Paris, France | AFP | European plane maker Airbus said Thursday it received 203 firm orders for aircraft in the first six months of this year and delivered 306 jetliners. Airbus said in a statement that it received orders for 138 medium-haul A320 and long-haul A330 aircraft in June alone …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |  Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday justified imposing a state of emergency by alleging that opposition parties were behind a string of arson attacks intended “to create terror and panic”. Lungu denied he was establishing a dictatorship in Zambia — until recently a relatively stable …

Foreign mass recruitment of Uganda’s public health workers is a threat to national security |James Zeere| While health workers have always migrated from Uganda to work in other countries, there is a worrying trend developing of mass recruitment of Ugandan public health workers by foreign entities. In 2015, civil society …

Washington, United States | AFP |The Pentagon is confident it can protect the United States against an incoming North Korean rocket, an official said Wednesday following Pyongyang’s first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Tuesday’s launch saw North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un fire a new type of missile from …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Three policemen were killed Wednesday in seven hours of fighting with suspected Shabaab militants who attacked their post in southeastern Kenya, police said. Regional police chief Akello Odhiambo said the attackers raided the Pandanguo Police Camp in the coastal Lamu region. “They razed a police camp …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korea and the United States fired off missiles Wednesday simulating a precision strike against North Korea’s leadership, in response to a landmark ICBM test described by Kim Jong-Un as a gift to “American bastards”. Tuesday’s launch — acknowledged as an intercontinental ballistic missile by …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A female Tanzanian MP has been arrested for allegedly insulting President John Magufuli, who is seen as increasingly authoritarian and unwilling to brook any dissent. The outspoken lawmaker, Halima Mdee, 39, from the main opposition Chadema party, was arrested on Tuesday, a day after she held a …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday on the first ever visit by an Indian premier to Israel as they sought to deepen ties beyond high-priced defence deals. The two leaders presented a series of agreements between India and Israel for cooperation on …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |The African Union’s new chair Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday questioned US commitment to fighting terrorism on the continent after it blocked efforts to get UN funding for an anti-jihadist force in the Sahel. “This is a specific case of a certain number of African …

Soweto, South Africa | AFP |South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday sought to calm an increasingly fractious battle to succeed him that is threatening to split the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party. Zuma, who has been hit by corruption scandals and his country’s poor economic performance, will step …