Luanda, Angola | AFP | The son of Angola’s former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos planned to siphon off $1.5 billion when he ran the oil-rich country’s sovereign wealth fund, the finance ministry said Monday. The figure is three times higher than an initial sum illegally transferred to a London …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari ignores health concerns, to run for re-election
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared Monday he would seek re-election next year, in a move that put an end to months of speculation. “President @Buhari has just announced his intention to seek the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and contest for a …
Read More »N. Korea ready to discuss denuclearization with US: report
Washington, United States | AFP | North Korean officials have told their US counterparts that Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss denuclearization, an assurance that could pave the way for a meeting with President Donald Trump, reports said Sunday. It is the first time the offer was made directly to …
Read More »Beaten S.Leone candidate offers backing to new leader
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s beaten presidential hopeful Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost a run-off vote, congratulated victor Julius Maada Bio Saturday and vowed to throw his party’s support behind a new administration. “I’m here to congratulate our new president with executive members of my party,” Kamara …
Read More »Schwarzenegger back home after heart surgery: spokesman
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger is back home in Los Angeles and in good spirits after undergoing open heart surgery following complications with a routine operation, his spokesman said on Friday. The 70-year-old “Terminator” and “Predator” star, and former governor of California, was at the …
Read More »Facebook to verify identities, require labels for political ads
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook announced Friday it will require political ads on its platform to state who is paying for the message and would verify the identity of the payer, in a bid to curb outside election interference. The social network, which is under fire for enabling manipulation …
Read More »‘No witchhunt,’ new Sierra Leone president promises civil servants
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s new president, Julius Maada Bio, on Friday promised civil servants they need not fear a purge despite a historic shift in the country’s politics. Bio, whose election has ended decade-long rule by the All People’s Congress (APC), praised state workers and “gave them …
Read More »Delayed elections in November: Chad’s President Deby
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad’s legislative elections, originally due to take place in 2015, “should take place in November”, President Idriss Deby told opposition parties Friday, state radio reported. Deby, named in a US corruption probe, had already promised earlier that the elections would finally take place this year. The …
Read More »Tanzania’s Magufuli builds wall around gem mines
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Friday inaugurated a 24-kilometre (15-mile) around the country’s tanzanite mines to prevent smuggling of the precious violet-blue stones, which are unique to the East African country. Magufuli in September ordered the army to build the wall around the mines, located …
Read More »‘Millions’ of duplicates on DR Congo vote register: watchdog
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Millions of duplicates have been found among people registered to vote in Democratic Republic of Congo elections slated for December, the head of the country’s electoral commission told AFP Thursday. “We were able to register around 46 million voters,” Corneille Nangaa said, a day …
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