Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of the country’s election, but not everybody is happy. His opponent Raila Odinga insists the election results have been manipulated, and protests have broken out in poor neighbourhoods in two of the country’s major cities. …
Read More »Kenya’s dogged opposition leader Raila Odinga at a crossroads
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Raila Odinga has been Kenya’s prime minister and longtime opposition leader, but with results in from Tuesday’s general election, it seems he has once again failed to get the one job he’s always wanted: the presidency. This may very well be the end of the …
Read More »Uhuru Kenyatta: Heir to a fortune and a political dynasty
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Uhuru Kenyatta, who won a second and final term in a disputed election Friday, is the son of Kenya’s founding president and a man who epitomises the country’s elite. The 55-year-old US-educated multi-millionaire, whose family owns an array of businesses, properties and land, is the …
Read More »Consumers ‘left in lurch’ over Europe egg scandal
Paris, France | AFP | European consumers complained of being “left in the lurch” by food safety authorities as a scandal over insecticide-tainted eggs snowballed Friday, but said they have no intention of removing eggs from their shopping lists completely. Eggs contaminated with an insecticide called fipronil — which can be …
Read More »Is China being left behind in US-N.Korea sparring?
Beijing, China | AFP | As the United States and North Korea exchange fiery words over the regime’s growing weapons programme, China — the North’s biggest ally and trade partner — has receded into the background. Donald Trump had been publicly prodding China for months to use its influence on Pyongyang, …
Read More »Five things to know about the Kenyan election
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Though it is seen as the most democratic country in east Africa, Kenya is on a knife-edge because its opposition coalition is claiming election results are being rigged. Partial results from Tuesday’s general election released by the electoral commission (IEBC) show President Uhuru Kenyatta …
Read More »Guam ‘well-equipped’ to handle North Korean threat: governor
Hagatna, UNITED STATES | AFP | Guam’s governor on Thursday said the US territory was “well-equipped” to handle any North Korean strike thanks to robust infrastructure that had survived earthquakes and typhoons, after Pyongyang released a detailed plan to launch missiles towards the island. A drumbeat of threats by North Korea …
Read More »North Korea: Trump fire talk singes Tillerson’s wings
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | Will the United States defeat the North Korean nuclear threat through “peaceful pressure” or “fire and fury”? This week US Secretary of State and diplomatic good cop Rex Tillerson was in southeast Asia, working with allies to isolate and cajole Kim Jong-Un’s regime. Meanwhile, back …
Read More »Possible scenarios for next stage of N. Korea crisis
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | The crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program deepened Thursday when US President Donald Trump underscored his threat to rain “fire and fury” on Kim Jong-Un’s regime by saying his apocalyptic warning perhaps “wasn’t tough enough.” The latest escalation in the stand-off has set the world …
Read More »N Korea war would be ‘catastrophic,’ diplomacy bearing fruit: Mattis
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday warned that war with North Korea would be “catastrophic” and said diplomatic efforts were yielding results. Speaking at an event in California, Mattis said his mission and responsibility was to have military options ready “should they be …
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