Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s opposition coalition on Tuesday said it would resume its protests against President Faure Gnassingbe and his government, despite both sides having agreed to a suspension during talks. The grouping of 14 parties’ spokesman, Eric Dupuy, told AFP: “We have decided to start our protests again …
Read More »Ethiopia in ‘uncharted territory’ as party chooses PM
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s governing coalition is facing an unprecedented tussle behind closed doors as it seeks a new prime minister after Hailemariam Desalegn’s shock resignation from the helm of Africa’s fastest growing economy. With opposition parties enfeebled, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition wields …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari to tour violence-hit states
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, under fire because of mounting security threats, including Boko Haram, is to tour states worst-hit by the violence, his office said Monday. “From today, March 5, he will visit Taraba, and subsequently Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers states,” the presidency said …
Read More »Angola’s Isabel dos Santos denies Sonangol fraud claims
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, on Monday denied claims that she presided over corruption when she ran state oil giant Sonangol. Prosecutors opened an investigation on Friday into possible graft at Sonangol and will probe “irregular financial …
Read More »Merkel vows swift return to government work to boost Europe
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Monday that her new government would start work swiftly and lend a strong voice to Europe, a day after she secured a coalition for her fourth term. Germany’s second biggest party, the Social Democrats (SPD), on Sunday finally gave the …
Read More »Shifting fortunes for main parties as S. Leone votes
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone holds a general election on Wednesday with uncertainty over the impact of new movements vying to break the stranglehold of two parties which have ruled since independence from Britain in 1961. President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down after a decade and …
Read More »Trump signals controversial tariffs will go forward
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Sunday signaled his intent to move forward with controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that have sparked fears of a trade war. “We are on the losing side of almost all trade deals. Our friends and enemies have …
Read More »Mass rally in Niger to back 2018 budget
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Tens of thousands of supporters of Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou marched in the capital Niamey on Sunday after a number of opposition protests against the 2018 budget, which they say favours big business. Wearing t-shirts and brandishing banners in the colours of the ruling party, …
Read More »S. Korea’s Moon to send special envoys to North on Monday
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korean President Moon Jae-in will send a team of special envoys — including Seoul’s spy chief — to the North on Monday to push for talks between Washington and Pyongyang on nuclear weapons. The delegation, announced by Moon’s office on Sunday, is the …
Read More »S.Africa firebrand Malema launches bid for presidency
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Radical South African opposition leader Julius Malema launched on Sunday his campaign to be elected president in 2019 by aggressively distancing his party from a one-time coalition partner. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader used a speech at a packed arena in Johannesburg to …
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