Tag Archives: politics

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African leaders are set to gather this weekend for a special summit aimed at pushing through long-debated reforms to their pan-continental body. The changes seek to streamline and empower the African Union — an ambitious call for an organisation often seen as toothless and …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Freedom of the press is being eroded in Gabon, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Wednesday, after the government suspended a newspaper for commenting on the hospitalisation of President Ali Bongo. Gabon’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communications (HAC), on Friday handed a three-month suspension …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May won the support of her cabinet on Wednesday for a draft divorce deal with the European Union that has put both Brexit and her leadership at stake. May emerged from a five-hour meeting with ministers that had sent the …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday said it shut down more accounts aimed at influencing the US midterm election and that it is exploring a possible link to Russia. “As we’ve continued to investigate, we detected and removed some additional Facebook and Instagram accounts,” head of …

Washington, United States | AFP | US First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday publicly pushed for the dismissal of deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel — a rare criticism of a senior administration official by the president’s wife. The rebuke — via a brief statement from the first lady’s spokeswoman …

Trump Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was aware of undeclared North Korean missile bases revealed by US researchers but insisted all was fine. “We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new — and nothing happening out of the …

Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Myanmar authorities and citizens leapt to the defence of Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday after Amnesty International stripped her of its top award over indifference to atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims, doubling down on support for the civilian leader in the face of global ire. …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the army to buy up the entire country’s crop of cashew nuts after private companies refused to pay the price fixed by his government. The move comes just days after Magufuli fired Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba and Trade Minister …

Douala, Cameroon | AFP | A Cameroon military tribunal has dropped a lawsuit against a TV presenter from the country’s restive anglophone region who was detained for several days last week accused of “attacking state security”, her lawyer said Monday. Mimi Mefo, who heads English news for privately-owned Equinoxe broadcasting, …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascar’s former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week’s presidential vote. A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had “noted candidates committed breaches” ahead …