The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Paris, France | AFP | Emmanuel Macron swept away France’s traditional parties in 2017 with a grassroots campaign that promised more participative democracy. He is hoping the same tactics will now defuse the biggest crisis of his presidency. The centrist leader is gearing up what he has termed the “great …
Read More »Madagascar’s ex-leader Ravalomanana accepts defeat
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Former president Marc Ravalomanana has accepted defeat in Madagascar’s presidential election, a day after the country’s Constitutional Court confirmed Andry Rajoelina as the new leader of the Indian Ocean island nation. Ravalomanana had lodged a complaint alleging widespread fraud in the December 19 run-off vote …
Read More »Trump demands $5.7 bn for steel barrier on US-Mexico border
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump demanded $5.7 billion to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border in his first televised Oval Office address Tuesday, describing a “growing crisis” of illegal immigration hurting millions of Americans. The president stopped short of calling for a much-touted state of …
Read More »S.Africa, Zambia call for speedy finalisation of DR Congo vote result
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Zambian counterpart Edgar Lungu on Wednesday called on electoral officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo to quickly wrap up the vote collation and release the presidential election results. The two leaders held emergency talks in Pretoria …
Read More »Stop holding Americans ‘hostage’ over shutdown, Pelosi tells Trump
Washington, United States | AFP | Top congressional Democrats on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of holding Americans “hostage” by refusing to strike a deal to fund shuttered government agencies, and using fear mongering to justify his demand for his much-hyped border wall. “President Trump must stop holding the American …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari accepts setbacks in Boko Haram fight
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged setbacks in the fight against Boko Haram as the jihadists launched fresh attacks in the restive northeast. The 76-year-old head of state was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Islamist insurgency, which has killed more than …
Read More »Thousands protest citizenship bill in India’s Assam
Guwahati, India | AFP | Thousands in northeastern India protested Monday against a proposal to grant citizenship to religious minorities in the region, except Muslims, with critics attacking the bill as prejudiced and a sop to Hindus before elections. Protesters burned copies of the legislation in angry marches across Assam …
Read More »Mozambique says working with US over ex-minister arrest
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique said Monday it was working with US and South African authorities after its former finance minister was arrested in Johannesburg over $2 billion in alleged secret loans to Mozambican state companies. Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested on December 29 and will appear in a …
Read More »Ethiopia, Eritrea reopen another border crossing
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Monday reopened a border crossing between their countries as part of an ongoing reconciliation between the former foes. The two leaders re-opened the border crossing between Humera in Ethiopia and Oum Hajer in …
Read More »Restrictions and reforms: Saudi Arabia’s treatment of women
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A desperate legal fight by 18-year-old Saudi Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to stop her deportation from Bangkok airport has yet again shone a spotlight on the treatment of women in her homeland. Ultraconservative Saudi Arabia is striving to craft a new image — but …
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