Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe has been gripped by an escalating spat between the president’s wife and his senior vice-president over a bizarre poisoning incident that has laid bare the pair’s ambitions to succeed President Robert Mugabe. Though Mugabe has repeatedly condemned factionalism and refused to discuss his successor, his …
Read More »Zimbabwe vice president fights back over poisoning ‘lies’
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday fought back against allegations by hos co-deputy that he lied about being poisoned, in a row that displays the growing political in-fighting ahead of next year’s election. Mnangagwa has been accused by fellow vice-president Phelekezela Mphoko of undermining …
Read More »Facebook ‘context’ button is latest effort to fight fake news
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook said Thursday it was testing a new “button” to allow users to get more context about a news source, in the latest move by the leading social network to curb misinformation. The new feature will allow users to get context on the source of …
Read More »Saudi funds move bolsters crown prince
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia Wednesday announced the consolidation of development funds under a unified body led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, cementing the powerful prince’s position in the Gulf kingdom’s affairs. The new National Development Fund joins industrial, agricultural and social development funds under a board …
Read More »EU says ‘time to talk’ in Catalonia crisis
Strasbourg, France | AFP | The European Commission said Wednesday it was “time to talk” to resolve the escalating political crisis in Catalonia, while defending Madrid’s right to use “proportionate” force to maintain law and order. “It’s time to talk, finding a way out of the impasse, working within the constitutional …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim ‘very rational’: CIA
Washington, United States | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is a rational politician and the US needs to understand that to deal with the nuclear-armed country, a top Central Intelligence Agency Korea expert said Wednesday. “Beyond the bluster, Kim Jong-Un is a rational actor,” said Yong Suk Lee, the …
Read More »Mishaps disrupt UK PM as she tries to rally party
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Theresa May urged her party Wednesday to back her to deliver bold change for Britain, but her attempt to move past Brexit splits was marred by a protest, a collapsing set and a coughing fit. The Conservative leader used her closing speech to …
Read More »With Sirleaf, Liberia’s glass ceiling cracked but failed to shatter
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s female politicians profess near-universal respect for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as she steps down after 12 years as president — but many also say the glass ceiling that Africa’s first female leader cracked remains firmly in place. Sirleaf, 78, will not run in October 10’s presidential …
Read More »BOBI WINE: We are more powerful than we’ve been made to believe
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In the thick of Uganda’s current political tensions, artists from across Africa and the diaspora have come to Kampala for a “Your Music Your Voice” 2017 event to collaborate and discuss their common goal of advocating for social justice in their respective countries. On Tuesday …
Read More »UN chief asks Cameroon to probe attacks on anglophones
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Cameroon to probe deadly attacks in the country’s restless English-speaking region after protests leading to a symbolic declaration of independence. At least 17 people were killed in weekend attacks in mostly French-speaking Cameroon’s southwest, a …
Read More »