Bamako, Mali | AFP | A Malian army general and former government minister has resigned his post to stand in the country’s presidential elections in July 2018, sources close to the officer said Sunday. Moussa Sinko Coulibaly is the second person to declare his candidacy, after Kalifa Sanogo, the mayor of …
Read More »Egypt colonel detained after announcing presidential bid
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian military prosecutors ordered a colonel be detained for 15 days after he announced plans to run in the country’s 2018 presidential election, his lawyer said Sunday. Colonel Ahmed Konsowa was detained on Saturday on suspicion of “behaviour that harms the requirements of the military” …
Read More »Netanyahu seeks change to bill altering police powers
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday for changes to controversial legislation his opponents say was designed to help him survive ongoing police probes after tens of thousands protested at the weekend. The long-serving prime minister is facing two separate graft probes that have led …
Read More »Trump denies asking FBI to drop Flynn probe
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump denied Sunday having asked then FBI director James Comey to stop investigating ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn, as the Russia meddling probe darkened what would otherwise have been a victorious week for the Republican president. Trump appeared to be backtracking …
Read More »N. Korea blasts ‘dangerous’ US-South joint military drill
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea Sunday blasted the United States and South Korea as “warmongers” on the eve of their largest-ever joint air exercise, saying it could trigger a nuclear war. The comments came as White House National Security Advisor H.R McMaster warned of the “increasing” possibility …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Zimbabwe’s new leader drops 2 ministers after public outcry
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday dropped two ministers he had appointed to his new cabinet just a day earlier, a move widely seen as a response to a public uproar over the nominations. Mnangagwa, 75, named his cabinet overnight Thursday, and is expected to …
Read More »Mnangagwa drops 2 ministers after public outcry
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday dropped two ministers he had appointed to his new cabinet just a day earlier, a move widely seen as a response to a public uproar over the nominations. Mnangagwa, 75, named his cabinet overnight Thursday, and is expected to …
Read More »Regional force deploys to Lesotho over security concerns
Maseru, Lesotho | AFP | A 258-strong regional force was deployed to Lesotho on Saturday to ease security concerns in the landlocked kingdom after the killing of the country’s top army commander in September. The move by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional bloc, was approved in September …
Read More »New protests in Togo as efforts to start talks stall
Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Lome on Saturday for the third time this week to demand the exit of President Faure Gnassingbe, with little sign of progress on promised talks. Gnassingbe, who has ruled Togo for more than 15 years, pledged in …
Read More »Zimbabwe white farmers see opportunity in Mugabe exit
Beatrice, Zimbabwe | AFP | Standing outside the gates of the farmhouse from which he was evicted in 2008, white Zimbabwean Deon Theron knows he will never get his land back. But he does believe that Robert Mugabe’s fall after almost 40 years in power could lead the new government …
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