An ambulance carrying South Africa’s first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela caught fire as it was rushing him to hospital, his doctor revealed in a book published on Monday. The incident is one of several bizarre episodes contained in the book chronicling Mandela’s final years by Vejay Ramlakan, who was South Africa’s surgeon general and … Read more
The Maldives arrested one of the few vocal dissidents still in the country on Thursday, a day after facing censure at the UN Human Rights Council, the main opposition said. Police seized Adam Azim, the brother of jailed former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, in a pre-dawn swoop on his home in the capital island Male. … Read more
Donald Trump has faced down a litany of scandals in his nearly 71 years, surviving bankruptcy, divorce, lawsuits and vulgar exposes. But less than six months into his White House tenure, he finds himself locked in his toughest fight yet — the battle to save his presidency. On Thursday, former FBI director James Comey will … Read more
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, the former head of a military junta who ruled Mauritania from 2005 until 2007, died Friday of a heart attack while on holiday, his family and an official news agency said. Born in 1953, Vall served as the head of a transition government that handed over to Mauritania’s first democratically elected … Read more
Funerals have been held in Alexandria for victims of one of the two bomb attacks on Coptic churches in Egypt by so-called Islamic State (IS). The ceremony at the Monastery of St Mina took place under heavy security. At least 45 people died in the bombings in Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta … Read more
Maldives opposition parties said on Monday they would launch a fresh bid to seize control of parliament by impeaching the speaker, weeks after their first attempt failed when the president called in troops to evict lawmakers. A coalition of opposition parties said it had submitted a no-confidence motion on Sunday with the support of 31 … Read more
The last free opposition leader in the Maldives has been arrested as part of a major government crackdown on rival politicians who narrowly failed to seize control of parliament in the honeymoon islands. Qasim Ibrahim, who ran for president in 2013 and currently heads the Jumhooree Party (JP), was one of four signatories of an … Read more
Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou said Saturday that he would not amend the constitution to allow him to seek a third term after his second and final mandate ends in 2021. “One of my greatest ambitions is to organise free and transparent elections in 2021 and pass the baton to another Nigerien whom the Nigeriens will … Read more
Flags were lowered to half-mast and mourners lined the streets outside Westpark Cemetery on Wednesday morning. Many embraced tearfully as the white hearse, escorted by a fleet of police motorcycles and bearing the coffin draped in the ruling African National Congress flag of green, yellow and black, made its way towards Heroes’ Acre. This burial … Read more
Opposition parties in the Maldives accused the government Friday of waging a revenge campaign against their leaders after they narrowly failed to seize control of parliament. Mohamed Nasheed, the leader of the main opposition party, was slapped with fresh terrorism charges this week just days after he remotely lead an effort to wrestle control of … Read more
Exiled Maldives opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed vowed Wednesday to keep up the pressure on the government after it deployed troops to remove his MPs from parliament, drawing a warning from Washington. Nasheed admitted he had been unable to secure “outright victory” in his bid to seize control of parliament by entering into a pact with … Read more
The exiled former leader of the Maldives Sunday announced plans to take control of the national parliament after hammering out a rare unity pact with his politically influential erstwhile enemies. Mohamed Nasheed said he entered into a pact with three other parties to wrest control of the 85-member national parliament currently held by President Abdulla … Read more
A senior research fellow of the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr Michael Ofori-Mensah, has observed that the transition challenges encountered in 2017 are for the most part a manifestation of a breakdown of state institutions. He has, therefore, stressed the need to urgently address those transitional challenges as effective management of political transitions remains … Read more
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Gloria Akuffo, has called for an amendment to the provisions of the Presidential Transition Act, 2012 (Act 845) to make it more definitive. Speaking during an Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) 2017 Presidential Transition forum, Madam Akuffo noted that the controversy over the residences and vehicles for outgoing government officials, … Read more
The New Patriotic Party(NPP) Member of Parliament for Adenta Constituency, Buabeng Asamoah says the current Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845) ought to be strengthened further to forestall a recurrence of the disorder and administrative lapses that normally characterized period of transitions. Mr. Buabeng argued on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM that the legal … Read more
South Korean prosecutors charged the de facto chief of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, with bribery and embezzlement on Tuesday, the latest development in a graft scandal that has rocked the country. Mr. Lee, 48, was arrested on Feb. 17 on suspicion of involvement in a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. … Read more
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has been inaugurated as chancellor of the University of South Africa (Unisa) The university, Africa’s biggest and one of the largest distance education institutions in the world, said the decision was influenced by his outstanding leadership credentials. During the ceremony, attended by current and former ministers, Mr Mbeki used … Read more
In 2001, when the first regime changed through the ballot box under the fourth republican constitution, the transition was characterised by revenge, acrimony and huge administrative lapses. That acrimony between the government and members of the previous administration heightened the already bitter rivalry between their respective political parties, namely: National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the … Read more
Mr. David Yaro, the Administrator-General, has urged Ghanaians to be bold and patriotic and report individuals and personalities unauthorised to possess government vehicles to the ministries concerned for prompt action. He said government vehicles belonging to any ministry had been provided with special codes on top of the number plates, therefore the sector ministry could … Read more
Mr David Yaro, the Administrator-General, has tasked the would-be Ministers of State to peruse their predecessors’ handing-over notes so as to protect State assets and to perform their duties effectively. He said should they find any state asset unaccountable for or missing, their predecessors should be held accountable. That was why, he explained, the respective … Read more