Programs

Albania’s political conflict took another twist Thursday as the president announced what he said was a new date for municipal elections while the prime minister and his governing Socialists insisted the votes would go ahead as scheduled this weekend. President Ilir Meta said the vote would take now place Oct. 13, having previously announced that he was canceling Sunday’s elections because of a boycott by the opposition. Meta said the intention of the new election…

Europe continues to endure record-breaking temperatures as hot air from the Sahara engulfs the continent. France, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have set temperature records for June and Spain has been trying to contain a major wildfire in the country’s north east. The French capital has seen temperatures soar past 40C (104F) and the local council has banned up to 60% of its cars to limit pollution that has been made worse by the heat….

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that Nigeria will continue to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) as much as possible to enable it fulfil its mandate. He gave the assurance Friday in an audience with the Nigerian-born President of the ICC, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji at the State House. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement said, Buhari appealed to developed countries to take the ICC “more seriously in…

Rwanda on Friday rolled out the East African Community (EAC) electronic passport in an effort to boost faster border clearance as well as part of a wider regional strategy to enhance integration. Rwanda now joins other EAC states—Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania—that have already issued the electronic passport to their citizens. The move follows a directive by EAC heads of state in March 2016 to adopt the new generation passports and phase out national documents. “The…

Togo will hold its first local elections in 32 years on Sunday — during which one family has ruled the West African nation — with some opposition parties taking part after boycotting last year’s parliamentary polls. Some 8,000 police and security forces will be deployed across the country as voters elect more than 1,500 local councillors for the first time in a generation. The elections come two months after Togo’s parliament approved a constitutional change…

President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he is still eager to engage opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa and all those who are still outside the political dialogue process aimed at finding lasting solutions to the socio-economic problems facing the country. Chamisa has stayed away, insisting that his party could not participate in the Mnangagwa-initiated political dialogue process which was flawed and would thus not come up with real solutions to the country’s problems. Responding to questions from…

Ethiopian security forces on Thursday rounded up scores of suspects believed to have links to a coup bid in northern Amhara state and the murder of the army chief in attacks which have highlighted the political crisis in the nation. The weekend attacks have heaped pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, already facing waves of ethnic violence which have displaced over two million people, as he pushes forward with democratic and economic reforms. An ethno-nationalist…

KAMPALA (Reuters) – Authorities repatriated the relatives of two people who died of Ebola in Uganda back to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, including a 3-year-old boy confirmed to be suffering from the disease, the Ugandan health minister said. The cases marked the first time the virus has crossed an international border since the current outbreak began in Congo last August. The epidemic has already killed 1,390 people in eastern Congo. The family…

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s military rulers said on Thursday they had thwarted several coup attempts and that some officers had been arrested over the deadly dispersal of protesters at a sit-in in Khartoum earlier this month. Two different groups of people suspected of involvement in the attempted coups had been arrested, the Transitional Military Council’s spokesman said. One group consisted of five individuals while the other had more than 12 members, he said. The council…

A magistrate who recently gave Governor Ferdinand Waititu anticipatory bail orders has been suspended for gross misconduct. Chief Justice David Maraga suspended Kiambu Principal Magistrate Brian Khaemba on Thursday following recommendations by the Judiciary Ombudsman. “Mr Khaemba conducted himself in a manner likely to suggest that he has personal interest in the matter. “It was public knowledge that Mr Khaemba was on sick leave as the same was announced to litigants during the morning briefing,”…