Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union proposed Thursday giving millions of people in the 28-nation bloc better access to safe tap water and reduce water consumption via wasteful plastic bottles. The legislation proposed by the European Commission, the EU executive, aims to make safe drinking water a citizen right …
Read More »EU presidency slaps down May on post-Brexit citizens’ rights
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Bulgaria, which holds the presidency of the EU, warned British Prime Minister Theresa May against plans to deny residency rights to Europeans arriving during the post-Brexit transition period. Lilyana Pavlova, the Bulgarian minister for the EU Presidency, told AFP that she was “worried” by May’s stance …
Read More »Namibian president fires rivals from cabinet
Windhoek, Namibia | AFP | Namibian President Hage Geingob has sacked two senior government ministers who challenged him during the ruling party’s last leadership contest, his office announced Thursday. He dismissed Minister of Home Affairs Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and Youth Affairs Minister Jerry Ekandjo, both of whom have served in government since …
Read More »Kenya’s High Court suspends media shutdown
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court ordered authorities to allow three major broadcasters to temporarily resume service Thursday, after they were switched off for covering the opposition leader’s mock inauguration, prompting outrage over press freedom violations. Judge Chacha Mwita ordered the two-week reprieve in order to hear a …
Read More »After Mugabe, Zimbabwe opposition stumbles before vote
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | With Zimbabwe holding elections this year, the opposition had been feeling cautiously optimistic — until its arch-enemy, Robert Mugabe, was ousted from power. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, now faces the threat of a revived ZANU-PF party at polls that …
Read More »Top US health official resigns in conflict of interest
Washington, United States | AFP | The top US public health official resigned Wednesday due to financial conflicts of interest, a day after US media reported she bought tobacco stocks while heading the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A statement from the US Department of Health and Human …
Read More »Togo healthcare workers join strike as protests mount
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s government was facing fresh turbulence on Wednesday as healthcare workers went on strike, joining thousands of demonstrators holding opposition protests on the streets. The two-day nationwide strike was called by the National Union of Hospital Practitioners of Togo (SYNPHOT) who are demanding better equipment …
Read More »Kenya opposition inauguration a bid to ‘overthrow govt’: minister
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s interior minister said Wednesday that opposition leader Raila Odinga’s mock inauguration as “people’s president” was an effort to overthrow the government, with media outlets shut down for their complicity in the event. Odinga, 73, held a swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi on Tuesday with the …
Read More »British PM says she is ‘not a quitter’: reports
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May batted away critics of her leadership on Wednesday, saying she was “not a quitter”, according to media reports. May is under pressure from across her Conservative party over her Brexit strategy and her domestic policy programme, with one veteran …
Read More »Melania braves public eye after Trump cheating claim
Washington, United States | AFP | First Lady Melania Trump made a very visible return to the public stage Tuesday by attending her husband’s maiden State of the Union address, her first official appearance since accusations of infidelity surfaced about the president. The enigmatic wife of Donald Trump emerged publicly …
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