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Niger journalist held after channel suspended
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Niger journalist held after channel suspended

NIAMEY – A major journalist in Niger was in custody on Saturday, an association said, a day after the private TV channel he runs was suspended following a report critical of the military-led regime.  Seyni Amadou, editor-in-chief of Canal 3 TV, has been arrested, said CAP-Medias-Niger, which represents media workers in the country. On Friday,...

Mauritius: Chagos deal will secure US military base
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Mauritius: Chagos deal will secure US military base

PORT LOUIS – A prospective deal on returning the Chagos islands to Mauritius will ensure the United States maintains its strategic military base on the Indian Ocean archipelago, Mauritius’s prime minister said yesterday.  “There is a disinformation campaign in the United States claiming that we are close to China, that we are going to let...

Israel’s truce with Hamas begins after delay 
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Israel’s truce with Hamas begins after delay 

JERUSALEM – Israel yesterday said a truce with Hamas began in Gaza at 0915 GMT, nearly three hours after initially scheduled, following a last-minute delay on the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  During the delay, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people.  A statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued less than an...

South Sudan work suspended after attack 
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South Sudan work suspended after attack 

NAIROBI – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) yesterday said it was suspending operations in two South Sudan counties after staff came under attack from an armed group.  MSF said six staff were travelling on a river in Upper Nile State in the northeast of the country on Wednesday after delivering hospital supplies when they came under...

Inflation forces Nigeriens to adapt what they eat 
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Inflation forces Nigeriens to adapt what they eat 

NIAMEY – At a Niamey market, Rakia Abdou, mother of five, haggles hard for a sack of rice, a staple out of reach for many in Niger due to record inflation.  “The prices of local food are falling, but those for imported products are still high,” she said at the Wadata market, lightly coated in...

Israel accuses Hamas of ‘reneging’ on parts of Gaza deal 
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Israel accuses Hamas of ‘reneging’ on parts of Gaza deal 

JERUSALEM – Israel yesterday accused Hamas of backtracking on parts of the Gaza ceasefire deal announced a day earlier, and said cabinet will not meet on the deal until Hamas’s agreement is confirmed.  “Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions”, Prime...

Mozambique’s Chapo takes presidential seat
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Mozambique’s Chapo takes presidential seat

MAPUTO – Mozambique swore in Daniel Chapo as president yesterday following months of post-election violence that an NGO says has killed more than 300 people. Vowing “to devote all my energies to defending, promoting and consolidating national unity”, Chapo (48), extends his Frelimo party’s 50-year rule of the gas-rich African nation. Opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane...

Cocaine use nearly doubles in France: study
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Cocaine use nearly doubles in France: study

PARIS – Cocaine use in France has nearly doubled.  Consumption of hard drugs, like heroin and ecstasy, is also rising. This information was revealed in a study yesterday. The increase is aligned with drug-related violence that has spread across the country. Some 1.1 million people used cocaine at least once in 2023, a report published...

Trump’s cabinet picks under US Senate spotlight
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Trump’s cabinet picks under US Senate spotlight

WASHINGTON – As of yesterday, Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees started being scrutinised in a frenzied week on Capitol Hill.  United States’ (US) senators held confirmation hearings that could make or break their political careers. Thirteen nominees will be grilled before 11 committees.  While many will sail through, others face controversies, ranging from alleged sexual assault...