Pyeongchang, South Korea | AFP | International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday that Africa could host the Olympics for the first time as early as 2032. It came after the IOC approved plans to target Africa to host the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s ailing opposition chief appoints acting leader
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Ailing Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday appointed one of his three deputies to take charge of the party while he undergoes cancer treatment in neighbouring South Africa. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said in a statement the former …
Read More »S.Africa’s Ramaphosa vows ‘speedy’ decision on Zuma’s fate
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday vowed a “speedy resolution” to talks on the future of embattled leader Jacob Zuma, expected to step down after mounting political turmoil. President Zuma is under growing pressure to quit in favour of Ramaphosa, his deputy …
Read More »S.Africa’s Zuma clings on in face of uncertainty
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South Africans were facing political uncertainty on Wednesday after the ruling ANC party cancelled a meeting that could have removed embattled President Jacob Zuma from office. Zuma is under growing pressure to resign in favour of his deputy and African National Congress party …
Read More »African migrants in Israel opt for jail over deportation
Holot Detention Centre, Israel | AFP | At a detention centre in Israel’s Negev desert, African migrants facing deportation say they would rather be imprisoned than sent to a country they know nothing about. “I won’t go there,” Abda Ishmael, a 28-year-old Eritrean, said in excellent Hebrew outside Holot, an …
Read More »Kenya govt critic Miguna Miguna deported, on flight to Canada
Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP | Reports from Nairobi indicate that Kenyan government critic Miguna Miguna was last night forced on a flight to Canada. Miguna Miguna’s lawyer John Khaminwa confirmed the development. Kenya’s official government newsroom tweeted soon after that ” Miguna is headed home. The court ordered he gets …
Read More »UN chief takes aim at Burundi leader’s bid to extend rule
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sharply criticizing a bid by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza to make changes to the constitution that could see him hold onto power for another decade or more, according to a report obtained by AFP on Tuesday. Guterres said …
Read More »Pressure mounts for Ramaphosa to replace Zuma immediately
S.Africa’s Zuma holds talks with likely successor as exit looms Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | Scandal-tainted South African President Jacob Zuma, who is under growing pressure to resign, held “fruitful” talks on Tuesday with his likely successor Cyril Ramaphosa, the ruling ANC party said. The ANC said that …
Read More »Mali ordered to pay 39m euros to military supplier
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay more than $48 million to a local military equipment firm, in a legal battle dating back to 2014 triggered by corruption allegations. The World Bank and IMF froze aid to Mali that year over state dealings …
Read More »Nigeria lassa fever death toll now 31: health minister
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Thirty-one people have died from Lassa fever in Nigeria since the start of this year, the health minister said, with cases of the viral disease recorded across the country. Isaac Adewole told reporters in Abuja on Monday that the outbreak was currently “active in 15 …
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