Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma has said the ruling ANC party is ready for its first female leader, days after his former wife was named by the party’s influential women’s league as its choice to succeed him. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who has four children with …
Read More »VIDEO: Jammeh asks African leaders to let Gambians resolve impasse
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Gambia’s president has warned the international community against interfering in the country’s political crisis, on the eve of talks with west African leaders who will urge him to step aside. On state-run television late Tuesday, Yahya Jammeh lashed out at “an unprecedented level of foreign …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Deny and deflect as Trump comes out swinging
New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump was combative and in control at his first news conference in months on Wednesday, sticking to his campaign formula — boasting of his successes, cracking jokes and slamming media he considers hostile. Journalists sat elbow to elbow, knee to knee in …
Read More »Trump insists US will build a wall and Mexico will reimburse it
New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to forge ahead with plans for a wall on the southern US border after taking office, and said Mexico would reimburse the United States for the cost. “I could wait about a year and a half until we finish …
Read More »KENYA: The #UhuruChallenge
Kenyans mock president’s passion for project launches Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s notoriously caustic tweeters have taken aim at President Uhuru Kenyatta’s love for a good ribbon-cutting, mocking his endless unveilings of often bizarrely named projects. Kenyatta, who is seeking re-election in August, has an active Twitter account which …
Read More »Trump son-in-law: a calming power in the new presidency
New York, United States | AFP | Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s baby-faced son-in-law and incoming special advisor, is poised to become one of the most powerful men in the country, a calming and respected influence on the president. Celebrating his 36th birthday on Tuesday, the clean-cut, impeccably polite and discreet …
Read More »Obama says goodbye in last presidential speech
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | Barack Obama closes the book on his presidency Tuesday, with a farewell speech in Chicago that will try to lift supporters felled by Donald Trump’s shock victory. Obama’s last trip on Air Force One will be a pilgrimage to his adoptive hometown, where he …
Read More »Trump names son-in-law senior White House advisor
New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump on Monday named son-in-law Jared Kushner as senior White House advisor, rewarding the man widely credited as the brains behind his election but courting serious legal and ethical concerns. The baby-faced real estate developer and magazine publisher who turns 36 on …
Read More »ANC women’s league wants Zuma ex-wife to lead party
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The powerful Women’s League of South Africa’s ruling ANC on Saturday chose outgoing African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as their candidate for party leader. Battle has been raging within the African National Congress (ANC) to succeed current leader and head of state Jacob Zuma. …
Read More »Zambian opposition anger over Lungu’s 2021 re-election bid
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu’s decision to contest the 2021 election sparked an angry response from the opposition on Saturday, with a prominent lawmaker arguing that the “tin-pot dictator” is ineligible for another term. Lungu announced this week that he was prepared to stand for re-election. …
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