Nine people died after Indonesia’s capital was hit by its deadliest flooding in years, authorities said Wednesday, as torrential rains on New Year’s Eve left vast swathes of the megalopolis submerged. Thousands were evacuated to temporary shelters as electricity was switched off in scores of waterlogged neighbourhoods across greater Jakarta, home to about 30 million […]

Opposition leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo has won presidential elections in the volatile West African state of Guinea-Bissau, picking up 53.55 per cent of votes, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) announced Wednesday. His rival Domingos Simoes Pereira, head of the country’s historic ruling party PAIGC, took 46.45 percent in Sunday’s runoff. “I declare Umaro Sissoco Embalo […]

China’s central bank announced Wednesday it was cutting the reserve requirements for banks, freeing up about $114 billion to boost lending and spur the slowing economy. The People’s Bank of China will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on January 6 by 50 basis points, it said in a statement, reducing the amount of cash […]

The daughter of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos has denied allegations of financial irregularities after a court froze her bank accounts, calling the claims “politically motivated”. Isabel dos Santos — nicknamed Africa’s wealthiest woman — is under investigation for alleged irregularities involving state companies including the OPEC nation’s giant state oil company Sonangol. […]

The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis, had to pull himself away from a woman in a crowd in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday after she grabbed his hand and yanked him toward her. The pope was on Tuesday was greeting pilgrims on his way to see the […]