Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who led the ousting of Robert Mugabe, returned home Saturday, four months after he was airlifted to China for medical care, state media reported. Chiwenga, 63, who is seen as a major power-broker in Zimbabwean politics, had been in and …
Read More »ANALYSIS: 45 years after Nixon, another US president faces impeachment
Washington, United States | AFP | On August 7, 1974, a trio of top Republican leaders went to the White House and told President Richard Nixon that party support was eroding and impeachment was inevitable. He resigned the next day. Fast forward 45 years, and another US president, Donald Trump, …
Read More »IN THE INDEPENDENT: Battle for the ghetto
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The top stories in this week’s THE INDEPENDENT. COVER STORY Battle for the ghetto: Behind Museveni move on Bobi Wine THE LAST WORD The politics of Uganda’s healthcare: Why our hospitals lack ambulances as public officials indulge themselvesin fancy four-wheel drive vehicles ANALYSIS Ugandan …
Read More »Sondland: Trump never discussed Ukraine aid freeze
Washington, United States | AFP | US diplomat Gordon Sondland said Wednesday President Donald Trump never spoke to him about stalled military aid to Ukraine or any alleged link to Trump’s demands for political investigations. “I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement of (the investigations),” …
Read More »Prominent Abiy critic Jawar says to stand in Ethiopia election
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Jawar Mohammed, a former ally turned foe of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, told AFP on Saturday he would join the race for a 2020 election to ensure that it is “free and fair”. Jawar, a media mogul and activist who was at …
Read More »China says only it can rule on Hong Kong constitution
Beijing, China | AFP | China insisted Tuesday it alone held the authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong, as it condemned a decision by the city’s high court to overturn a ban on face masks worn by pro-democracy protesters. The statement raised hackles among activists in Hong …
Read More »Chile’s president condemns police violence after four weeks of unrest
Santiago, Chile | AFP | President Sebastian Pinera condemned on Sunday for the first time what he called abuses committed by police in dealing with four weeks of violent unrest that have rocked Chile. “There was excessive use of force. Abuses and crimes were committed, and the rights of all …
Read More »Hong Kong: Police warn of ‘live fire’ as campus protest siege deepens
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Hong Kong police Monday warned for the first time in months of unrest that they may use “live rounds” after pro-democracy protesters fired arrows and threw petrol bombs at officers at a besieged university campus, as the crisis engulfing the city sharply escalated. Protests …
Read More »Morales: Indigenous leader brought low by his refusal to yield power
La Paz, Bolivia | AFP | Evo Morales broke down barriers when he became Bolivia’s first indigenous president in 2006, but his refusal to democratically give up power and his tumultuous exit cast a shadow over nearly 14 years of economic progress and poverty reduction. Forced to resign after losing …
Read More »Pupils assemble AK-47s as Russia marks Kalashnikov at 100
Moscow, Russia | AFP | More than a hundred Russian schoolchildren were taught to assemble AK-47s in a Moscow park on Saturday as the country this weekend celebrates the centenary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the legendary rifle. On Sunday, the 100th anniversary of Kalashinkov’s birth …
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