San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Monday it had blocked some 30 accounts on its platform and 85 accounts on photo-sharing social network Instagram over concerns they may be linked to foreign entities and aimed at interfering in US midterm elections. The announcement came shortly after US …
Read More »Madagascar’s ex-presidents prepare to do battle
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Thirty-six candidates will do battle to win the presidency in polls on November 7. The three frontrunners are former presidents and here are their profiles: – Ravalomanana: milkman-turned-millionaire – Marc Ravalomanana, 68, was ejected from power in 2009 and is looking to get his revenge …
Read More »Cameroon police arrest 19 opposition protesters
Douala, Cameroon | AFP | Police in Cameroon arrested 19 supporters of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who disputes the results of October presidential elections, at protests against President Paul Biya on Sunday, local authorities and witnesses told AFP. The arrests happened at two different places in the town of Bafoussam …
Read More »US midterms: Key factors of the 2018 elections
Washington, United States | AFP | Immigration, health care, jobs. The extraordinary US midterm election has been a tug of war over key issues, but none has had a more dramatic impact on voters than Donald Trump, the man who isn’t even on the ballot. The Republican president is the …
Read More »Madagascar ex-presidents in final bid to return to power
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Two former Madagascar presidents drew tens of thousands of supporters to rival rallies in the capital Antananarivo on Saturday as they entered the final stretch of their election campaign. Former President Marc Ravalomanana and rival Andry Rajoelina are frontrunners in the November 7 ballot in …
Read More »Trump versus Obama on final US campaign weekend
Indianapolis, United States | AFP | After boasting about the economy and raising fears over immigration, US President Donald Trump is facing pushback from his predecessor Barack Obama, who is taking on an increasingly prominent role in the final weekend of campaigning before midterm elections in which Republican control of …
Read More »Ahead of vote, Twitter says accounts removed over ‘disinformation’
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Saturday said it deleted a “series of accounts” that attempted to share disinformation, ahead of crucial midterm elections, as media reports said thousands of accounts were axed. The social media company “removed a series of accounts for engaging in attempts to share …
Read More »Trump blames media ‘fake news’ for US political violence
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump blamed what he called “fake news” Friday for a wave of politically-linked violence in the runup to next week’s midterm congressional elections. “The fake news is creating violence,” Trump told journalists at the White House. A fanatical Trump supporter was …
Read More »DR Congo vote watchdogs ‘weak’, study warns
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo presidency has undue influence over two bodies tasked with overseeing elections, a research group said Thursday, warning the country risked “a new cycle of conflict”. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and Constitutional Court have been subject to “politicisation”, …
Read More »DR Congo rulers denounce ‘cheating’ in pre-vote poll
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Supporters of President Joseph Kabila on Thursday denounced alleged cheating in an opinion poll that placed two opposition leaders well ahead before a presidential election due on December 23. Results of the national poll, released on Tuesday, tipped Felix Tshisekedi, president of the main, …
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