London, United Kingdom | AFP | Despite facing a fierce backlash to her draft Brexit deal, British Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to fight on. Amid cabinet resignations and moves by her own MPs to oust her, the battle to save the EU withdrawal agreement and her own political …
Read More »Madagascar rivals set for election run-off
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Two former presidents of Madagascar look set to compete in a hotly-contested run-off election in December after partial results Thursday showed they were frontrunners in the first-round vote. With 80 percent of the ballots counted from last week’s vote, Andry Rajoelina was on 39.63 percent …
Read More »HRW denounces Angola’s expulsion of 400,000 Congolese
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A global rights watchdog on Thursday called on Angola to halt mass deportations after more than 400,000 migrants mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled or were expelled from Angola in just weeks. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says migrants have been targeted in …
Read More »Facebook denies hiding Russian sabotage, but fires lobbying firm
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook on Thursday denied allegations in the New York Times that it tried to mislead the public about its knowledge of Russian misinformation ahead of the 2016 US presidential election, but severed links with a Republican consultancy. The Times detailed obfuscation by Facebook’s top …
Read More »Cuba to pull thousands of doctors from Brazil in Bolsonaro row
Havana, Cuba | AFP | Cuba announced Wednesday it will pull thousands of its doctors out of Brazil in response to president-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s “direct, contemptuous and threatening” remarks about its medical aid program. The far-right leader has repeatedly criticized the Communist-run island’s “More Doctors” program — which sends thousands …
Read More »US media in court showdown over White House access
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s effort to revoke a CNN correspondent’s credentials went to court Wednesday, in a hearing that saw the channel backed by media groups — including arch-rival Fox News — who said the case was a matter of press freedom. Lawyers for …
Read More »Japan cyber security minister admits he has never used a computer
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A Japanese minister in charge of cyber security has provoked astonishment by admitting he has never used a computer in his professional life, and appearing confused by the concept of a USB drive. Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, is the deputy chief of the government’s cyber security …
Read More »Trump pushes out senior advisor at start of expected White House reshuffle
Washington, United States | AFP | An angry Donald Trump pushed out a senior advisor Wednesday after First Lady Melania Trump demanded her sacking, with more heads set to roll in a White House reshuffle triggered by infighting and setbacks in the midterm elections. Melania Trump made the extremely rare …
Read More »African leaders meet for ‘last push’ on AU reforms
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African leaders are set to gather this weekend for a special summit aimed at pushing through long-debated reforms to their pan-continental body. The changes seek to streamline and empower the African Union — an ambitious call for an organisation often seen as toothless and …
Read More »Media watchdog slams Gabon over ‘erosion’ of freedom
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Freedom of the press is being eroded in Gabon, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Wednesday, after the government suspended a newspaper for commenting on the hospitalisation of President Ali Bongo. Gabon’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communications (HAC), on Friday handed a three-month suspension …
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