Ghanaians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) suffer widespread discrimination and abuse both in public and in family settings, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday. While some Ghanaian officials have publicly called for an end to violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the government has yet to … Read more
Iran and Iraq on Sunday signed deals aimed at boosting military cooperation during a visit by Baghdad’s Defence Minister Irfan al-Hayali to Tehran. In a memorandum of understanding signed by Hayali and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan, the neighbours agreed on a “wide range of military and defence cooperation” including the “fight against terrorism and … Read more
South Africa’s respected former finance minister Pravin Gordhan called Tuesday for President Jacob Zuma to resign, stepping up pressure on the embattled leader. Gordhan joined a growing number of activists in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) along with anti-apartheid veterans and business leaders who have appealed for Zuma to leave office. Gordhan was seen … Read more
A brash businessman with martial arts skills clinched Mongolia’s first-ever presidential runoff election Saturday after his opponent conceded defeat in the scandal-plagued race to take the helm of the resource-rich but debt-laden country. Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), a 54-year-old former world champion in the Soviet martial art Sambo, had 50.6 percent … Read more
A brash businessman with martial arts skills was leading Mongolia’s first-ever presidential runoff election early Saturday after a scandal-plagued race to take the helm of the resource-rich but debt-laden country. Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), a 54-year-old former world champion in the Soviet martial art Sambo, had 50.7 percent of the vote … Read more
Mongolia’s third-place finisher in the presidential vote demanded a recount on Tuesday, claiming fraud after election officials declared he had narrowly lost a spot in a runoff poll next month. “We should recount it, otherwise we lose our democracy,” Sainkhuu Ganbaatar of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) told AFP. His party officially filed a … Read more
Mongolia will hold its first ever presidential runoff vote on July 9 after none of the three candidates secured an absolute majority in an election marred by a “sabotage” attempt, electoral authorities said Tuesday. The result of Monday’s vote was put off by several hours, angering supporters of the losing candidate who protested the delay … Read more
Chants against the Saudi royal family and the Islamic State group mingled with the traditional cries of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” at Jerusalem Day rallies across Iran on Friday. The annual show of solidarity with the Palestinians, which sees hundreds of thousands take to the streets, was launched by Iran’s revolutionary leader … Read more
Zambia’s parliament on Tuesday suspended 48 opposition lawmakers who boycotted President Edgar Lungu’s address to legislators in March to protest his contested electoral victory. The lawmakers from the United Party for National Development (UPND) avoided Lungu’s address claiming he was not the legitimate winner of the contested August 11 elections. Parliament Speaker Patrick Matibini said … Read more
Egypt, under fire for muzzling freedom of expression, has blocked access to around 60 news websites and service providers since the end of May, rights groups and media figures said Monday. Back in May, around 20 websites based in Qatar and in Egypt were made inaccessible, including the Qatar’s Al-Jazeera and the independent Egyptian news … Read more
Iran’s supreme leader hit out at the United States and Saudi Arabia during the funerals Friday for those slain in the first attacks in the country claimed by the Islamic State group. The assault by gunmen and suicide bombers Wednesday on Tehran’s parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini killed 17 … Read more
The attacks in Tehran this week will only “reinforce hatred” for the United States and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s supreme leader said on Friday at a funeral for those killed. “Such acts will have no other result than to reinforce hatred for the US government and its agents in the region, like the Saudi (government),” Ayatollah … Read more
After his re-election triumph, President Hassan Rouhani must now grapple with a fiercely hostile United States and hardliners at home as he struggles to build a more moderate and connected Iran. Iran’s entrenched conservative establishment — particularly in the judiciary and elite Revolutionary Guards — remain deeply suspicious of Rouhani’s talk of civil liberties and … Read more
British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson held talks Friday with the head of Libya’s parliament, a day after visiting Tripoli to back peace efforts in the troubled north African nation. The Foreign Office said Johnson, who met parliament speaker Aguila Salah in the remote eastern city of Tobruk, stressed “the importance of working… to break the … Read more
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday he will not interfere in any decision the courts or parliament take on a controversial move to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. “I fulfilled my part, and it is now in the parliament and with the judiciary. We won’t interfere,” Sisi said live on television … Read more
A prominent Indonesian corruption investigator had acid thrown in his face by motorbike-riding assailants Tuesday in an attack activists believe is linked to a graft case that has implicated senior politicians. Novel Baswedan, a member of the official Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was being treated in hospital after the attack which happened in Jakarta as … Read more
An Egyptian lawmaker who was one of the few dissenting voices in parliament said Tuesday his expulsion over accusations of leaking a draft law to foreign embassies was a warning to the opposition. Mohamed Anwar Sadat, a nephew of the assassinated president Anwar Sadat, was expelled in a vote on Monday for allegedly leaking the … Read more
Spain’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday suspended a resolution by Catalonia’s regional parliament that called a referendum next year on independence from the rest of the country. Separatists in the wealthy, northeastern region have for years tried — in vain — to win approval from Spain’s central government to hold an independence vote like Scotland’s 2014 … Read more
Terry Bonchaka (born Terry Adjetey) was the grandson of Parliament speaker Peter Ala Adjetey and graduate from Adisadel College. Musically Terry was always aware of his gifts, however it was not till later in life that he decided to embark on the journey of becoming a professional musician. Terry’s big break came when he entered … Read more