Paris, France | AFP | UNESCO’s new chief on Monday brushed aside the United States’ decision to walk out of the UN cultural body, saying the organisation had survived long periods without Washington before. Former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay, elected on Friday to head UNESCO, said the US was “not …
Read More »As Iran-Saudi ‘Cold War’ heats up, what next?
Tehran, Iran | AFP | From a Yemeni missile attack to the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, the “Cold War” between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has been heating up. Experts believe the risk of a direct military clash is low, but why have tensions escalated now and how …
Read More »EU warns Brexit talks clock is ticking
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The EU warned Britain on Thursday that time is running out to reach a divorce deal by the end of the month, a necessary step to guarantee moving the Brexit process on to trade negotiations. As Brexit talks resumed in Brussels, concerns are growing among EU …
Read More »Cows and chickens cause spat between Kenya and Tanzania
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A diplomatic spat over cows and chickens has worsened already frosty ties between Kenya and Tanzania, with Nairobi lodging a formal protest against its neighbour, the foreign minister said Wednesday. The latest impasse between the two east African nations began last month when Tanzania seized and …
Read More »Trump in China for talks on North Korea’s ‘cruel dictatorship’
Beijing, China | AFP | US President Donald Trump toured the Forbidden City with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday as he began the crucial leg of an Asian tour intended to build a global front against North Korea’s nuclear threats. After warning North Korea’s “cruel dictatorship” in a speech in …
Read More »Who’s great again? Trump faces ‘king of China’ Xi
Beijing, China | AFP | Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have one thing in common — they both want to make their nations great again. But while China’s leader is on the rise, the US president arrives in Beijing laden down with heavy baggage. Xi will roll out the red …
Read More »UAE and Qatar stake billions in ‘soft power’ showdown
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The opening this week of the glittering Louvre Abu Dhabi museum marks the latest stage in a multi-billion-dollar “soft power” showdown between energy giants Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Culture, media and sports have turned into battlegrounds for branding and global recognition. “There …
Read More »US journalist in jail on charges of trying to topple Mugabe
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | A 25-year-old American journalist charged with attempting to overthrow Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, on account of an alleged tweet that described the ageing leader as “selfish and sick”, was remanded in custody Saturday after denying the accusations. Martha O’Donovan, who appeared in court in the capital …
Read More »Hungary to open embassy in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | MOFA | Uganda has formally accepted a request from Hungary to open a Diplomatic Mission at the level of Charge D’Affaires in Kampala in the near future. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa confirmed the new relationship with Hungary when he received the visiting Deputy Minister for …
Read More »Zimbabwe arrests US woman for Mugabe ‘goblin’ tweet
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean police arrested a US citizen on Friday for allegedly tweeting that President Robert Mugabe is a “goblin whose wife and step-son bought a Rolls-Royce,” lawyers said. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said officers detained Martha O’Donovan in a dawn raid at her …
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