By Shout-Africa News – SWAZILAND – A petrol bomb, of the same type that rocked polices stations and Swaziland MPs in 2005, went off at the home of Alex Langwenya, the leader of a banned opposition group. The police immediately arrested Mr Langwenya. The series of petrol bombs that were aimed at police and members of parliament in Swaziland in 2005 remains an unsolved mystery in the totalitarian kingdom. Suspicion was always directed towards the country’s main but banned opposition party PUDEMO or its youth league SWAYOCO, while the opposition pointed to the police itself. After five years without bomb... Continue Reading
By Kitsepile Nyathi – Harare — A fresh turf war has emerged between Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai after the veteran ruler reversed a bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) signed by his former rival. Mr Tsvangirai who joined President Mugabe in a unity government in February last year ending a long and bitter political struggle signed the BIPPA during a visit to Seoul recently where he was also given an honorary degree by a Korean university. The Koreans had expressed a strong desire to participate in Zimbabwe’s reconstruction and the agreement would have ensured... Continue Reading
By Shout-Africa – Uganda has backtracked on an earlier decision not to invite Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir to the African Union summit. “President Bashir of Sudan was actually invited for the AU summit scheduled to take place in Kampala from the 19-29 July 2010,” read a statement from Uganda’s ministry of Foreign Affairs that appeared in the press Tuesday. Sam Kutesa, the Ugandan foreign minister, told RFI that the government was misquoted. “We invited Sudan, we invited all African countries,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. But the government was quoted last week saying that President Bashir was not... Continue Reading
By Shout-Africa – International News – A former CIA station chief in Algeria pleaded guilty on Monday to sex abuse stemming from a 2008 incident in Algiers and to cocaine use, the U.S. Justice Department said. It said Andrew Warren, 42, admitted he committed illegal sexual contact with a female after rendering her unconscious on February 17, 2008, while on U.S. Embassy property in Algiers. Warren was charged a year ago with sexually assaulting the woman, who was not named. He was fired from the CIA last year before being charged. The State Department last year said the United States... Continue Reading
By Shout-Africa – The Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR) is offering grants to investigative journalists in Africa to further their research on investigative pieces. Submissions must be received by July 31. Two grants are available worth US$3,713 each. Eight grants worth US$618 each are intended to fund investigative stories that would not otherwise be published. All investigative journalists based or operating in Africa may apply. Applications must include a general summary in English, Portuguese or French that will be used to create a shortlist of 20 applicants.
