Africa

Liberia’s Howard-Taylor: the Jewel in George Weah’s crown

MONROVIA, Liberia (AFP) – Liberian presidential candidate George Weah’s running mate Jewel Howard-Taylor began life in politics as first lady to former warlord leader Charles Taylor, but has since established a formidable political reputation in her own right. Howard-Taylor was a surprise pick for vice-president on the ticket of the footballer turned politician, as many expected her to run for the top job herself. Her National Patriotic Party (NPP) was formed in 1997 by members of the National […]

Continue Reading →

S. Africa: Ramaphosa calls for unity in maiden speech as ANC chief

by Maryke Vermaak Agence France-Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) – The newly elected head of South Africa’s ruling ANC party called for unity and an end to “vested interests” in politics in his maiden speech Thursday after a bruising leadership contest. Cyril Ramaphosa told roughly 5,000 members of his African National Congress party gathered outside Johannesburg for the much-delayed climax of a five-day conference that the public wanted the “leadership to be united.” President Jacob Zuma has […]

Continue Reading →

400,000 children in DR Congo could die from hunger, says Unicef

KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — The United Nations on Tuesday warned that more than 400,000 children in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are severely malnourished and could die within months without emergency intervention. The crisis — the latest to hit the poverty-stricken, strife-torn central African country — is unfolding in the vast region of Kasai, the UN’s children fund Unicef said. An 18-month-long combination of violence, mass displacement and slumping agricultural output are having a […]

Continue Reading →

Pistorius injured in prison brawl over phone

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Agence France Presse) — Former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone, a South African official said on Tuesday. The double amputee  — who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp  — was left with a bruise after “an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone” on […]

Continue Reading →

Egypt mosque attack death toll rises to 305, including 27 children: prosecution

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The death toll from an attack on a mosque in Egypt’s Sinai rose to 305 including 27 children, the state prosecution said Saturday in a statement detailing the gruesome massacre. It said there were between 25 and 30 attackers with long hair and beards, dressed in camouflage and flying a black banner with the Muslim profession of faith on it, which could be a description of the Islamic State group’s flag. […]

Continue Reading →

Nephew says Mugabe accepts ousting and is ‘quite jovial’

by Susan NJANJI / Ben SHEPPARD Agence France Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Robert Mugabe’s nephew said Sunday the ousted Zimbabwean president was in good health and “quite jovial” after being forced to resign when a military takeover ended his 37 years in power. Leo Mugabe however declined to discuss the $10-million retirement bonus reportedly granted to the 93-year-old former president as part of a deal that finally persuaded him to resign on Tuesday. “He […]

Continue Reading →

Trump condemns ‘horrible and cowardly’ mosque attack in Egypt

WASHINGTON,  United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump condemned as “horrible and cowardly” a bomb and gun attack Friday that killed more than 200 people at a mosque in Egypt and called his counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to offer condolences. “The world cannot tolerate terrorism, we must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence!” he wrote on Twitter. A bomb explosion tore through the Rawda mosque […]

Continue Reading →

Attack on mosque in Egypt’s Sinai kills at least 235

By Samer Al-Atrush Agence France Presse Armed attackers on Friday killed at least 235 worshippers in a bomb and gun assault on a packed mosque in Egypt’s restive North Sinai province, in the country’s deadliest attack in recent memory. A bomb explosion ripped through the Rawda mosque frequented by Sufis roughly 40 kilometers west of the North Sinai capital of El-Arish before gunmen opened fire on those gathered for weekly Friday prayers, officials said. Witnesses […]

Continue Reading →

Oscar Pistorius: The ‘broke and broken’ Olympian

by Ben Sheppard Agence France-Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — At the 2012 London Olympics, before 80,000 roaring fans and a constellation of camera flashes, it took Oscar Pistorius 45.44 seconds to become a global icon. The South African’s sprint around the 400-meter track was the first time in history that a double-amputee had raced at the Olympic Games. The race capped an Olympian triumph over adversity for Pistorius. His journey from disabled child to […]

Continue Reading →

Mnangagwa to be sworn in as Zimbabwe president

by Reagan Mashavave Agence France Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa was set to be sworn in as president on Friday, marking the final chapter of a political drama that toppled his predecessor Robert Mugabe after a military takeover. Mnangagwa, until recently one of Mugabe’s closest allies, will take the oath of office at the national sports stadium on the outskirts of Harare before thousands of supporters, dignitaries and foreign diplomats. Mugabe, who […]

Continue Reading →

Zimbabwe’s next leader prepares to take power

by Susan Njanji and Reagan Mashavave Agence France-Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwe’s incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa was preparing Thursday to take power after the shock resignation of Robert Mugabe brought 37 years of authoritarian rule to an end. Mnangagwa, who has close ties to the army and the security establishment, returned to the country on Wednesday to take the reins and told adoring crowds in Harare that they were witnessing “unfolding full democracy.” He […]

Continue Reading →

Zimbabwe’s next leader says post-Mugabe era is ‘full democracy’

by Susan Njanji and Reagan Mashavave Agence France Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwe’s incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa told adoring crowds in Harare on Wednesday that they were witnessing “unfolding full democracy” as he returned to take power after Robert Mugabe stepped down after 37 years in power. It was his first public speech since Mugabe fired him on November 6 over a succession tussle with the former first lady, a move that prompted the military’s […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 78 79 80 81 82 … 103