United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Monday backed plans by the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold elections in December 2018 and warned President Joseph Kabila must stick to the timeline. The election commission in Kinshasa announced on Sunday that the long-awaited presidential, legislative, regional and …
Read More »Kagame gets top world tourism award
London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda President Paul Kagame has recieved the 2017 World Tourism Award for visionary leadership. The award was presented to Kagame on the opening day of World Travel Market London on Monday. Inaugurated in 1997, the World Tourism Awards recognises individuals, companies, organisations, destinations and attractions for …
Read More »S.African publishers of Zuma book vow to fight gag efforts
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The publishers of a book alleging widespread corruption against South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma vowed on Monday to resist a demand from the country’s spy agency that they withdraw it. The State Security Agency demanded on Friday that NB Publishers remove from bookstores the work …
Read More »Egypt rights lawyer announces presidental bid
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | A rights lawyer and former candidate for Egypt’s presidency who challenged the government over Red Sea islands given to Saudi Arabia announced his campaign Monday to stand in 2018 elections. Leftist Khaled Ali rose to prominence after he tried to get the courts to stop the …
Read More »Deadly heat from climate change may hit slums hardest
Miami, United States | AFP | With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s Mugabe fires VP, clears wife’s way to top job
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe fired Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday, the government said, as the veteran leader appeared to clear the way for his wife Grace to succeed him. The dramatic move came after a tense weekend in which Mnangagwa and Grace Mugabe — …
Read More »Liberia Supreme Court indefinitely delays presidential vote
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the country’s electoral commission to resolve a fraud complaint lodged by an opposition party before a scheduled runoff vote for the presidency can be held. Supreme Court Chief Justice Francis Korkpor said the National Elections Commission (NEC) was prohibited “from …
Read More »Kenya charges AFP photographer with ‘trespassing’ at dairy
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The chief photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in east Africa appeared in court Monday after 48 hours in police custody, charged with trespassing on a property belonging to the president’s family. Japanese photographer Yasuyoshi Chiba, 46, was arrested on Friday afternoon at a farm belonging to …
Read More »Liberia holds breath as court rules on presidential vote
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberians nervously awaited a Supreme Court ruling Monday on the timing of a runoff presidential vote after the process was thrown into uncertainty by fraud allegations. The court is expected to rule at 10 am (1000 GMT) whether to set a new date or to prolong …
Read More »Rwanda energy experts mull over nuclear
RWANDA: Strategists to use robust analytical tools Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A team of Rwandan energy experts have completed a three-week training course hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that will, hopefully, help shape the future of the country’s energy mix. According to a statement issued by …
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