Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | By arresting Darfur’s powerful militia chief Musa Hilal, Khartoum has tightened its control over Sudan’s strife-torn region but analysts say it might open a new chapter of violence. Hilal, a former aide to President Omar al-Bashir, was arrested last week by Sudan’s counter-insurgency forces near …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Zimbabwe gets new president after 37 years
THIS WEEK: Zimbabwe gets new president after 37 years Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | History was made in the South African country of Zimbabwe on Nov.24 when a new president – Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa was sworn in a ceremony held in the country’s capital of Harare. Zimbabwe had not seen …
Read More »Erdogan says Turkey cannot be ‘condemned by courts’ in US
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey could never be “condemned by virtual courts” in the US after he was implicated in a scheme allegedly designed to subvert US sanctions on Iran during a trial in New York. Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab had …
Read More »North Korea’s new missile: Pyongyang vs the analysts
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea Thursday released pictures of its latest missile launch, giving analysts a chance to test Pyongyang’s claim of a breakthrough that brings the whole of the US within range of a nuclear strike. Leader Kim Jong-Un declared the test of a Hwasong-15 intercontinental …
Read More »Britain First: From fringes to Trump’s Twitter account
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain First is a fringe far-right group that was relatively little known in the country until US President Donald Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by its deputy leader, Jayda Fransen. The group’s rallies typically attract just a few dozen supporters at a time and …
Read More »Dying alone in the world’s most populous city
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The stench of flesh rotting on a sultry day fills the air as cleaner Hidemitsu Ohshima steps into a tiny Tokyo apartment where a dead man lay decomposing for three weeks. The man, believed to be in his 50s, died alone in a city he shared …
Read More »What now for ‘nuclear’ North Korea?
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared his country had achieved its long-cherished goal of full-fledged nuclear statehood after successfully testing a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday. The United States and its allies have always maintained they would never accept a nuclear North …
Read More »Bye-bye Mugabe
How Zimbabweans kicked out 93-year old veteran leader Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | For most people, it was hard to keep up with events in Zimbabwe as the end of the 37-year reign of President Robert Gabriel Mugabe neared. In one week, Mugabe was placed under house arrest by the …
Read More »‘Ugandans not committed to democracy’
Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Retired Supreme Court Justice George William Kanyeihamba has a direct question for MPs seeking to amend the constitution so that President Yoweri Museveni can stay on. “Do you want to say that the movement (ruling party – NRM) hasn’t groomed anyone capable of replacing Museveni?” …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Heat in Harare
How Zimbabwe military discovered it may not be so easy to remove Mugabe Harare, Zimbabwe | KEVIN SIEF | When Zimbabwe’s military detained President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday night, Nov.14, it seemed the stage had been set for the ouster of Africa’s oldest leader. Two days later, it was clear that …
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