Tehran, Iran | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday declared a more aggressive strategy on a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers but stopped short of withdrawing from the 2015 deal. Struck in Vienna by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, …
Read More »Barca travel to Madrid amid Catalan crisis
Madrid, Spain | AFP | The biggest game of the La Liga season so far is shrouded in political tension as Barcelona visit Atletico Madrid on Saturday in their first trip to the Spanish capital since a Catalan independence referendum marred by violence. Barca played their last match behind closed doors …
Read More »Weah leads Boakai in race for Liberia presidency
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | More partial figures released by Liberia’s electoral commission Friday showed former footballer George Weah ahead of incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai as they battle for the presidency. With 33.71 percent of polling stations counted, Weah has taken the lead with 39.7 percent (205,218 votes), while Boakai …
Read More »US House approves $36 bn for disasters including Puerto Rico
Washington, United States | AFP | The US House of Representatives on Thursday easily approved a $36.5 billion disaster relief package for hurricane-affected communities like Puerto Rico, and for areas devastated by wildfires including those in California. The measure outlining “supplemental” disaster spending passed 353 to 69, with all votes in …
Read More »Global economy chiefs told to reform while going is good
Washington, United States | AFP | Finance chiefs from around the world were warned Thursday to get their houses in order while the global economy is strong and to be ready for possible shocks in the future. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine …
Read More »Zuma in trouble again, court clears way for graft prosecution
S.Africa court clears way for Zuma graft prosecution Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that President Jacob Zuma can face prosecution on almost 800 charges of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma had lodged a challenge at the court …
Read More »South Africa weighs reimposing graft charges on Zuma
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court will rule Friday on a bid by President Jacob Zuma to fend off the reinstatement of almost 800 corruption charges related to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma lodged a challenge at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein after a lower …
Read More »Paris wants to phase out diesel cars by 2024
Paris, France | AFP | Paris city authorities said Thursday they aimed to phase out the use of diesel cars by the time the French capital hosts the Olympics in 2024, and petrol cars by 2030. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office said the goals — which are more ambitious time-wise than a …
Read More »INDEPENDENT: Has Museveni become Uganda’s problem?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT| These are the top stories in this week’s The Independent. COVER STORY Has Museveni become Uganda’s problem?: Experts reveal sectors suffering because of President. THE LAST WORD Africa’s real intellectual crisis: Why Museveni is not the cause of the problems of Uganda but rather their …
Read More »Pope to visit Myanmar as anti-Rohingya hatred seethes
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Pope Francis will push for peace during his visit to mainly-Buddhist Myanmar, a church official said Thursday, a trip that plunges the pontiff into the centre of a simmering religious conflict which has sparked an exodus of Muslim Rohingya. Myanmar’s western Rakhine state has been torn …
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