Politics

Seiji Kihara, a close friend of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has apologized after being filmed with his hands in his trouser pockets on January 13 during a trip to the United States, reports the Guardian. The attitude of the deputy had triggered strong criticism on Japanese social networks but …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected in South Africa for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine 11 months ago, for talks, local media reported. While Russia is being shunned by the West, it has historic ties with Pretoria as well as close business links through the Brics …

Authorities in the United States have designated the Russian paramilitary group Wagner as an international criminal organization. The White House made the announcement on Friday, denouncing the group’s activities in Ukraine. “Wagner is a criminal organization that commits vast atrocities and human rights abuses,” White House National Security Council spokesman …

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed Mamo Mihretu as the country’s new central bank governor, Abiy’s office said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday. The statement did not give any more details. Mamo has worked as chief executive officer of state-run Ethiopia Investment Holdings and a senior …

Islamist al Shabaab militants on Friday killed five soldiers at a Somali military base in a town recently re-captured by the government, troops and residents said. “The attack was eventually repelled,” Reuters agency quoted an officer at the base in the central Somali town of Galcad as saying. He said …

Former Russian president, and now deputy chairman of Putin’s powerful security council, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday warned NATO allies that a potential Russian defeat in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war. Alerts from the Kremlin to NATO are increasing as Western countries announce, in turn, delivering weapons or tanks in …

The authorities in Edo state in southern Nigeria says the last two hostages from a group of people who were kidnapped from a train station in the state almost two weeks ago have now been released. Seven suspects, including two village chiefs, have also been arrested and are currently in …

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned against campaigns supporting rights of homosexuals in the country. The president described homosexuality as “nonsense” during remarks made on Wednesday at a graduation ceremony at the National Defence College. Mr Museveni said he was glad to have attended a recent meeting in the …

The Gambia’s Vice-President Badara Alieu Joof has died in India,following a short illness, President Adama Barrow has announced. The vice-president died after a short illness, although Mr Barrow did not mention whether he was receiving treatment in India. https://twitter.com/BarrowPresident/status/1615622485772304386?s=20&t=N9iSUN0zDlirQ1ChOAPRAA Mr Barrow picked Mr Joof as vice-president after being re-elected in …

A helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning near a kindergarten in the Kyiv region, killing 18 people including Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrsky, the Ukrainian presidency announced. This is bad news for Ukrainians. At least 18 people have died after a helicopter crashed near the capital Kyiv. The Office of the President …