Read More »Intense week of talks ahead of Brexit showdown summit
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European governments get their own say on Brexit this week as they debate future ties with London in the run-up to Sunday’s summit to sign Britain’s divorce papers. Ministers from the other 27 EU member states are in Brussels on Monday at the start of …
Read More »Mahrez brace helps Algeria qualify for Cup of Nations
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Algeria trounced Togo 4-1 in Lome on Sunday to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon. Mauritania, for the first time, Guinea and the Ivory Coast later raised to 13 the number …
Read More »Southgate urges England to make 2019 even better
Londres, United Kingdom | AFP | Gareth Southgate has challenged his vibrant young England side to build on a year to remember after they clinched a place in the Nations League semi-finals in dramatic style. Just over a year ago, England’s qualification for the World Cup was greeted with yawns …
Read More »Hundreds of schools shut in Burkina Faso over jihadi attacks
Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso | AFP | In Burkina Faso, a country struggling to contain jihadist violence, education is one of the victims of the insurgency, with hundreds of schools closed, teachers in hiding and pupils kept indoors over the fear of attacks. In the conflict-ridden north, more than three years …
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