Politics

In the United States, in Missouri, a petition was launched to ask the governor that one of the prisoners not be executed as planned for Tuesday, April 9. The signatories, including many guards of the prison where the death row inmate is being held, believe that the latter has reintegrated …

Meta has deleted a Facebook group which offered Pakistani women a space to discuss taboo subjects in a conservative country where they speak their voices often muzzled, online or in public space, its founder told AFP on Friday. The Soul Sisters group, created in 2013, had more than 300,000 members …

Will all Japanese people have the same last name? At least that’s what predicts a study by economist Hiroshi Yoshida, professor of economics at the Center for Research on Aging, published in the daily Asahi Shimbun. This study was carried out as part of a campaign to obtain reform of …

Authorities in Ivory Coast’s biggest city, Abidjan, have announced a ban on begging to try to combat what they call urban disorder, local media reported. The city’s Deputy Governor, Vincent N’cho Kouaoh, said begging in all its forms – including the use of handcarts – was forbidden in order to …

Malagasy authorities have asked the EU ambassador, Isabelle Delattre, to leave the island, following remarks she made that they said were critical of the government. The ambassador reportedly criticised a new law – that was passed in February – for convicted child rapists to be surgically castrated. The EU confirmed …

More than 100 inmates have died so far this year in Democratic Republic of Congo’s underfunded and chronically overcrowded prisons, Reuters reported, citing a U.N. human rights official. The main cause of the deaths was contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, which spread easily in crowded facilities and require unavailable medical …

Legislative and regional elections in Togo will no longer be held on April 20 as the government has postponed this double ballot to a later date, indicates a press release. The Togolese must still wait to vote for their next deputies and governors. The country’s authorities postponed the date of …

South Africa’s Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has resigned after police raided her home during a corruption investigation, local media reported. Ms Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts during her time as defence minister. She has denied the charges and said her resignation was “in …

Authorities in Zimbabwe have declared a state of disaster over a drought that has left around three million people facing hunger – making it the third country in southern Africa to raise the alarm. Poor rains have wrought havoc across much of the region, where according to the UN’s World …

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has filed an appeal against the South African Electoral Commission, which last week banned him from running in the upcoming elections. The 81-year-old served as president from 2009 until 2018, when he had to step down because of corruption allegations. He was convicted and …