Politics

Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will be joining Brics from 1 January next year, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has said. The debate over expanding the group – made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has topped the agenda at …

The boss of the Russian private military group Wagner, Egveni Prigojine, is said to have died following the crash of a plane of which he appeared on the passenger list, according to several media. He was believed to be on board the plane, several media reported. Earlier, a Wagner-linked Telegram …

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has told the leaders of China, India, South Africa and Brazil that the growing influence of their Brics group will lead to a multi-polar world. Addressing the summit in Johannesburg by video, Mr Putin said he opposed the sway exerted by the G7 and other western-led …

The leader of a civil society coalition opposed to the French military presence in Niger assured on Tuesday that his movement would not give “one second” to France to withdraw its troops from Niamey, after the expiry of the deadline set by the regime. “We will not give a second …

Gabonese President Ali Bongo has campaigned for re-election in remote corners of the rainforested nation this month, seeking to dispel opposition claims he lacks the strength and track record to fulfil generous electoral promises in a third term, Reuters reported. Gabon holds presidential, legislative and local elections on August 26. …

British police say they have charged a former Nigerian oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, with bribery offences. The UK National Crime Agency said it suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-dollar oil and gas contracts. Ms Alison-Madueke, who is also a former Opec president, served in the administration …

The leader of the Russian Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigojine, published this Monday, his first video since he took the lead of a short-lived mutiny at the end of June. He appears in a recording – probably shot in Africa – on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner Group. We can …

Leaders of the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – converged on Johannesburg on Tuesday for a summit where they will weigh expanding the bloc as some members push to forge it into a counterweight to the West, Reuters reported. Heightened global tensions provoked by the …

The Supreme Court in Central African Republic has approved the outcome of the July referendum that increases the length of a presidential term to seven years, but allows the president to run for office as many times as they like. The court declared that an overwhelming majority of 95% approved …

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have dismissed a Human Rights Watch report detailing the systematic killing by border guards of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants on the Kingdom’s border with Yemen. A Saudi official said the report – based on interviews with survivors – was not reliable. The rights group said at …