NEWS ANALYSIS

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Somalia struck a new stability pact with the international community on Thursday, aimed at steadying the fragile state by bolstering its security, staving off famine and rebooting its economy. New President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed hailed a “historic day for Somalia” after concluding the pact …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Since President Donald Trump’s shock dismissal of FBI director James Comey, the official account of how and why he was sacked has shifted, with Trump appearing on Thursday to contradict the initial version of events. Here is a timeline of explanations provided by the …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The White House Wednesday slapped down calls for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia, after the US president abruptly fired his FBI director. Trump’s shock dismissal of James Comey — the man overseeing federal investigations into suspected …

Washington, United States | AFP |  President Donald Trump’s sudden dismissal of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday has seen the betting odds of a Trump impeachment skyrocket, bookmaking sites told AFP on Wednesday. Opposition Democrat lawmakers have ramped up calls for an independent investigation into possible collusion between the …

Moon Jae-In: I will take the helm empty-handed and will retire empty-handed. Seoul, South Korea | AFP |  South Korea’s new president was sworn in on Wednesday, just a day after a landslide election victory, and immediately declared his willingness to visit Pyongyang amid high tensions with the nuclear-armed North. …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired FBI director James Comey, ousting the man heading a wide-ranging investigation into whether his aides colluded with Russia to sway last year’s US election. In a shock move that drew comparisons to the Watergate scandal that brought down …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign’s ties with Russia — a move that sent shockwaves through Washington. The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | A schoolgirl who was among more than 200 kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 refused to be part of a release deal because she is now married to a militant fighter, Nigeria’s government said Tuesday. The disclosure underlines the complex psychological effects of a lengthy …

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Military pressure, in-fighting within Boko Haram and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s health combined to secure the release of 82 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls, sources said Monday. The latest batch of the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 were freed Saturday in a prisoner swap …

World notes worsening situation in Uganda, cites Stella Nyanzi saga The constant attacks on journalists by security operatives have seen Uganda drop 10 places in the just released 2017 World Press Freedom Index. Uganda stands at 112, down from the 102nd position it occupied last year with a global score …