Category: Global News & Politics

By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani In a tragedy reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, a couple in Nigeria killed themselves earlier this month after their parents had forbidden them from marrying because one of them was a descendant of slaves. “They’re saying we can’t get married… all because of an ancient belief,” the note they left behind...

Tanzania and Uganda have signed an agreement allowing for the construction of a 1,445 km (898 miles) crude oil pipeline. The $3.5bn (£2.7m) project will connect Uganda’s oil fields to Tanzania’s port of Tanga. The signing ceremony was attended by the presidents of both countries. Oil reserves were found in Uganda in 2006 but production...

By Samuel Getachew Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party for one of Ethiopia’s autonomous states, has been declared the winner of a controversial regional election held on Wednesday (Sept. 9). It comes just a week after the Ethiopian House of Federation declared the election as “null and void”, asserting that the poll was unconstitutional....

By STANDARD REPORTER The business community in the East African bloc has expressed confidence in the candidature of Ambassador Amina Mohamed, for the position of Director General at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This buoyed by her promise to steer reforms towards eliminating trade barriers and implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA) agreement if selected....

By Lefteris Papadimas LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) – Greek police fired teargas on Saturday during a protest by angry migrants left homeless by a blaze at Europe’s largest refugee centre, who demanded to leave the island of Lesbos as authorities started building a new encampment for them. More than 12,000 people, most from Africa and Afghanistan, have...

By Steve Holland, Dan Williams, Aziz El Yaakoubi WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalize relations with Israel on Friday, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran, but one that threatens to leave the Palestinians further isolated. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted the news after he spoke by phone to...

Election results posted at a polling station in the city of Mekele The ruling party in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region won all contested seats in elections this week that have further poisoned an already hostile relationship with the federal government, an election official said Friday. Official turnout was “97 or 98 percent” out of more...