Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP | A Malawi court has blocked parliament debating a contested bill critics say would hamper charities and NGOs while giving government control over their work in the aid-reliant country. Judge Charles Mkandawire ruled on Monday in favour of activists who had sought the injunction of the …
Read More »Angola president holds unprecedented talks with civic groups
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan President Joao Lourenco, elected last year as the country’s first new leader in nearly four decades, met civic groups on Tuesday in unprecedented talks as part of his reforms. The meeting was marred by presidential staff refusing entry of investigative journalist Rafael Marques …
Read More »South Africa names first female top prosecutor
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | President Cyril Ramaphosa named a respected female lawyer on Tuesday to head South Africa’s prosecuting authority which had been accused of improperly protecting former president Jacob Zuma. His appointment of Shamila Batohi further distances him from Zuma’s scandal-tainted rule during which several top jobs, …
Read More »Gabon top officials join ailing president in Morocco
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s top government officials gathered Tuesday in Rabat where President Ali Bongo is recovering after treatment for an illness that has not been officially revealed, his office said. The 59-year-old leader, who fell ill on October 24 at an economic forum, arrived in Morocco last …
Read More »Will Macron’s U-turn stop France’s ‘yellow vest’ protests?
Paris, France | AFP | The French government has announced a major U-turn in suspending fuel tax rises in a bid to end increasingly violent demonstrations. But who are the “yellow vest” protesters, and will the tax relief and other concessions be enough to mollify their anger? – Who …
Read More »British MPs deal PM May stinging rebuke on Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s government suffered a stinging rebuke from MPs ahead of Tuesday’s momentous Brexit debate, exposing Prime Minister Theresa May’s lack of support in parliament. The House of Commons voted 311-293 to censure the government for failing to publish its full legal advice about the …
Read More »Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage quits UKIP
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage resigned Tuesday from the UK Independence Party which he co-founded and turned into an influential force in British politics as its leader for nearly a decade. “With a heavy heart, I am leaving UKIP. It is not the Brexit party …
Read More »Biden says he’s ‘most qualified’ to be US president
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US vice president Joe Biden has stoked speculation he may run for the White House in 2020 by saying he believes he is the “most qualified person” to be president. Biden, 76, made the remarks on Monday night while in Montana during a …
Read More »Trump calls for his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen to be jailed
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump called Monday for a long jail term for his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, who admitted lying to Congress about pursuing a real estate deal with Russia on Trump’s behalf during the 2016 election campaign. Trump also praised another former advisor, Roger …
Read More »Michelle Obama on book tour encourages girls at London school
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Michelle Obama on Monday returned to a London school she had visited as US first lady encouraging students to “practice sisterhood” as she presented a new memoir of her life. Obama is in the British capital to promote her hotly-anticipated book, “Becoming”, which has …
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