Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used a video posted online Wednesday to accuse police of pressuring witnesses to “smear” him as corruption investigations against him intensify. In his first direct reaction since the announcement that his ex-aide Nir Hefetz would testify against him, Netanyahu …
Read More »Ethiopian ruling party to meet next week to choose new PM
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s ruling coalition will meet next week to choose a successor to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn whose surprise resignation last month has sparked a rare succession race, state media reported Wednesday. Hailemariam’s decision to step down was unprecedented in the 27-year reign of the …
Read More »IMF chief warns trade war will harm global growth
Paris, France | AFP | The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday that a trade war US President Donald Trump apparently intends to provoke with tariffs on steel and aluminium would snuff out global growth. “If international trade is called into question by these types of measures, it …
Read More »Sierra Leone picks new president with hopes of economic turnaround
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leoneans voted Wednesday in a general election to pick a new president, with many craving economic change and a boost to living standards in one of the world’s poorest countries. Dozens of people joined queues at a polling station visited by AFP in …
Read More »Togo opposition announces resumption of protest demos
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s opposition coalition on Tuesday said it would resume its protests against President Faure Gnassingbe and his government, despite both sides having agreed to a suspension during talks. The grouping of 14 parties’ spokesman, Eric Dupuy, told AFP: “We have decided to start our protests again …
Read More »Ethiopia in ‘uncharted territory’ as party chooses PM
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s governing coalition is facing an unprecedented tussle behind closed doors as it seeks a new prime minister after Hailemariam Desalegn’s shock resignation from the helm of Africa’s fastest growing economy. With opposition parties enfeebled, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition wields …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari to tour violence-hit states
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, under fire because of mounting security threats, including Boko Haram, is to tour states worst-hit by the violence, his office said Monday. “From today, March 5, he will visit Taraba, and subsequently Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers states,” the presidency said …
Read More »Angola’s Isabel dos Santos denies Sonangol fraud claims
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, on Monday denied claims that she presided over corruption when she ran state oil giant Sonangol. Prosecutors opened an investigation on Friday into possible graft at Sonangol and will probe “irregular financial …
Read More »Merkel vows swift return to government work to boost Europe
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Monday that her new government would start work swiftly and lend a strong voice to Europe, a day after she secured a coalition for her fourth term. Germany’s second biggest party, the Social Democrats (SPD), on Sunday finally gave the …
Read More »Shifting fortunes for main parties as S. Leone votes
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone holds a general election on Wednesday with uncertainty over the impact of new movements vying to break the stranglehold of two parties which have ruled since independence from Britain in 1961. President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down after a decade and …
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