Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Ramadan is a time for daytime fasting and lavish evening feasts, but Egyptians are scaling back preparations for the Muslim holy month this year after austerity measures fuelled decades-high inflation. At a Cairo supermarket, Rana, a web designer and mother of two, said she was …
Read More »Nigeria: Coup rumours reflect rising distrust in Buhari’s absence
Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS| Last week, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, issued a stern warning to soldiers to stay out of politics, raising alarm of a potential coup plot. His statement claimed that individuals had been approaching army officers for political reasons, and cautioned: “Any officer or soldier …
Read More »Tanzania President Magufuli sacks Mines Minister
Tanzania minister sacked: Wednesday’s report found that companies exporting raw mineral sands understated the nature and quantity of precious metals in their containers and so avoided paying taxes Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | President John Magufuli fired Tanzania’s mines minister on Wednesday after a government report found minerals exports …
Read More »Trump calls N. Korea’s Kim Jong-Un ‘madman with nuclear weapons’
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un a “madman with nuclear weapons” during a telephone call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to a transcript of the conversation released by US media Tuesday. A White House readout of the April 29 call …
Read More »Tycoon, striker or banker: Liberia seeks a new president
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | A football superstar, a former warlord and a soft drinks millionaire have thrown their hats into the ring for the post of Liberian president as Africa’s first elected female leader prepares to step down. A dizzying array of candidates have lined up for the October …
Read More »Nguesso breaks ground on $58 million China-funded Congo parliament building
Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | Congo broke ground on a new Chinese-funded parliament building in the capital Brazzaville on Monday estimated at over 52 million euros ($58 million). The investment from China’s government was criticised by opposition groups which pointed out that Congo is in the midst of an economic …
Read More »Gambia’s Jammeh ‘stole $50m’, assets frozen
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia’s longtime former ruler Yahya Jammeh stole at least $50-million from the state, the country’s justice minister said Monday, in the first major anti-corruption move by the country’s new president. It is the first time the new government of the small west African nations …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte heads to Russia in blow to US
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation’s foreign policy further away from longtime ally the United States. The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in relations with Russia since Duterte came to …
Read More »China killed or jailed up to 20 US spies in 2010-12
Washington, United States | AFP | Beijing systematically dismantled CIA spying efforts in China beginning in 2010, killing or jailing more than a dozen covert sources, in a deep setback to US intelligence there, The New York Times reported Sunday. The Times, quoting 10 current and former American officials who …
Read More »RAMAPHOSA: South Africa risks becoming ‘mafia state’
S. Africa risks becoming ‘mafia state’ warns Ramaphosa Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa risks becoming a “mafia state”, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa warned Sunday, calling for a corruption probe at the top as he stepped up criticism of President Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa is one of the main …
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