Alexis’s view Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye set off a political avalanche by firing his popular prime minister, Ousmane Sonko. Faye probably calculated that the move, announced late on Friday, could bury his own political career but was worth the risk to break an impasse that has prevented the country ...
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The quiet influence of Qatari minister Al ThawadiThe quiet influence of Qatari minister Al Thawadi
When US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a deal with Iran had been “largely negotiated,” he cited a phone call with a crowded list of Middle East rulers. One ostensibly lesser name stood out: Qatar’s Ali Al Thawadi is a minister without his own department, but he too ...
Iranians attend Hajj despite warIranians attend Hajj despite war
The Iran war is reshaping who performs Hajj this year, and how they get there: Iran’s allocation was cut to 30,000 pilgrims, nearly two-thirds fewer than usual. Their travel plans had shifted to using overland convoys through Iraq, before the ceasefire restored air access and enabled Iranian pilgrims to fly ...
Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca beginsHajj pilgrimage to Mecca begins
On Monday, millions of pilgrims begin arriving in Mina, a small valley five kilometers east of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, where they will spend several nights in what becomes, briefly, the largest temporary city on earth. The tents they sleep in bear little resemblance to what earlier generations encountered: ...
Benin’s new president focuses on economic prosperityBenin’s new president focuses on economic prosperity
Benin’s new president promised to ensure citizens benefitted from the growing strength of the economy. Romauld Wadagni, 49, was sworn in on Sunday, having previously served as finance minister under his predecessor. That administration produced economic growth of 7.5% last year, the highest level since 1990. The economy under Wadagni ...
WHO raises Ebola threat warning to ‘very high’WHO raises Ebola threat warning to ‘very high’
The World Health Organization raised the threat posed by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high” as the virus spread in the African nation. The epidemic is believed to have killed at least 200 people, though experts have warned of a significant undercount of both deaths and ...
Ferrari due to unveil first EV, as luxury electric car market growsFerrari due to unveil first EV, as luxury electric car market grows
Two new launches pointed to the increased demand for EVs at the top end of the car market. Ferrari is expected to today unveil the almost $600,000 Luce, its first ever EV, marking a major departure for the Maranello-based brand, which has long been known for making some of the ...
US-Saudi venture to build Shahed drone clones in RiyadhUS-Saudi venture to build Shahed drone clones in Riyadh
The Scoop A joint venture between a US defense startup and a Saudi firm is building a factory near Riyadh to manufacture combat drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed system, which has been used to pummel Gulf countries over the past few months. The facility is being developed by SR2Vector, a ...
How China forced Europe to reconsider Africa’s industrializationHow China forced Europe to reconsider Africa’s industrialization
For decades, African leaders, from Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah to Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, made a simple argument to Europe and the industrialized world: No continent can sustainably develop while serving mainly as a supplier of raw materials and a consumer of finished goods. That argument was long dismissed as ideological nostalgia ...
Kenya’s mobile money tax plans threaten M-Pesa growthKenya’s mobile money tax plans threaten M-Pesa growth
The News Kenya’s proposed new taxes risk hampering the growth of fintechs and mobile money services, with Safaricom’s M-Pesa likely to be the worst hit, experts told Semafor. Kenya President William Ruto’s administration is seeking to impose a new 16% value-added tax on services by payment service providers including M-Pesa ...