Dimona, Israel | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that an electronic fence along the Israel-Egypt border has saved the Jewish state from jihadist attacks or what he believes would be worse — a tide of African migrants. “Were it not for the fence, we would be faced …
Read More »Gambia arrests Jammeh’s ex-spies over detention death
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Ten members of Gambia’s former spy agency have been detained on suspicion of murdering a political activist who led a protest during ousted strongman Yahya Jammeh’s rule, police said Tuesday. Solo Sandeng, organising secretary of the United Democratic Party, was arrested in April 2016 for fronting …
Read More »French ex-president Sarkozy held over Gaddafi financing probe
Paris, France | AFP | French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy was detained for questioning on Tuesday over allegations the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi financed his 2007 election campaign, including with suitcases stuffed with cash, a source close to the inquiry told AFP. Sarkozy, 63, was taken into police custody early …
Read More »Chad public sector back to work after seven-week strike
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Civil servants in Chad returned to work on Tuesday after a strike over austerity measures paralysed the impoverished country’s public sector for seven weeks. Trade unions had called the strike in late January after the government slashed civil servants’ pay, and the whole public sector …
Read More »Putin, Trump want better ties, planning summit
Moscow, Russia | AFP | US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Tuesday discussed holding a possible summit as the American leader congratulated the Russian President on his re-election. “I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on his electoral victory,” Trump said, two days after Putin’s re-election. …
Read More »EU Parliament invites Facebook boss to speak on data breach
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Parliament on Tuesday invited Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump’s US presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users. The parliament and the European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive, have already called for an urgent …
Read More »EU seeks Facebook data breach probe
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union pushed Tuesday for an urgent investigation into revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who has called the breach “horrifying”, was meanwhile to seek clarification from the social …
Read More »Chad mulls presidential terms but opposition sceptical
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad on Monday was due to start discussing sweeping constitutional reforms including presidential term limits in a country ruled with an iron fist by Idriss Deby since a 1996 coup. A so-called “national forum” comprising some 700 participants, including ruling party figures, members of civil society …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s president threatens to prosecute forex culprits
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday named hundreds of mines, Chinese businesses and individuals who had illegally transferred foreign currency abroad during Robert Mugabe’s rule and warned they would be prosecuted. The announcement came after the expiry of a three month amnesty for the return of …
Read More »S.African court orders grounding of Gupta jet
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A private jet used by a business family at the heart of corruption allegations against former South African president Jacob Zuma was grounded Monday by a court order, according to court documents. The whereabouts of the Bombadier Global 6000 jet is unknown, but the …
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