WORLD

Museveni pushes for home-based value addition on Africa’s minerals – they belong to country Bahir Dar, Ethiopia | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has urged African leaders to stop what he described as ideological meandering. Leaders, he said, should thoroughly discuss and distill positions which can help their people …

New Delhi, India | AFP |  The recent arrest of Vijay Mallya highlighted the problem of bad loans in India, but analysts say the tycoon’s unpaid debts are just the tip of an iceberg that is already holding back the country’s economic growth. The multimillionaire owner of a Formula One …

Paris, France | AFP | France was on edge Saturday on the eve of its most unpredictable presidential election in decades, which will take place under heightened security after the jihadist killing of a policeman. The shooting on Paris’s world-renowned Champs Elysees avenue on Thursday thrust questions of security to …

Doha, Qatar | AFP |  US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis met Qatar’s emir Saturday during a visit to the oil-rich Gulf state, home to the largest US air base in the Middle East. The visit to Doha is part of a regional tour that has included stops in Saudi Arabia, …

Chicago, United States | AFP |  Having largely remained silent since Donald Trump succeeded him as US president in January, Barack Obama will make his first public appearance on Monday in his adopted hometown of Chicago. The former president will participate in a discussion with students from Chicago schools on …

URGENT: 20 children killed in S.Africa bus crash: emergency services Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  At least 20 children were killed in a bus crash outside the South African capital Pretoria on Friday, emergency services said, as paramedics treated the injured at the scene. The minibus collided with a …

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth celebrates 91st birthday London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 91st birthday on Friday, with the world’s longest-reigning monarch taking a step back from royal duties to allow the younger generation to step forward. A gun salute at London’s Tower Bridge and …

Paris, France | AFP |  One police officer was killed and two others wounded Thursday in a shooting on Paris’s famed Champs Elysees, just days ahead of France’s presidential election, police said. France’s interior ministry said the gunman was killed after opening fire on the officers at around 9:00 pm …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |  Israel is to take delivery of three more F-35 stealth fighters from the United States on Sunday, adding to two which arrived in December, an army statement said. They are among 50 that Israel has agreed to buy from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. US President …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP |  Canada announced a pilot test Thursday that would see names removed from applications to work in its civil service, hoping this will eliminate any biases in the hiring process. The aim would be to have a more diverse and inclusive civil service, the government said …