AFRICA

Israel ex-army chief Ashkenazi to serve as foreign minister: party Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |  Former Israeli army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, who spent nearly four decades in the military, will be nominated as Israel’s next foreign minister, his Blue and White alliance said Wednesday. Ashkenazi held talks with US Secretary …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  Tanzania President John Magufuli said Sunday that the number of coronavirus cases there had dropped drastically thanks to the populations’ prayers, and implied the epidemic might soon end. Magufuli’s government has been criticised for a lack of transparency regarding the toll that COVID-19 …

Paris, France | AFP |  The arrest of Felicien Kabuga, one of the last key fugitives wanted over the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in a suburb of Paris has raised some difficult questions for France. Those committed to getting justice for the genocide victims want to know how fugitives such as Kabuga …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP |  As the novel coronavirus pandemic wipes out a recovery from jihadist attacks in 2015, Tunisia’s vital tourism sector is trying to find ways to avoid going under. “Normally, the season starts now. But there is nobody,” said Mohammed Saddam, who owns an antiques shop in the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | With an expert flick of the wrist, South African nurse Bhelekazi Mdlalose collected throat swabs from young men lining up for coronavirus testing at a run-down hostel in downtown Johannesburg. Health workers were sent to the overcrowded block of single-room flats — mainly occupied by men from rural areas …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Inflation in Sudan jumped to 99 percent because of rising food prices, official figures showed Saturday, more than a year after the country was rocked by protests sparked by bread price hikes. The inflation rate in April shot up from 82 percent the previous month due to increased prices of …

Rwandan genocide ‘financier’ arrested in France The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  A top UN prosecutor said on Saturday that the arrest of a key Rwanda genocide fugitive in France showed that suspects would be brought to justice for crimes in the 1994 bloodshed. “The arrest of Felicien Kabuga today …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Burundi plans to hold a presidential election Wednesday that will turn the page on the tumultuous tenure of Pierre Nkurunziza, in power since 2005. Nkurunziza’s controversial decision to seek a third term in 2015 plunged Burundi into crisis, and the associated unrest killed 1,200 people and saw 400,000 …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP |  Seydou Sall sprays antiseptic on bags of food freshly deposited by an e-commerce firm at his home in an upmarket quarter of Senegal’s capital Dakar. In a pattern repeated across the continent, the researcher has turned to online deliveries to get basics such as sugar, milk …

Bujumbura, Burundi | AFP |  Five years of political crisis have battered Burundi’s economy, and there is little hope of a turnaround ahead of elections next week, as feeble signs of recovery have been dashed by the coronavirus crisis. The country’s last election in 2015, which saw President Pierre Nkurunziza seek …