Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan said Wednesday that the country’s latest peace deal had helped revive its war-battered oil sector, with an increase of 20,000 barrels per day in the past two months. The country’s warring parties in September signed a new peace deal to end five …
Read More »Angola still waiting for promised ‘economic miracle’
Luanda, Angola | AFP | “Things are going badly,” said Delta, sitting on a stool and glancing at a bag stuffed with Chinese mobile phones. As one of scores of traders trying to legally sell her wares in one of Luanda’s most famous markets, known as “The Congolese”, the 32-year-old …
Read More »French prosecutors open inquiry into Macron campaign financing
Paris, France | AFP | Paris prosecutors have launched an inquiry into the origins of thousands of euros donated to President Emmanuel Macron’s election campaign last year, a legal source told AFP on Tuesday. The move follows an alert from France’s campaign finance oversight body this month, after it was …
Read More »Saudi prince could have known of murder, ties unchanged: Trump
Washington, United States | AFP |President Donald Trump acknowledged Tuesday that Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman could have known of the murder of a dissident journalist — but said there would be no fallout anyway for Saudi-US relations. “It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of …
Read More »Pro-Kabila candidate Shadary unveils platform for DR Congo polls
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | President Joseph Kabila’s chosen successor on Monday unveiled his platform ahead of a landmark election in the Democratic Republic of Congo next month. Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary set out an $86 billion (75 billion euro) five-year development plan for the sprawling central African country. Making his first public remarks …
Read More »Now, S.Africa’s ex-president Zuma backs fired tax boss
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday threw his weight behind the ex-head of the country’s tax collection agency who was recently sacked by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The move pitted Zuma directly against his successor Ramaphosa, who came to power in February when …
Read More »Zambian police quiz opposition leader over attacks on Chinese
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambian police on Tuesday questioned opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema for allegedly fuelling attacks on Chinese nationals, in a sign of growing political tension in the country. Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development, was last year detained for four months for alleged treason in …
Read More »US Muslim lawmaker-elect in proposal to end head-covering ban in Congress
Washington, United States | AFP | A Muslim congresswoman-elect has co-authored changes to a longstanding rule banning the wearing of head coverings on the US House floor, an effort supported Monday by the nation’s largest Muslim rights group. Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee who was one of the first two …
Read More »Ivanka Trump used personal email for govt business: report
Washington, United States | AFP | The US president’s daughter and senior advisor Ivanka Trump used a personal email account for government business in violation of federal records rules, The Washington Post reported Monday. The Post, citing anonymous sources, said the discovery was made by White House officials reviewing emails …
Read More »Saudi King Salman praises judiciary amid Khashoggi fallout
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi King Salman heaped praise on the kingdom’s judiciary Monday, in his first public remarks since critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tipped the country into one of its worst international crises. The public prosecutor last week exonerated powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement …
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