Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump slammed the FBI as he hailed the firing of a veteran Bureau agent as a “great day for democracy,” a move his attorney said he hoped would bring an end to a probe into alleged collusion between the president’s campaign and Russia. …
Read More »Putin eyes fourth term as Russians go to polls
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians voted Sunday in an election set to hand President Vladimir Putin a fourth Kremlin term, as the country is embroiled in a crisis with Britain and its allies over a spy poisoning. With the vast country stretching across 11 time zones, polls opened in …
Read More »UN backs Zimbabwe polls for July
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The United Nations on Saturday threw its support behind new elections in Zimbabwe set for July and urged the government to kickstart the African nation’s economy as an “urgent priority”. Achim Steiner, administrator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was in Harare as part …
Read More »Mauritius president resigns over credit card scandal
Port Louis, Mauritius | AFP | Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned on Saturday after being embroiled in a scandal over her use of a credit card to buy luxury personal items, in an abrupt change of heart after vowing she would not stand down. Gurib-Fakim, Africa’s only female head of …
Read More »Facebook suspends Trump campaign data firm Cambridge Analytica
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook says it has suspended the account of Cambridge Analytica, the data analysis firm that helped Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, for failing to delete user data. Also suspended were the accounts of its parent organization, Strategic Communication Laboratories, as well as those of …
Read More »Trump lawyer claims porn star liable for $20 million
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s lawyer claims porn actress Stormy Daniels is liable for at least $20 million for violating a nondisclosure agreement she says prevents her from discussing an affair with the president, according to a Friday court filing. A lawyer for Michael Cohen’s Essential …
Read More »Xi gets second term with powerful ally as VP
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s rubber-stamp parliament unanimously handed President Xi Jinping a second term Saturday and elevated his right-hand man to the vice presidency, giving him a strong ally to consolidate power and handle US trade threats. Xi’s reappointment by the Communist Party-controlled legislature was a foregone conclusion, but …
Read More »Burundi frees political detainees after pardon
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi on Friday freed 740 prisoners, most of whom had been imprisoned after taking part in protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015, the government announced. The detainees were released from Bujumbura’s Mpimba prison — the country’s largest — after a ceremony presided over by …
Read More »Xi set for second term with enhanced power
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s President Xi Jinping will get a second five-year term on Saturday, with his right-hand man tipped to become vice president to help him consolidate power and handle US trade threats. Xi’s reappointment by the Communist Party-controlled legislature is a foregone conclusion, but all eyes …
Read More »Mnangagwa says nation ‘has moved on’ from Mugabe era
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Friday that the country “has moved on” in response to claims by former president Robert Mugabe that he was ousted in an illegal “coup d’etat”. Mnangagwa added in a short statement that he “noted recent remarks made to the media” by …
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