Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate expires on April 28, his office said Monday, after a succession of loyalists deserted him in the face of massive protests. The 82-year-old, who has rarely been seen in public since a 2013 stroke, …
Read More »Gun control, climate: a new US generation takes to the barricades
New York, United States | AFP | In the United States, David Hogg is a leading campaigner for gun control, while in Europe, Greta Thunberg fights to defend the climate. They may only be teenagers, but both have drawn worldwide followings for their clear messages and fierce commitment — symbols …
Read More »White House 2020 spouses eye new title: First Gentleman
Washington, United States | AFP | From Martha Washington to Melania Trump, the role of US first lady is as old as the republic itself. But if one of half a dozen Democrat hopefuls get their way in 2020, the nation could soon have a first gentleman — potentially …
Read More »One year on, tough times loom for Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | In his first speech as Ethiopian prime minister last April, Abiy Ahmed called for an end to the repressive, exclusionary governance that had plunged the country into turmoil. It was a promise on which he is seen to have delivered dramatically, earning him both …
Read More »EU: Breaking up Big Tech not the answer
Washington, United States | AFP | Breaking up the world’s tech titans is not the best way to counter their power, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Friday, while leaving room for that eventuality as a “last resort.” “There is a risk that with the network effects, even if we …
Read More »Ready or not? Britain’s ‘no deal’ planning
London, United Kingdom | AFP | If Britain’s political system fails to break its Brexit logjam, the country is faced with the prospect of crashing out of the European Union on April 12. Here are the main ways Britain would be affected: – Business planning – Around 80 percent of …
Read More »Pentagon authorizes $1 bn for Trump’s border wall
Washington, United States | AFP | Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan has authorized $1 billion to build part of the wall sought by Donald Trump along the US-Mexico border, the first funds designated for the project under the president’s emergency declaration. The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to …
Read More »TOGO: Internal squabbles cause opposition to crumble
Lome, Togo | AFP | Afiwa Yogue sells material for a living in Togo’s capital, Lome, and is disillusioned with the West African country’s opposition leaders. “We walked for months under the hot sun and sometimes in the rain, hoping to bring about the end of the regime,” the 34-year-old …
Read More »Here are the key findings of the Mueller report
Washington, United States | AFP | US Attorney General Bill Barr released a summary Sunday of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report into allegations that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidental election. Here are the main findings of the two-year investigation the president regularly denounced as …
Read More »Russia probe ‘an illegal takedown that failed:’ Trump
West Palm Beach, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump slammed the two-year probe into his links with Russia as “an illegal takedown that failed” on Sunday, and said he had been completely cleared by the results. “It’s a shame our country had to go through this. To be …
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