Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Mexico’s former first lady Margarita Zavala announced Friday she will stand as an independent in presidential elections next year, ditching the country’s main opposition party and shaking up the race. Zavala, 50, is the wife of former president Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) and a popular conservative …
Read More »Police say London crash not related to terrorism
London, United Kingdom | AFP | London police said an incident in which a car apparently ploughed into pedestrians near the Natural History Museum on Saturday, injuring 11 people, was a not related to terrorism. “The incident in #ExhibitionRoad #SouthKensington earlier is not being treated as a terror-related incident. It …
Read More »Sudan eyes economic revival as US lifts sanctions
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Up until a few years ago, Sudanese engineer Ahmed Abdallah used to manage his family’s expenses on his $400 monthly salary but he has since had to take out loans to make ends meet. With the US State Department’s announcement Friday of an end to some …
Read More »Tau stars as South Africa get vital victory
Soweto, South Africa | AFP | Percy Tau starred for a much-changed and much-improved South Africa in a crucial 3-1 victory over Burkina Faso Saturday in a 2018 World Cup Africa zone qualifier in Soweto. The diminutive winger scored the first goal after 48 seconds, played a role in the second, …
Read More »Eleven hurt after car crashes near London museum
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Eleven people were injured on Saturday when a car mounted the pavement and ploughed into pedestrians near London’s Natural History Museum, leading to the driver’s arrest, although officials ruled out a terrorist link. Police said it was a traffic incident after three attacks in the …
Read More »Sudan hails end of US trade embargo as ‘positive decision’
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan on Friday welcomed the US decision to end its 20-year trade embargo against Khartoum as a “positive decision”. Earlier Friday, Washington announced it was ending the embargo, citing improvements made by Sudan in its human rights record. “The leaders of Sudan, the government of Sudan …
Read More »Nigeria: Cooperation ‘key’ to defeating jihadists
Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Greater international cooperation is required to defeat Boko Haram and neutralise the threat from the Islamist militants in Nigeria and beyond, military commanders and politicians said this week. The jihadists, who are allied to the Islamic State group, have destroyed swathes of remote northeast Nigeria since …
Read More »Niger declares mourning after joint US patrol deaths
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Niger has declared three days of national mourning in memory of four of its soldiers killed alongside three US Green Berets in an ambush, state television said Friday. The joint patrol came under fire on Wednesday in southwestern Niger near the border with Mali, in what …
Read More »Anti-nuclear campaign ICAN wins Nobel Peace Prize
Oslo, Norway | AFP | Nuclear disarmament campaign group ICAN won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to consign the atomic bomb to history, firing off a warning that Donald Trump’s presidency showed the true extent of the risk posed by weapons of mass destruction. More than 70 …
Read More »India gives 27,000 free tickets to avert World Cup ’embarrassment’
New Delhi, India | AFP | India gave away 27,000 tickets for the opening games of the Under-17 World Cup in New Delhi on Friday in a bid to avoid the embarrassment of empty stands when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends, an official said. Thousands of children filled the Jawahar Lal …
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