Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after the start of unprecedented protests sparked by his bid for a fifth term. His resignation, announced by state television, came shortly after the army demanded the start of impeachment against him. Here is a …
Read More »No-one sought justice for Kim Jong Nam: analysts
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The spectacular assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother — smeared in the face with a banned nerve agent — made headlines around the world but two years later its organisers have escaped accountability, analysts say. Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge Monday against …
Read More »Ailing Bouteflika: Algeria’s longest serving president
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Abdelaziz Bouteflika is Algeria’s longest-serving president and a veteran of the independence struggle who has held on to power for some 20 years despite ill health. The 82-year-old survived the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled other leaders in the region. But after weeks of demonstrations …
Read More »Facebook’s call for global internet regulation sparks debate
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s call for “globally harmonized” online regulation raises questions about how internet platforms can deal with concerns about misinformation and abusive content while remaining open to free speech. Here are key questions about the latest proposal from Facebook: What is Facebook …
Read More »Gun control, climate: a new US generation takes to the barricades
New York, United States | AFP | In the United States, David Hogg is a leading campaigner for gun control, while in Europe, Greta Thunberg fights to defend the climate. They may only be teenagers, but both have drawn worldwide followings for their clear messages and fierce commitment — symbols …
Read More »A tale of two Delhis: Deadly air exposes rich-poor divide
New Delhi, India | AFP | Walls draped in lush vertical gardens and air filtered through purifiers insulate diners at a swanky New Delhi food court from the choking haze outside in one of the most polluted places on earth. But these eco-eateries, offering cleaner air as well as modern …
Read More »Five things we learned in European football this weekend
Paris, France | AFP | Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain all moved closer to retaining their domestic titles this weekend, but there were plenty of other talking points in Europe. AFP Sport takes a look back at the action as Borussia Dortmund and Ajax claimed big victories, and a famous old …
Read More »Rwanda’s genocide killers learn new life back home
Mutobo, Rwanda | AFP | Dozens of ex-militia killers stroll around an open camp beneath mist-shrouded volcanoes in Rwanda. They are learning to reintegrate into the country whose government they have spent years trying to overthrow. These are men who helped carry out Rwanda’s horrific 1994 genocide, and then formed …
Read More »White House 2020 spouses eye new title: First Gentleman
Washington, United States | AFP | From Martha Washington to Melania Trump, the role of US first lady is as old as the republic itself. But if one of half a dozen Democrat hopefuls get their way in 2020, the nation could soon have a first gentleman — potentially …
Read More »One year on, tough times loom for Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | In his first speech as Ethiopian prime minister last April, Abiy Ahmed called for an end to the repressive, exclusionary governance that had plunged the country into turmoil. It was a promise on which he is seen to have delivered dramatically, earning him both …
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