Washington, United States | AFP | On the campaign trail and in office, Donald Trump has made attacking the press one of his political trademarks. But by restricting the access of certain media, his White House took things one step further, triggering an outcry. The New York Times, the Los …
Read More »Fractured, frustrated Democrats to pick leader in Trump era
Washington, United States | AFP | US Democrats struggling to move on from their bitter election defeat last year will pick a new leader Saturday to take the fight to President Donald Trump and his Republicans. With opposition Democrats preparing for crucial 2018 midterm elections and the nation’s next presidential …
Read More »Supporters gather for Mugabe’s lavish birthday party
Matobo, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who turned 93 this week, celebrates his birthday on Saturday with a lavish party attended by thousands of loyalists outside the second city of Bulawayo. The ruling ZANU-PF party is hosting the event for Mugabe, who has held power since 1980 …
Read More »Nigeria VP Osinbajo comes out of the shadows with Buhari away
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo seems to have been everywhere while his boss is away. He even conducted a spot check on the public toilets at Lagos international airport. The clear aim, it seems, is to give the impression of business as usual while President Muhammadu …
Read More »Son of boxer Muhammad Ali detained at Florida airport
Washington, United States | AFP | A son of boxing legend Muhammad Ali was held for questioning for two hours at a Florida airport upon returning from Jamaica because of his Arabic-sounding name, US media reported late Friday. Muhammad Ali Jr., 44, who was born in Philadelphia and has a …
Read More »Trump promises massive buildup of entire US military
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it. We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all …
Read More »Combative Trump promises Americans safety and strength
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump promised Friday to keep America safe from foreign “terrorists” with beefed up borders and a massive military buildup, in a staunchly nationalistic address to conservative supporters. “The era of empty talk is over. It’s over. Now is the time for action,” …
Read More »White House accused of picking media favorites
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s White House barred several major US media outlets from a daily press briefing Friday, raising accusations of favoritism. The White House excluded some outlets that have provided critical coverage like CNN and the New York Times from an off-camera event that …
Read More »South African police fire rubber bullets at anti-immigrant march
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South African police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up clashes between local protesters and immigrants in Pretoria on Friday at a march against foreigners. Shops and homes owned by migrants have been looted and torched over the last two …
Read More »Gambia’s ex-spy chief, 8 others charged with murder
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Gambia’s dreaded former spy chief — whose watch was marred by allegations of killings and torture — and eight subordinates were charged Thursday with killing a leading opposition member in April. Yankuba Badjie headed the National Intelligence Agency, which rights groups say carried out arbitrary …
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