Paris, France | AFP | Depicting the object of their ire as Napoleon, Dracula, Jupiter, a banker-king and Margaret Thatcher, tens of thousands marched through central Paris on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s sweeping reforms, a year after he took office. Some 2,000 security forces including riot police …
Read More »Mozambique opposition names interim leader
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s Renamo opposition party on Saturday named Ossufo Momade as its interim leader after veteran chief Afonso Dhlakama, who had headed the party for 39 years, died unexpectedly. Momade, a former secretary general of the party, will take over until Renamo’s next congress, which has …
Read More »New interim government in Gabon: official
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | A new interim government was installed in Gabon on Friday, three days after the former administration resigned over delays in holding legislative elections, a presidency official told AFP. The incoming government will remain in office until the elections, delayed since December 2016, are held. There …
Read More »Google to show who is behind US political ads
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google on Friday said that people looking to place US election ads on its platform will need to show identification, and make clear who is paying. Policy changes being rolled out come as online ad ‘duopoly’ Google and Facebook strive to avoid being …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa launches election campaign
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday called for his ruling ZANU-PF party to “humbly” appeal for votes as he launched his campaign ahead of elections expected in July. The election will be the first without Robert Mugabe in power since the country won independence from …
Read More »Court provisionally blocks Tanzania’s new blogging law
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s high court on Friday temporarily suspended a controversial new law that would impose major fees on bloggers and other online media. Due to come into force on Saturday, the law would compel bloggers to pay $900 (750 euros) for a permit, a huge sum …
Read More »Death of Mozambique rebel leader shakes peace process
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s president said the country’s fragile peace process must not collapse after rebel leader Afonso Dhlakama, who had opened talks with the government, died unexpectedly aged 65. President Filipe Nyusi hailed Dhlakama as “a citizen who has always worked for Mozambique” and said he was …
Read More »Chad PM resigns as constitutional changes boost president’s powers
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad’s prime minister and his government resigned on Thursday, according to a presidential statement, as controversial constitutional changes took effect in a move that bolsters President Idriss Deby’s powers. Deby — in power for more than two decades in the oil-rich landlocked African state — …
Read More »Mozambique rebel leader Dhlakama dead
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s veteran rebel leader Afonso Dhlakama, who mixed guerrilla warfare with opposition politics, has died aged 65, party sources said Thursday. Several sources in Dhlakama’s Renamo party told AFP that Dhlakama passed away after an unconfirmed heart attack, with local television stations also reporting …
Read More »Trump confirms ‘reimbursement’ under porn star deal
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed a “reimbursement” as part of a hush agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels over allegations of a decade-old affair, but he said campaign money wasn’t involved. Trump’s comments in a series of tweets, which contradicted his earlier …
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