After two years, no end in sight to Burundi’s deadly turmoil Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Two years after Burundi’s president plunged the central African country into turmoil, the regime shows no signs of easing up on a crackdown that has forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The UN estimates …
Read More »Obama says ready to train new leaders in first post-presidency speech
Chicago, United States | AFP | Former US president Barack Obama returned to the public spotlight Monday, saying he hopes to spend the next phase of his life helping to “prepare the next generation of leadership.” After three months off, Obama broke his silence in his adopted hometown of Chicago, …
Read More »LIVE: Obama is back for first speech since leaving office
LIVE: Obama is back for first speech since leaving office Chicago, United States | AFP | After several months off largely out of the public eye, former US president Barack Obama returns to center stage Monday, giving a speech in his adopted hometown of Chicago that — theoretically — will …
Read More »Anti-Mugabe election coalition takes shape in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | President Robert Mugabe’s grip on power has faced little recent threat from Zimbabwe’s splintered opposition, but efforts to forge a unified alliance in next year’s election could test his supremacy. Any opposition bloc would first have to overcome fierce rivalries within their various camps, and …
Read More »Barack Obama returns
Chicago, United States | AFP | Having largely remained silent since Donald Trump succeeded him as US president in January, Barack Obama will make his first public appearance on Monday in his adopted hometown of Chicago. The former president will participate in a discussion with students from Chicago schools on …
Read More »108 DAYS TO GO: Kenyatta warns against violence as Kenya poll fever rises
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta warned Thursday against violence as election season gets into full swing, with chaotic party primaries already leading to bloody scuffles. East Africa’s largest economy holds a general election on August 8, a decade after disputed poll results fuelled violence that left …
Read More »Israel to get 3 more F-35 jets on Sunday
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel is to take delivery of three more F-35 stealth fighters from the United States on Sunday, adding to two which arrived in December, an army statement said. They are among 50 that Israel has agreed to buy from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. US President …
Read More »Ahmadinejad barred from Iran elections
Ahmadinejad barred as Iran Guardians pick vote candidates Tehran, Iran | AFP | Former Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was barred from running in next month’s election Thursday while President Hassan Rouhani was among six candidates approved by Iran’s conservative-controlled Guardian Council, state media reported. The other candidates selected were hardliners …
Read More »TRAFFIC: India bans red car beacons to end elitist culture
New Delhi, India | AFP | India said Wednesday it will ban ministers and senior officials from using red beacons on their cars to cut through traffic, a longstanding privilege that has caused resentment and accusations of elitism. From May 1 only emergency services will be allowed to use …
Read More »Athletics: Farah doctor to brief UK lawmakers in drugs probe
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The doctor who gave athletics great Mo Farah a controversial supplement is to appear before British lawmakers on Wednesday as part of an ongoing inquiry into doping in sport. Dr Robin Chakraverty, formerly of UK Athletics, is to give evidence to the House of …
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