Tainted minister handling big deals for President Kampala, Uganda | HAGGIA MATSIKO | Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | That drama that played out on May 8 when Betty Amongi, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, appeared before the Land Inquiry sitting in Kampala left one question: What would President …
Read More »Guinea opposition to resume protests over contested vote
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinean opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo on Thursday said protests would resume next week over disputed local elections in February as he called off negotiations with the government. Demonstrations over the results of that vote have claimed at least 15 lives. The opposition was …
Read More »Sierra Leone new president announces free education for kids
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s new President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday announced the introduction of free education for both primary and secondary school age children, in line with a major campaign pledge. “Free education will be introduced effective September 2018 for all primary and secondary schools …
Read More »Russia seeks mediator role between Israel and Iran
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Russia has positioned itself as a mediator between the Middle Eastern rivals as it has maintained good relations with both countries. “The Kremlin is sitting on two chairs,” Russian analyst Alexei Malashenko told AFP. “It is a …
Read More »Dhlakama: Mozambique rebel leader turned politician
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | Afonso Dhlakama lived in a secret location and led armed fighters against the Mozambique government — but on Wednesday he was given an official memorial service and praised by the president. He died of a suspected heart attack last week among his Renamo troops in …
Read More »Four Ghana judges suspended in bribery scandal: presidency
Accra, Ghana | AFP | Four judges accused of taking bribes in Ghana have been suspended, the presidency announced Wednesday, in the latest fallout from a graft scandal rocking the country’s judiciary. President Nana Akufo-Addo suspended the high court judges after a disciplinary committee launched a case against them. The …
Read More »Benin opposition politician goes to African court
Cotonou, Benin | AFP | Benin opposition politician Sebastien Ajavon on Wednesday took the country’s government to court, demanding nearly $990 million in damages after a string of arrests and prosecutions. One of the failed presidential candidate’s four lawyers, Julien Bensimhon, told the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights …
Read More »Buhari too ‘unwell’ to govern: Nigerian opposition
Buhari Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s main opposition party has said President Muhammadu Buhari is unfit to run the country after he again left for London on medical grounds. The 75-year-old former military ruler last year spent five months in London seeking treatment for an undisclosed illness that he …
Read More »RWANDA: Remembering victims of the 1994 genocide
In remembering victims of the1994 genocide against Tutsi, RSSB promises survivors to never be alone Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | We will continue to support families of the former Social Security Fund of Rwanda (Caisse Sociale du Rwanda –CSR) employees who perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi”, Jonathan …
Read More »Brazil’s first lady mocked after jumping in lake to rescue dog
Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazil’s first lady Marcela Temer leapt fully clothed into a lake at the presidential palace to rescue her pet dog — then got roasted on social media. The 34-year-old former beauty queen jumped into the lake after her Jack Russell named Picoly went after some …
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