Paris, France | AFP | China was the first world power to react Monday to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s re-election, vowing to push ties to a “higher level”, but Germany questioned the fairness of the vote and warned that Moscow would remain “difficult”. And 24 hours after Putin’s victory, there …
Read More »Facebook launches audit of data leaked to Trump consultant
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook announced Monday it has hired a digital forensics firm to investigate the handling of data on millions of Americans leaked to a consulting firm working on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The move by Facebook came amid an onslaught of criticism after …
Read More »Putin wins another term but what happens in 2024?
Moscow, Russia | AFP | In power for almost two decades, Vladimir Putin predictably won a fourth Kremlin term in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, extending his long rule for another six years. With no successor and no political competition, what are the possible scenarios when his term ends in …
Read More »Burundi sets May 17 for vote on contested reforms
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has set May 17 as the date for a referendum on a controversial constitutional reform that could keep him in power until 2034, according to a decree signed Sunday. Critics accuse Nkurunziza of trying to stay in power for life and …
Read More »Nigeria skips African summit in blow to free trade deal
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will not attend the African Union summit in Rwanda this week, an official statement said Sunday, in a blow to plans to launch a major free trade treaty across 54 countries. The meeting in Kigali is intended to formally launch the …
Read More »Putin storms to landslide election win
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Vladimir Putin on Sunday stormed to victory in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, giving him another six years in power as Moscow’s relations with the West plunge to new Cold War lows. Putin, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, won more than 75 …
Read More »Uganda’s myths and realities
Why Besigye can only govern using Museveni’s politics of corruption and patronage THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The discussion of a post President YoweriMuseveni Uganda tends to be programmatic rather than analytical. It is built on false hopes based on textbook theories rather than the actual social …
Read More »Trump attacks FBI as his lawyer calls for end to Russia probe
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump slammed the FBI as he hailed the firing of a veteran Bureau agent as a “great day for democracy,” a move his attorney said he hoped would bring an end to a probe into alleged collusion between the president’s campaign and Russia. …
Read More »Putin eyes fourth term as Russians go to polls
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians voted Sunday in an election set to hand President Vladimir Putin a fourth Kremlin term, as the country is embroiled in a crisis with Britain and its allies over a spy poisoning. With the vast country stretching across 11 time zones, polls opened in …
Read More »UN backs Zimbabwe polls for July
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The United Nations on Saturday threw its support behind new elections in Zimbabwe set for July and urged the government to kickstart the African nation’s economy as an “urgent priority”. Achim Steiner, administrator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was in Harare as part …
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