Tag Archives: politics

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |  When Shimon Peres is laid to rest on Friday, his funeral is likely to bring back memories of those of the other two men he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with: Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. But his burial is unlikely to be similar in …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Gabon’s President Ali Borno, newly sworn back into power, on Wednesday appointed a prime minister to form what he called an “inclusive government” following disputed elections. His wafer-thin victory in the August 27 vote sparked deadly unrest and opposition accusations of voter fraud in the …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The US Treasury placed two top allies of Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on its sanctions blacklist Wednesday, tying both to rising political violence and human rights violations. The Treasury said both were involved in violently putting down opposition to Kabila and …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday cut cabinet ministers’ salaries by 20 percent and reduced other state officials’ benefits in a continuing austerity drive to cope with lower oil revenues. The 160 members of the Shura Council, who include 30 women, will see a …

  Beijing, China | AFP | China has sent fighter planes for the first time over a strait near Japan, the two governments said Monday, after Tokyo announced it may patrol alongside the US in the disputed South China Sea. More than 40 Chinese military aircraft on Sunday traversed the …

  New Delhi, India | AFP | The less-than-supersonic sale of French Rafale fighter jets to India has highlighted the obstacles facing foreign arms firms seeking to do business with the world’s biggest weapons importer. India has signed a series of key defence deals under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as …

Paris, France | AFP |  Gabon’s disputed election, which culminated Saturday with the constitutional court’s confirmation of President Ali Bongo’s victory, is the latest in a long list of violence-tinged ballots in Africa:   Ivory Coast  After a five-month-standoff, incumbent Laurent Gbagbo was detained on April 11, 2011 by forces …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Ali Bongo, whose re-election victory was upheld by Gabon’s constitutional court Saturday, has long sought to emerge from the shadow of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years until his death in 2009. Bongo, a stockily-built 57-year-old, is variously known by …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African police fired stun grenades in Johannesburg on Tuesday as protesting students blockaded campus entrances and disrupted classes to demand free education after the government announced fee increases. Campus unrest has hit many universities over the past year, with demonstrations and outbreaks of …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | More than 50 people were killed on Monday in clashes between protesters and security forces in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, opposition groups said, calling for further anti-government demonstrations. The government earlier said that at least 17 had died in the violence in Kinshasa ahead …