Tag Archives: politics

New Delhi, India | AFP | “To me, she was a goddess,” said party worker Shankar as he joined a sea of mourners bidding farewell to Jayalalithaa Jayaram, highlighting the messianic devotion of India’s poor for often controversial champions. Hundreds of thousands of people attended Tuesday’s funeral in Chennai for …

New York, United States | AFP |  Time magazine on Wednesday named Donald Trump its “Person of the Year” for 2016 for his stunning upset victory in the US election, saying he had redrawn America’s political rules. The Republican president-elect dialed into NBC television’s Today show, welcoming the accolade as …

Washington, United States | AFP | President-elect Donald Trump called Tuesday for the cancellation of a multi-billion dollar Boeing contract to build the next Air Force One, calling the ballooning costs “ridiculous.” “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia’s shock election result awarded president-elect Adama Barrow extra votes by mistake but a recount showed he still won outright, the country’s electoral commission told AFP Tuesday. Alieu Momar Njie, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, said correct counting on the spot in one …

Essen, Germany | AFP | Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday lashed populists seeking to exploit Germany’s refugee influx, but set down a tough line on integration — including a ban on the full-face veil — as she launched into election campaign mode. Outlining a strategy to counter populism that has consumed …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka hit back Monday at critics from his native Nigeria, denouncing the “slugs, barbarians and imbeciles” who derided him for tearing up his US residency card after Donald Trump’s election win. “I don’t want people we fought for to have the …

  Senior Gambia opposition figures freed on bail Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  Gambian opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, who had been jailed for taking part in a protest, was freed on bail with 18 others Monday, days after a shock opposition election win. The head of his defence team said …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | President Yahya Jammeh scored only half his previous box office tally in last week’s election, handing victory to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow. But why did Gambians turn against Jammeh after 22 years in power? Economic crisis A triple blow has been dealt to the …

Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP |  Cuba will respect Fidel Castro’s dying wish that no statues be erected in his honor and no streets be named after him, President Raul Castro said. The national assembly will introduce legislation at its next session later this month so that “his wish …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced early Monday that he would be stepping down after losing a referendum on constitutional reform. “My experience of government finishes here,” Renzi told a press conference after the No campaign won what he described as an “extraordinarily clear” victory …