Tag Archives: politics

Beijing, China | AFP | A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. Jeffrey Feltman’s visit — the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 — comes less than a week …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | North Korea’s missile tests are an “imminent threat” to Japan, the Japanese parliament declared Monday, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said talking to the reclusive state was meaningless. The upper house unanimously adopted a resolution protesting against the North’s firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, called for public unity to revive the country’s sickly economy as his new cabinet took office on Monday. “I have sworn in a new cabinet just to finish the term of the former president, which is a period of six to …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The US and South Korea on Monday kicked off their largest ever joint air exercise, an operation North Korea has labelled an “all-out provocation”, days after Pyongyang fired its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile. The five-day Vigilant Ace drill — involving 230 aircraft, including F-22 …

Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s opposition on Monday said it welcomed the replacement of the country’s police chief following his sacking amid accusations of institutional political bias and endemic corruption. Former Inspector General of Police Francis Munu was reassigned to an ambassadorial post in neighbouring Liberia after being …

Washington, United States | AFP | Tensions were on the rise Sunday ahead of the largest ever US-South Korea air exercise, with Pyongyang calling it an “all-out provocation” that could lead to nuclear conflict as a US lawmaker warned of a growing likelihood of “preemptive war” on the divided peninsula. The …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, announced Sunday that he had rejoined the country’s main opposition party, the latest sign he aims to run for the presidency in 2019. In a live video broadcast on his Facebook page, Abubakar said he was again joining the …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | A Malian army general and former government minister has resigned his post to stand in the country’s presidential elections in July 2018, sources close to the officer said Sunday. Moussa Sinko Coulibaly is the second person to declare his candidacy, after Kalifa Sanogo, the mayor of …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian military prosecutors ordered a colonel be detained for 15 days after he announced plans to run in the country’s 2018 presidential election, his lawyer said Sunday. Colonel Ahmed Konsowa was detained on Saturday on suspicion of “behaviour that harms the requirements of the military” …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Sunday for changes to controversial legislation his opponents say was designed to help him survive ongoing police probes after tens of thousands protested at the weekend. The long-serving prime minister is facing two separate graft probes that have led …