Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s military on Tuesday accused a former armed forces chief of staff who plans to challenge President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in March elections of forgery and other crimes linked to his candidacy announcement. The general command of the Egyptian armed forces made the allegations against …
Read More »DR Congo minister urges punishment after police violence
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo’s minister for human rights on Tuesday called for the prosecution of police who opened fire on anti-government protestors at the weekend, in a crackdown condemned by the EU and UN. Six people were killed, scores injured and dozens arrested, according to the …
Read More »Trump wins Davos raves for ‘landmark’ tax cut
Davos, Switzerland | AFP | Instead of a chilly reception from globalisation’s defenders, US President Donald Trump may find a warm welcome in the posh ski resort of Davos, from global executives delighted with his controversial tax reform. The annual World Economic Forum in the snow-bound Swiss resort is a …
Read More »S.Africa’s Winnie Mandela hospitalised
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who is popularly known as “the mother of the nation” has been admitted to hospital with a kidney infection, the family of her ex-husband Nelson Mandela said Tuesday. Winnie, 81, is an icon of the anti-apartheid struggle and was persecuted …
Read More »Wenger rules out Arsenal spree despite revenue rise
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsene Wenger insisted Tuesday there was no chance he would jeopardise Arsenal’s financial stability with lavish spending on new players during the rest of the January transfer window. Monday saw Alexis Sanchez leave the Emirates for Old Trafford in a high-profile swap deal, with …
Read More »Nigerian police hold ‘Chibok girls’ activists, says group
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian police on Tuesday briefly detained activists calling for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists nearly four years ago, campaigners said. Members of the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy group were taken into custody as they held their daily demonstration in the capital, …
Read More »Liberia’s Weah makes first cabinet appointments
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | New Liberian President George Weah has appointed the first members of his cabinet, all of them men, largely naming party allies but picking a foreign minister close to former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Ex-international footballer Weah was sworn in on Monday at a stadium surrounded …
Read More »Morocco plays up long-shot 2026 World Cup bid
Casablanca, Morocco | AFP | Morocco is “fully mobilised” for its long-shot bid to host the 2026 World Cup, hoping to be a candidate “for the whole of Africa”, top sports officials said Tuesday. The kingdom “is not a non-starter — it’s a real candidate,” Moulay Hafid Elalamy said in …
Read More »The power dams puzzle
How do we ensure that new dams do not add risk to power supplies down the line? Kampala, Uganda | DECLAN CONWAY | In the 1980s and 1990s parts of Africa saw a surge in dam building for energy production. After a brief hiatus, there has been renewed interest. Many new …
Read More »Rethinking Rwanda’s town
Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | World Bank says growth higher than stated Large scale urbanisation has already taken place in Rwanda, with the pace of it much faster than official records suggest because the definition of urban areas needs refining. Urbanisation appears to have had a positive impact on structural …
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