– NEWS –
Sisi wins parliamentary support: The presidential election in Egypt is scheduled for March 26-28. Although there are a number of candidates, the selection will likely still be limited. The majority of parties and members of parliament are gathering behind Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He has yet to announce his candidacy for the ballot, but he is widely expected to run and win the election. So far, 464 of the 596 members of parliament have come forward to support Sisi.
reuters.com
Angola’s new fight against corruption: Angola’s new President Joao Lourenco is making moves to wrest power from his predecessor Jose Eduardo dos Santos, pushing out some of his key allies and vowing to combat monopolies controlled by a family that has run Angola for four decades. Lourenco has fired Isabel Dos Santos, the daughter of his predecessor, as head of the country’s state oil company Sonangol. Previously, Lourenco also removed the son of the former president as head of the country’s 5 billion dollar sovereign wealth fund.
reuters.com, bbc.com
EU-Morocco fish deal threatened: The EU’s fisheries deal with Morocco should be declared invalid because it includes Western Sahara, European Union Court of Justice’s Advocate General Melchior Wathelet said in the latest legal opinion on trade ties involving the disputed territory. Wathelet said his opinion was based on the condition in international law that any wealth gained from exploiting Western Sahara’s rich marine life should benefit its people. The deal allows 120 vessels from 11 EU countries to fish off the disputed coastline.
reuters.com
Kenya supposedly frustrated report into disputed election: The Kenyan government blocked the presentation of the EU’s report on its hotly disputed presidential election, according to the head of the EU’s Election Observation Mission, Marietje Schaake. The claim drew an angry response from Johnson Weru, Kenya’s ambassador to the EU, who accused the Dutch MEP of contemptuous political grand-standing.
euractiv.com
H&M forced to temporarily close stores in South Africa: Clothing retail chain H&M temporarily closed several of its South African stores after protests erupted over a racist image on the Swedish company’s website. An H&M advertisement showed Swedish child model Liam Mango wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle”. Demonstrators from the Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African socialist political party, gathered at six H&M locations in and around Johannesburg to protest the racist image.
huffingtonpost.com
Protests on seventh anniversary of uprising in Tunisia euronews.com
Zambia relaxes restrictions as cholera outbreak slows reuters.com
Foundation for World Population: In 49 of 54 African countries, population growth increases an average of three percent annually morgenpost.de
– BACKGROUND –
The polite revolution: Zimbabwe is showing mercy to the country’s former president, Robert Mugabe: No imprisonment, no house arrest in seclusion. Mugabe will get a house, a fleet of private cars and guaranteed first class air travel as part of a retirement package funded by the Zimbabwean government. Even his wife, former First Lady Grace Mugabe‚ will get state sponsored domestic help‚ air travel‚ office accommodation and an entertainment allowance.
telegraph.co.uk
German migration center in Morocco: Germany plans to build migration counseling centers abroad in order to facilitate the reintegration of migrants returning home. The German government has already started constructing two youth centers in northern Morocco to house local street children as well as unaccompanied Moroccan minors who have been deported by Germany. According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, the shelters will be open to those under 18 returning voluntarily, as well as forced deportees, especially youths convicted of crimes.
dw.com
– NUMBER –
70 percent of the world’s cobalt came from the Congo in 2017. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government is considering more than doubling royalties on cobalt.
taz.de
– QUOTE –
„Firstly, China’s financing is a response to African countries‘ own requirements for development. Every country needs enormous capital resources in the initial stage of economic development and industrialization. Africa is no exception. According to the wishes of the African countries, China has provided financial assistance within its capabilities. This plays an important role in the socio-economic development of African states and is well received by all countries.“
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has hit back against claims that China is increasing the debt burden of African countries.
cnbc.com
– AT LAST –
Trump insults Africa: On Thursday, several participants in a meeting with US President Donald Trump said he had asked why the United States should take in migrants from “shithole countries,” including Haiti and African nations, prompting condemnation from around the world. A growing number of nations summoned US diplomats in the wake of Trump’s remark. US Democratic and Republican lawmakers criticized the comments as divisive and unacceptable. South Africa’s best-known morning-news anchor, Leanne Manas, tweeted, „Good morning from the greatest most beautiful ’shithole country‘ in the world!“ Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi asked people not to confuse „shithole leaders“ with the beautiful countries in which they were elected.
nytimes.com, cnn.com