Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | More than a hundred Tanzanian civil society groups raised their voices on Wednesday against “unprecedented” violations of human and democratic rights under the government of President John Magufuli. In a rare act of public solidarity, 105 organisations signed a statement warning of “multiple cases (of …
Read More »Influential ‘America’s pastor’ Billy Graham, counsel to presidents, dies at 99
Washington, United States | AFP | Reverend Billy Graham, the influential Southern preacher who became a spiritual advisor to several US presidents and millions of Americans via their television sets, died Wednesday. He was 99. The one-time backwoods minister who eventually became the world’s foremost Christian evangelist, spread a message …
Read More »S.Africa hikes sales tax in ‘tough’ post-Zuma budget
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South Africans were hit by the first sales tax increase since apartheid when the country’s finance minister delivered a tough budget on Wednesday, dampening optimism spurred by the country’s new reformist president. President Cyril Ramaphosa took over last week from the scandal-plagued Jacob …
Read More »Weah’s promised land: Liberia confronts age-old disputes
Gbah, Liberia | AFP | Morris Kidir gestures at a wide expanse of dark-green land he says was earmarked for a school or clinic in his northern Liberian village, now covered in young oil palm trees. In October last year, he recalls, workers from Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby arrived at …
Read More »Lawyer pleads guilty to lying in Russia probe
Washington, United States | AFP | A lawyer linked to a former campaign aide of President Donald Trump pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents Tuesday, as the probe into Russian election meddling gains pace. Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s powerful team of investigators accused Alex van der Zwaan of knowingly …
Read More »South Africa braces for tough budget
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South Africa braces for a tough budget speech Wednesday amid renewed optimism spurred by the country’s new reformist president who has promised to drive the economy out of the doldrums. Cyril Ramaphosa took over last week from the scandal-plagued Jacob Zuma, raising hope …
Read More »Zimbabwe bids farewell to opposition hero Tsvangirai
Buhera, Zimbabwe | AFP | Thousands of Zimbabweans gathered Tuesday to bid a final farewell to opposition veteran Morgan Tsvangirai who was one of Africa’s most globally admired politicians and lived to see the fall of his political nemesis Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai, the country’s fiercest opponent of former president Mugabe’s …
Read More »S.Africa’s Ramaphosa wants Marikana massacre ‘atonement’ role
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday he wanted “healing and atonement” following the 2012 massacre of 34 striking workers at a mine run by Lonmin where he was a director. Ramaphosa has been dogged by allegations that he was partly responsible for …
Read More »Netanyahu associates named as suspects in new corruption probe
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli police revealed Tuesday that two close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the suspects in a new corruption probe, with five others central figures in the Bezeq telecommunications group. The seven were arrested on Sunday, just days after police said there were …
Read More »Trump backs improved background checks on gun buys
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump signaled support Monday for improving background gun checks amid mounting pressure for reform in the wake of the Florida school shooting, as the accused gunman appeared in court. Nikolas Cruz, charged with killing 17 people, sat silently with his head …
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