Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s contentious travel ban expires Sunday with little clarity over whether America’s door will reopen for travelers from six majority-Muslim countries. Based on the policy, US embassies or representatives in Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen should resume granting visas to their …
Read More »Gambia pledges to abolish death penalty
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia has pledged to abolish the death penalty in a clean break with the former regime of Yahya Jammeh, giving activists hope that more African states will follow its example. President Adama Barrow, elected in December 2016, signed a UN treaty on the abolition of …
Read More »Thousands join fresh protests in Togo amid ‘crackdown’
Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of protesters in Togo Thursday joined demonstrations around the country for a second day against the rule of President Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa’s oldest political dynasty. The atmosphere was tense amid accusations of harsh repression by security forces on Wednesday, when at least …
Read More »Melania Trump harvests Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden
Washington, United States | AFP | Melania Trump made her first foray into the White House’s vegetable garden Friday, following in the footsteps of its creator and her predecessor, Michelle Obama. Dressed down in jeans, a plaid shirt and red gardening gloves, the first lady harvested and planted fresh produce …
Read More »IN THE INDEPENDENT: Behind Museveni land tour confusion
IN THE INDEPENDENT: Behind Museveni land tour confusion Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The top stories in this week’s The Independent. Get your copy from the nearest news stand. COVER STORY Behind Museveni land tour confusion: Cash handouts, secret age-limit talks and more THE LAST WORD Uganda’s misguided debate: …
Read More »Guinea-Bissau blocks payments in ‘ghost salary’ crackdown
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have blocked the September salary payments of nearly a third of the country’s 13,000 civil servants whom they suspect are ghost workers. “After a check made by a team in my department, we found that 4,000 bogus workers, who do not fulfil the …
Read More »Zuma’s ex-wife named MP ahead of key ANC leadership vote
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | An ex-wife of South African President Jacob Zuma was re-appointed a lawmaker in parliament on Thursday, in what is being seen as her latest step to secure the country’s presidency in two years’ time. The National Assembly confirmed in a statement that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a …
Read More »Kenya president slams annulled poll as judicial ‘coup’
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Thursday that a Supreme Court ruling annulling his recent election victory was a “coup” that stole democracy from the people. In an angry televised address, Kenyatta railed against “a coup in Kenya carried out by four people in the court.” …
Read More »Ugandan students defy ban to protest over presidential age limit
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Ugandan police on Thursday fired teargas at students who defied a police order banning protests as they demonstrated the proposed removal of presidential age limits that would allow President Yoweri Museveni to stand again in 2021. Police on Wednesday had issued an order banning protests …
Read More »UGANDA: US ambassador’s civil rights concerns misplaced
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Government spokesman has said US Ambassador Deborah Malac’s concerns over freedom of expression in the country are misplaced. The US Mission issued a statement on Thursday morning stating that “The UnitedStates is deeply concerned that recent arrests and raids stifle the Ugandan people’s right to free expression and …
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