Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The African National Congress was lauded for its moral authority in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, but many veterans of that era are deeply disillusioned by the party’s actions today. As delegates prepare to elect a new leader to succeed Jacob Zuma, …
Read More »Putin’s ex-minister risks decade in jail over $2 mn ‘bribe’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | A Russian court is set to rule Friday in the high-profile trial of former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev, who is accused of taking a bribe from an oil boss close to President Vladimir Putin. Prosecutors have asked the Moscow court to find the 61-year-old guilty on …
Read More »US sentences nephews of Venezuelan first lady to 18 years
New York, United States | AFP | A US judge on Thursday sentenced two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady to 18 years in prison for drug trafficking, damning them as “not the most astute drug traffickers that ever existed.” Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, 31, and Francisco Flores de Freitas, 32, …
Read More »‘Enigmatic’ ex-wife of S.Africa’s Zuma vies for power
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner in the race for South Africa’s ruling party leadership, faces difficulty distancing herself from her tarnished ex-husband President Jacob Zuma. Dlamini-Zuma is an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and an experienced technocrat who has served as a minister under every …
Read More »Mugabe in Singapore for first trip since ouster
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe, 93, who was ousted from power last month, has flown to Singapore for a medical check-up, his ex-spokesman said Thursday. Mugabe and his wife Grace have not been seen in public since he was forced to resign after a military …
Read More »Brazilian president to undergo new health tests
Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazilian President Michel Temer will undergo urological tests Wednesday, his office said, following a series of concerns over his health. He will be examined at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo, the statement said. In October, the 77-year-old Temer underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate …
Read More »Erdogan urges Jerusalem recognition as ‘Palestine’s capital’
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the “capital of Palestine”, as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas warned there could be no peace in the Middle East until such a step was made. Erdogan convened in Istanbul an …
Read More »Trump: ‘I was right’ Moore could not win Alabama race
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump sought Wednesday to distance himself from an embarrassing defeat in Alabama, saying he had been right all along that Republican senate candidate Roy Moore could not win. The former judge faced damaging accusations he had preyed on teenage girls as a …
Read More »Burundi president launches campaign to extend rule
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has launched a campaign to promote a referendum to change the constitution that could see him rule until 2034. “It’s the day you’ve been waiting for,” Nkurunziza told a crowd of thousands of farmers in the central Gitega district on Tuesday, threatening …
Read More »Trump signs US military defense bill worth nearly $700 bn
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald on Tuesday signed a massive defense policy bill that he said would help America bolster its military might and modernize the services. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calls for nearly $700 billion of military spending for the coming fiscal year, but Congress …
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