Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Tresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday warned a top Turkish general who played a key role in defeating last year’s failed coup and led a cross-border operation in Syria that he must accept a surprise demotion without rancour. In a rare show of tension between the …
Read More »Nigeria’s president slams divisions after absence
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took to state TV on Monday in his first speech since returning from a long medical absence in Britain, in a bid to dampen mounting separatist tensions in the country. The 74-year-old, who received treatment for an undisclosed condition in London, appeared …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari home after 100-day treatment in London
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari returned home on Saturday after spending more than 100 days in London receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. His plane touched down around 4:35 pm (1535 GMT) at the international airport in Abuja, an AFP correspondent said. Wearing a black caftan …
Read More »Here are Africa’s longest-serving leaders
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, in power since 1979, will not contest Wednesday’s general election, meaning he will soon lose his place as Africa’s second longest-serving leader. The continent is home to many men who have held office for two decades or more, and …
Read More »DOS SANTOS: Angola’s secretive leader heads towards exit
Luanda, Angola | AFP | When Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos steps down and his successor is chosen in Wednesday’s elections, it will bring to an end a 38-year reign dominated by his unrelenting authoritarian style. Though seldom seen in public, he has been a looming presence in daily …
Read More »Mugabe’s deputy returns from S.Africa ‘after food poisoning treatment’
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s vice president has returned home from neighbouring South Africa where he was flown for emergency medical care for suspected food poisoning, a privately-owned newspaper reported Sunday. Emmerson Mnangagwa, 74, who is seen as a favourite to succeed President Robert Mugabe, fell ill at a rally …
Read More »Media tested anew in ‘war’ with Trump
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | When Donald Trump sought this week to lump white supremacists and those protesting against them into the same bag, he triggered a political firestorm with Republicans and Democrats warning “both sides” could not be treated alike. He also added fuel to an increasingly urgent debate …
Read More »Thousands join anti-racism march in Boston
Boston, UNITED STATES | AFP | Thousands of anti-racism demonstrators flooded the streets of Boston Saturday, dwarfing a gathering of white nationalists in the city and triggering scuffles with police but avoiding the serious violence that marred a similar event a week earlier in Virginia. A so-called “free speech” rally by …
Read More »Netanyahu, Putin to meet over Syria conflict
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Russia on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, mainly focussing on the war in Syria, his office said late Saturday. The two leaders will meet in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi to “discuss the …
Read More »Grace Mugabe absent from S.Africa summit as assault claim lingers
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe failed to appear Saturday at a summit in South Africa attended by her husband, an event overshadowed by her effort to obtain diplomatic immunity over assault allegations. The wife of President Robert Mugabe has not been seen since being accused …
Read More »