Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the West of creating a “new iron curtain” with Russia, more than a year and a half after the start of the Russian assault against Ukraine, which provoked a shower of sanctions on Moscow. “It is not us who are closing the door. …

An army colonel has been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for his role in the killing of more than 50 demonstrators in August. Troops serving under Mike Mikombe opened fire in the eastern city of Goma on members of a religious sect taking part in a …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has confirmed he’ll stand for a third term in elections scheduled for December. The former army chief has been in power since he helped oust Mohammed Morsi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. Activists say his term in office has been marked by …

Uganda’s constitutional court is due this morning to start hearing three petitions challenging the anti-homosexuality law that came into effect in May. The law imposes capital punishments for those convicted of same-sex acts including death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” – which can involve sex with children or vulnerable people. It …

A former Nigerian oil minister has appeared in court in London after being charged with receiving bribes in exchange for multi-million- dollar oil and gas contracts. Diezani Alison-Madueke was Nigeria’s minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015, during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. She was also the …

Sylvia Bongo, the wife of Gabon’s ousted President Ali Bongo, has been charged with money laundering, receiving stolen property, forgery, and the use of forgery. Public prosecutor Andre Patrick Roponat announced on Friday that Sylvia Bongo‘s case had been brought before an investigating judge the day before. He also said …

Joe Biden once again launched a dark and solemn warning this Thursday on the fate of American democracy, this time by attacking Donald Trump very directly, as the campaign for the 2024 presidential has just taken on a new dimension. He said the ideology of his Republican opponent and his …

Some 60,000 emails linked to American diplomacy were hacked during a cyberattack suspected of being of Chinese origin, the State Department’s spokesperson said on Thursday. “Approximately 60,000 unclassified emails were exfiltrated during this breach,” said Matthew Miller when asked about this during a press briefing. He reiterated that none of …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1.3bn (£1bn) loan to help Morocco improve its preparedness against natural disasters, three weeks after an earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people in the country. Some Moroccans criticised the government for its handling of the 8 September earthquake in the High Atlas mountains, …

Nigeria’s Sports Minister John Owan Enoh has said his country is pursuing diplomatic avenues with Italy over the mocking of Nigerian footballer Victor Osimhen by Italian football club Napoli. Mr Enoh on Thursday said that he was “saddened” by the news of Napoli ridiculing the 24-year-old striker, who also plays …