The South African government has been urged to address the root causes of insecure energy supply by breaking the monopoly of state-run electricity utility Eskom. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday gave the charge on Thursday. Allowing independent power producers (IPPs) to generate and supply power to the national grid will secure supply […]

French President Emmanuel Macron and Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou agreed on Thursday to postpone to early 2020 a meeting of Sahel country leaders due to take place in France later this month, the French presidency said. The decision to postpone the event, which was to address France’s military presence in the region as well as […]

The United States tested a medium-range ballistic missile on Thursday, the second test in four months of an offensive missile that would have been banned by a US-Russia arms treaty that Washington exited in August. The Air Force launched the conventionally configured missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles at about 8:30 […]

Libya’s Commander Khalifa Haftar urged his forces to advance towards the centre of Tripoli on Thursday in what he said would be the “final battle” for the capital. Haftar, who heads the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), launched an offensive in April to try to take control of Tripoli which stalled on the outskirts of the city. […]

Trump-administration has reached a “deal in principle” with Beijing to resolve the 17-month U.S.-China trade war, according to a source briefed on the trade talks. The White House was expected to make an announcement later on Thursday, the source said. “The written agreement is still being formulated, but they have reached an agreement in principle,” […]

Christians in the Gaza Strip will not be allowed to visit holy cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem to celebrate Christmas this year, Israeli authorities said on Thursday. Gazan Christians will be granted permits to travel abroad but none will be allowed to go to Israel and the occupied West Bank, home to many sites […]

Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday he had been examined for skin cancer, in the latest health scare for the 64-year-old. The president was seriously injured in a knife attack while campaigning for election last year. His health has been a subject of concern ever since and he has undergone several surgeries to treat the […]

Bolivia’s exiled ex-president Evo Morales arrived in Buenos Aires on Thursday where Argentina’s new leftist government of President Alberto Fernandez has granted him asylum. Morales “has just landed at Ezeiza (airport). He’s coming to stay in Argentina as an asylum seeker and will then have refugee status,” Foreign Minister Felipe Sola told TN television. Morales […]

Jeremy Corbyn hopes to become Britain’s prime minister on Thursday after a campaign in which the Labour leader has doggedly maintained a neutral line on the burning issue of Brexit. The 70-year-old leftist has been trying to convince voters that he can heal divisions by impartially presiding over a second referendum on Britain’s EU membership. […]

United States (US) on Thursday threatened visa restrictions on anyone, who attempts to damage the peace process in South Sudan as Washington upped its pressure on the country to form a unity government and re-evaluates its relationship with the African nation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would implement visa restrictions barring those […]

Former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, an ex-ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, filed the paperwork to launch a new party on Thursday. A delegation of Davutoglu’s associates went to the interior ministry to request the formation of the new group, which is expected to be called “Party of the Future”, a source close to […]

Chile confirmed Thursday that human remains and debris found by search ships are from a military plane reported missing with 38 people aboard, and the chances of finding survivors is “practically impossible.” “The condition of the plane wreckage that was found makes it practically impossible that there are survivors from this air accident,” Air Force […]

A U.S. Senate committee backed legislation on Wednesday to impose sanctions on Turkey after its offensive in Syria and purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system, the latest move in the chamber to push Republican President Donald Trump to take a harder line against Ankara. The Republican-led Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted by 18-4 to […]

Voters went to the polls on Thursday in an election that will pave the way for Brexit under Prime Minister Boris Johnson or propel Britain towards another referendum that could ultimately reverse the decision to leave the European Union. After failing to deliver Brexit by an Oct. 31 deadline, Johnson called the election to break […]

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking the release of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who has been serving prison sentences for corruption. Her lawyers said that she was seriously ill but a six-member panel of judges, headed by Chief Justice Syed Hossain, refused the application. This, they argued, is after Attorney General, […]