South Africa elections bpdy bars former President Jacob Zuma from running in May 29 polls
In July 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defying a court order to appear before a judicial commission that was investigating corruption allegations during his 2009-2018 presidency. He was granted medical parole after two months and allowed to serve the rest of the sentence under house arrest.
Biden threatens Russia with costs on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrest anniversary
Top leaders in the US Congress from both parties including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson also issued a joint statement on Friday calling the journalst Evan Gershkovich’s arrest baseless and unjust.
Israel ramps up airstrikes in Syria, kills Hezbollah commander in heaviest raid on Iran proxies
Tehran and its proxies have entrenched themselves across Syria, including around Aleppo and the capital Damascus. The Israeli military said on Friday it had killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missiles unit, in an airstrike in the area of Bazouriye in Lebanon.
Pugilistic VP Kamala Harris pushes the envelope as Biden struggles to restore Democrats’ confidence
Harris, whose approval ratings in recent public opinion polls also hover under 40 per cent, is also the US’s most popular Democratic politician after Biden. But some White House aides have privately questioned her effectiveness as an administration spokesperson and her ability to win were she at the top of the ticket.
Ugandan president’s son vows crackdown on graft in army but questions raised about complicity of his family
Uganda’s opposition has accused Museveni of fast-tracking his son’s military career to prepare him to take political power. Museveni has denied grooming him for the presidency.
Black music queen Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reinforces her devotion to Black consciousness and country music
Beyoncé hails from Houston, a city with a rich musical interplay of “blues and country and hip-hop,” says Francesca T. Royster, a DePaul University professor and author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions.
UN in new $1.4 billion plan for 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees in East and Central Africa
The regional refugee plan complements a humanitarian appeal launched earlier this year, aimed at reaching 5.9 million people in South Sudan. Humanitarian partners will build on gains already made with host governments and regional bodies to improve the protection environment for refugees and asylum-seekers through enhanced access to asylum and civil documentation.
French lawmakers condemn ‘bloody and murderous’ 1961 massacre of Algerian protesters
About 12,000 Algerians were arrested in the crackdown and dozens were killed, “their bodies thrown into the Seine River,” President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in 2021 on the 60th anniversary of the massacre.
Nigeria’s Access Holding to seek shareholders’ nod to raise $1.5 billion via share or bond sale
Shares of Nigerian-based Access Group, which operates across 15 countries, mostly in Africa but including Britain and France, rose 2.08 per cent to 24.50 naira on the Nigerian bourse. They hit a high of 30.70 naira in January.
UN human rights calls for immediate and bold action to address ‘cataclysmic’ situation in Haiti
As of the end of January, a total of 900 schools had temporarily closed, affecting roughly 200,000 children. Threats to school security are particularly acute in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and in the northern part of nearby Artibonite province.
