N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad on Monday was due to start discussing sweeping constitutional reforms including presidential term limits in a country ruled with an iron fist by Idriss Deby since a 1996 coup. A so-called “national forum” comprising some 700 participants, including ruling party figures, members of civil society …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s president threatens to prosecute forex culprits
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday named hundreds of mines, Chinese businesses and individuals who had illegally transferred foreign currency abroad during Robert Mugabe’s rule and warned they would be prosecuted. The announcement came after the expiry of a three month amnesty for the return of …
Read More »S.African court orders grounding of Gupta jet
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A private jet used by a business family at the heart of corruption allegations against former South African president Jacob Zuma was grounded Monday by a court order, according to court documents. The whereabouts of the Bombadier Global 6000 jet is unknown, but the …
Read More »What the world is saying about Putin’s re-election
Paris, France | AFP | China was the first world power to react Monday to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s re-election, vowing to push ties to a “higher level”, but Germany questioned the fairness of the vote and warned that Moscow would remain “difficult”. And 24 hours after Putin’s victory, there …
Read More »Facebook launches audit of data leaked to Trump consultant
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook announced Monday it has hired a digital forensics firm to investigate the handling of data on millions of Americans leaked to a consulting firm working on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The move by Facebook came amid an onslaught of criticism after …
Read More »Putin wins another term but what happens in 2024?
Moscow, Russia | AFP | In power for almost two decades, Vladimir Putin predictably won a fourth Kremlin term in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, extending his long rule for another six years. With no successor and no political competition, what are the possible scenarios when his term ends in …
Read More »Burundi sets May 17 for vote on contested reforms
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has set May 17 as the date for a referendum on a controversial constitutional reform that could keep him in power until 2034, according to a decree signed Sunday. Critics accuse Nkurunziza of trying to stay in power for life and …
Read More »Nigeria skips African summit in blow to free trade deal
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will not attend the African Union summit in Rwanda this week, an official statement said Sunday, in a blow to plans to launch a major free trade treaty across 54 countries. The meeting in Kigali is intended to formally launch the …
Read More »Putin storms to landslide election win
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Vladimir Putin on Sunday stormed to victory in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, giving him another six years in power as Moscow’s relations with the West plunge to new Cold War lows. Putin, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, won more than 75 …
Read More »Uganda’s myths and realities
Why Besigye can only govern using Museveni’s politics of corruption and patronage THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The discussion of a post President YoweriMuseveni Uganda tends to be programmatic rather than analytical. It is built on false hopes based on textbook theories rather than the actual social …
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