Kano, Nigeria | AFP | A fresh outbreak of gang violence in northern Nigeria has left at least 27 people dead, locals told AFP on Friday, highlighting the volatile security situation in West Africa’s largest economy. On Thursday suspected cattle thieves launched reprisal attacks on two villages in northern Nigeria’s …
Read More »Cinema makes return to Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia hosted its first public film screening in over 35 years on Friday, two days after US movie giant AMC unveiled the kingdom’s debut theatre in Riyadh. Clutching prized tickets for the sold-out showing of Hollywood blockbuster action film “Black Panther”, men …
Read More »Dance music superstar Avicii dead at 28
New York, United States | AFP | Avicii, one of the world’s most successful DJs who helped usher in the global boom in electronic music but struggled to cope in the hard-partying lifestyle, died Friday in Oman, his representative said. He was 28. Two years after his unusually early retirement …
Read More »FIFA to return to Morocco to check hotels, stadiums
Casablanca, Morocco | AFP | FIFA experts will make a second visit to Morocco next week after expressing some concerns over hotel capacity and stadiums earmarked for the North African nation’s ambitious bid to host the 2026 World Cup. The visit follows this week’s four-day trip by FIFA’s evaluation group …
Read More »Zimbabwe nurses stage public protest after being sacked
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Scores of Zimbabwe nurses on Friday protested in Harare’s central city park after the government dismissed them for striking over low salaries and poor working conditions. The nurses, who wore their white uniforms, demanded the government reverse its decision to fire the majority of the …
Read More »S.Africa riots force new president to leave London summit
Mafikeng, South Africa | AFP | South African police on Friday fired rubber bullets at protesters after President Cyril Ramaphosa cut short a foreign trip to deal with violent riots over alleged government corruption and poor public services. Shops were looted, roads were blocked and vehicles set alight in North …
Read More »Ferguson ‘proud’ to have been a rival of Wenger
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Alex Ferguson said he felt “proud to have been a rival, colleague and friend” of Arsene Wenger after the Arsenal manager announced Friday his intention to step down at the end of the season. Wenger has been at the helm of the Gunners for …
Read More »Zimbabwe parliament summons Mugabe on May 9
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | A Zimbabwe parliament committee has summoned former president Robert Mugabe to give evidence on May 9 over diamond corruption costing billions of dollars, underlining his fall from power after 37 years of autocratic rule. Mugabe, now 94, ruled Zimbabwe from 1980 until he was ousted …
Read More »NATO moves from Cold War bunker to glass and steel palace
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | With its futuristic curved roof, gleaming walls of glass and steel and host of eco-friendly features, NATO’s new billion-euro Brussels headquarters is a world away from the drab, low-slung warren of offices reeking of Cold War intrigue that it replaces. The alliance is almost halfway through …
Read More »IMF’s Lagarde warns against harming trade, investment
Washington, United States | AFP | With US-China frictions hanging over its annual meeting, the International Monetary Fund on Thursday warned governments to avoid harming trade and investment which have been key drivers of the global economic recovery. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said escalating trade tensions could reverberate through the world …
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