Benue, Nigeria | AFP | Government worker Iorliam Shija sits in one of the ramshackle bars along the banks of the Benue river in central Nigeria sipping from a gourd filled with frothy burukutu. The vinegary alcoholic beverage has been made here for generations from the fermented grains of sorghum and …
Read More »My working relationship with president Museveni was candid: Ambassador Malac
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The out-going United States Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Ruth Malac has said she had a candid working relationship with President Museveni. Malac whose four-year tenure as US Ambassador to Uganda ends on Sunday told URN in an interview on Friday that her and Museveni often …
Read More »MALAC: Govts that overstay often end badly
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The outgoing US Ambassador to Uganda, Deborah Malac has warned that ultimately, governments that stay for long In power without a transitional plan, often end up badly. Malac was today holding her final press briefing at the American Centre as US Ambassador to Uganda …
Read More »Gold miners face dangerous life in Nigeria’s ‘bandit’ country
Anka, Nigeria | AFP | From dawn, before the sun starts to sear the earth, Biltamnu Sani is already hard at work, pounding away at the dusty soil in his perilous quest for gold. The mineral-rich earth of Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, has provided generations of families with the means to …
Read More »GAMBIA: Ex-president Jammeh will be arrested if he returns
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Former dictator Yahya Jammeh would face immediate arrest if he returned home, Gambia’s justice minister warned Sunday, days after his supporters called for his return from exile. After a year of hearings investigating abuses during his 22-year rule, “it can no longer be ruled out …
Read More »Tensions flare in French protests as pension dispute grinds on
Paris, France | AFP | Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to streets across France on Thursday in the latest mass protests against a pensions overhaul that critics say could cut benefits even while requiring people to work longer before retiring. Tensions flared in Paris and other cities as some black-clad …
Read More »Ten years after deadly Haiti quake, survivors feel forgotten
Port-au-Prince, Haiti | AFP | Ten years ago, Herlande Mitile was left disabled by the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti. Today, she uses a wheelchair jury-rigged with a piece of string, which means she cannot go far. Result: she is trapped in her village outside Port-au-Prince. It was meant to be …
Read More »Planes, trains and bills: Britain’s big projects dilemma
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A high-speed train that won’t start. An overcrowded airport that can’t expand. A new subway line that never runs. Britain’s attempts to revive its creaking infrastructure are turning into a headache for Prime Minister Boris Johnson just as his fight with Europe over Brexit winds …
Read More »Spain’s Sanchez faces tight parliament vote to remain PM
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain’s parliament will vote Tuesday on whether to confirm Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez as prime minister at the helm of the country’s first-ever coalition government. Sanchez, who has stayed on as a caretaker premier since inconclusive elections last year, is seeking to be reappointed for another …
Read More »French pension talks resume as govt seeks to end standoff
Paris, France | AFP | French officials prepared to restart talks with unions Tuesday over a pension overhaul that has sparked the country’s longest transport strikes in decades, which labour leaders say could force millions of people to retire later than they thought. Public support appears to be shifting in the …
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