London, United Kingdom | AFP | European stock markets rallied on Wednesday after a mixed session in Asia, as analysts warned of potential economic fallout from political gridlock in the United States triggered by the country’s midterm elections result. The dollar slid against main rivals, with the pound boosted also …
Read More »Madagascar goes to the polls to pick next president
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascar was voting on Wednesday for a new president in unprecedented polls in which the three front-runners are former heads of state facing-off amid efforts to defuse a political crisis. Attempts by the most recent president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, to change the large Indian Ocean island’s …
Read More »On eve of vote, US warns voters to look for Russian fake news
Washington, United States | AFP | US law enforcement and intelligence agencies said on the eve of crucial US midterm voting they had no indication of efforts to disrupt election infrastructure but that Americans should be wary of Russian attempts to spread fake news. The announcement came days after a …
Read More »Facebook blocks 30 accounts ahead of US midterm elections
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Monday it had blocked some 30 accounts on its platform and 85 accounts on photo-sharing social network Instagram over concerns they may be linked to foreign entities and aimed at interfering in US midterm elections. The announcement came shortly after US …
Read More »Madagascar’s ex-presidents prepare to do battle
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Thirty-six candidates will do battle to win the presidency in polls on November 7. The three frontrunners are former presidents and here are their profiles: – Ravalomanana: milkman-turned-millionaire – Marc Ravalomanana, 68, was ejected from power in 2009 and is looking to get his revenge …
Read More »Cameroon police arrest 19 opposition protesters
Douala, Cameroon | AFP | Police in Cameroon arrested 19 supporters of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who disputes the results of October presidential elections, at protests against President Paul Biya on Sunday, local authorities and witnesses told AFP. The arrests happened at two different places in the town of Bafoussam …
Read More »US midterms: Key factors of the 2018 elections
Washington, United States | AFP | Immigration, health care, jobs. The extraordinary US midterm election has been a tug of war over key issues, but none has had a more dramatic impact on voters than Donald Trump, the man who isn’t even on the ballot. The Republican president is the …
Read More »Madagascar ex-presidents in final bid to return to power
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Two former Madagascar presidents drew tens of thousands of supporters to rival rallies in the capital Antananarivo on Saturday as they entered the final stretch of their election campaign. Former President Marc Ravalomanana and rival Andry Rajoelina are frontrunners in the November 7 ballot in …
Read More »Trump versus Obama on final US campaign weekend
Indianapolis, United States | AFP | After boasting about the economy and raising fears over immigration, US President Donald Trump is facing pushback from his predecessor Barack Obama, who is taking on an increasingly prominent role in the final weekend of campaigning before midterm elections in which Republican control of …
Read More »Ahead of vote, Twitter says accounts removed over ‘disinformation’
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Saturday said it deleted a “series of accounts” that attempted to share disinformation, ahead of crucial midterm elections, as media reports said thousands of accounts were axed. The social media company “removed a series of accounts for engaging in attempts to share …
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