London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government on Tuesday defended its decision not to bail out imploding construction-to-catering group Carillion, as criticism grew of its handling of the giant firm’s demise. Carillion, which has a variety of private and public service contracts in Britain and employs 43,000 staff …
Read More »Bannon to testify in Congress in wake of explosive book on Trump
Washington, United States | AFP | Former White House strategist Steve Bannon was expected to be peppered with questions on the Trump campaign’s links to Russia in closed testimony to the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday. Bannon, who has been mostly quiet since the release of an incendiary book about President …
Read More »Joshua laughs off Parker’s drug taunts
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Anthony Joshua dismissed a claim by New Zealand’s Joseph Parker he is the “king of steroids” ahead of their world heavyweight title unification bout. The two boxers will meet in Cardiff on March 31, with Joshua, a London 2012 Olympic gold medallist, looking …
Read More »Three killed in Boko Haram raid in Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Three people were killed and two others were critically injured in a Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria, a community leader and a resident said on Tuesday. Gunmen riding motorcycles and bicycles arrived in large numbers in Pallam village, in the Madagali area of Adamawa …
Read More »Sanchez transfer ‘hinges on Mkhitaryan deal’, says agent
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United’s bid to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal hinges on Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving the other way, the Armenian player’s agent said Tuesday as Antonio Conte distanced Chelsea from a potential deal. Chile international Sanchez, who appears to have played his last game for …
Read More »Sudan police beat protesters at demo against rising prices
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Anti-riot police fired tear gas and beat protesters with batons Tuesday as hundreds of Sudanese demonstrated against soaring bread prices near a presidential palace in Khartoum, an AFP correspondent said. Bread prices have more than doubled after a jump in the cost of flour due …
Read More »Somalia’s Shabaab forcing civilians to hand over children: HRW
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab insurgents are increasingly threatening civilians to force them to hand over young children for “indoctrination and military training”, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. The rights watchdog said an aggressive campaign to recruit children had begun in mid-2017, with the jihadists …
Read More »Second Sahel ‘G5’ anti-terror force mission begins
Paris, France | AFP | Five Sahel countries – Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso — on Monday launched their second anti-Jihadist operation in the troubled region, after talks in Paris with their partner France. After the discussions between the defence ministers of the so-called G5 Sahel and their …
Read More »Activist dies in E.Guinea prison after ‘torture’: opposition
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | An opposition activist died in prison after being tortured in Equatorial Guinea, the country’s main opposition party said Monday, accusing the government of “cruel and inhumane” treatment of its detainees. Santiago Ebee Ela, 41, died at the central police station in capital Malabo on …
Read More »Zimbabwe army warned Mugabe faced being ‘lynched’: aide
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | An aide to former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has revealed how generals warned him to step aside as protests against him grew, or face being “lynched” like Libya’s Moamer Kadhafi. Massive street protests against 93-year-old Mugabe erupted after the military briefly took power in November …
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