How Gorbachev’s political legacy was destroyed by Putin Era of detente and arms control between Washington and Moscow has been replaced by a bloody war in Ukraine Live reaction: tributes from world leaders after Mikhail Gorbachev’s death Mikhail Gorbachev lived long enough to see everything he had tried to achieve crumble or get blown up. The era…
The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola won in the general election with the lowest margin since coming to power in 1975. LUANDA, Angola — Angola’s ruling party on Monday was declared the winner of the general election, but it was its weakest showing in the five elections that have taken place since the country…
On a three-day visit, the French president said he was seeking “truth and acknowledgment” over the war and colonialism. ALGIERS — Past the graves and elaborate Christian mausoleums of Saint Eugene Cemetery, President Emmanuel Macron of France made his way, before laying a wreath at a monument to those “who died for France.” For a…
President Biden is delivering on his commitment to make Africa a priority for the United States. Most notable is his administration’s sharp uptick in U.S. diplomacy toward the region. With visits to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal last November, Morocco and Algeria in March, and South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda this…
Nairobi, Kenya — Angola holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday in what is expected to be the biggest challenge to the country’s longstanding one-party rule. The ruling MPLA party, in power for nearly half a century, has been losing young supporters to the leading opposition party, UNITA. The presidential candidates have focused mainly on economic issues, but observers are…
China will continue to help with the construction of major infrastructure projects in Africa via financing, investment and assistance, the minister said in a speech at a recent meeting of the China-Africa cooperation forum.
The country will also be increasing imports from Africa, helping to develop Africa’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors, and expanding co-operation in emerging industries such as the digital economy, health, and green and low-carbon sectors.
The latest announcement follows China’s cancellation of at least 94 interest-free loans amounting to over US$3.4 billion in Africa between 2000 and 2019.
Finance expert Kanyi Lui of Pinsent Masons said: “China has been forgiving interest-free loans made to developing countries for almost half a century. When many African countries experienced debt distress in the 1980s to 1990s, China forgave over 85% of interest free loans then outstanding. This latest announcement shows China’s continued leadership in working with developing countries in debt distress.”
“As the BRI [Belt and Road Initiative] starts to shift its focus from mega infrastructure projects to ‘small and beautiful’ projects which focus on sustainability, raising living standards and social impact, developing countries would do well to carefully consider their own their interests and developmental needs and how to engage with China in a manner that would maximise the welfare of their people,” he said.
As of 2020, the African nations with the highest external debt to China as a percentage of gross national income are Djibouti (43%), Angola (41%) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (29%), according to World Bank data cited in press reports.
As more looted art comes back to Africa, countries have wrestled with the right way to display it. That 200,000 people have lined up for a show suggests Benin has found an answer. COTONOU, Benin — For centuries, his ancestors had ruled over a powerful kingdom in what is now Benin, but the first time…
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
The spacious ground-floor space in the former residence of the Spanish ambassador in Washington, D.C., was packed with people. All around the walls, large, colorful, artistic pictures of Spanish ingredients and specialties revealed what the event was all about: Spanish food. The audience was composed of professionals and enthusiasts who had come to hear a…
In his fifth, and possibly last, bid for president, Raila Odinga failed to enthuse a crucial bloc of voters in his own backyard that would have catapulted him to the top job. KISUMU, Kenya — For decades, Kenya’s veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga has been the chief political power broker in the western counties around Lake…