Tunisia votes again for a parliament stripped of power by the president

Tunisians voted again on Sunday in elections for a parliament stripped of its powers, the final pillar of President Kais Saied’s remake of politics in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. The second-round vote comes as the North African country grapples with a grave economic crisis and deep political divisions over Saied‘s July 2021 power grab. Some 262 candidates, including just…

German chancellor says he won’t send fighter jets to Ukraine

By Antoinette Radford The German chancellor has ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, just days after committing to supplying tanks. In an interview with a German newspaper, Olaf Scholz warned against a bidding war for weapons. But Ukraine has asked allied nations to create a “fighter jet coalition” to bolster their capabilities. The US…

Trump to return to Facebook after two-year ban

The US social media giant has called the suspension ‘extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances’. The social media giant Meta has announced that it is ending a two-year suspension of former United States President Donald Trump from its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Calling the suspension an “extraordinary decision taken in extraordinary circumstances”, Meta issued a press release on its…

Uganda approves construction license for $3.5 billion crude oil pipeline

By EK Benj & Reuters – Updated at 0540 EAT on Wednesday 25th January 2023 Uganda has approved an application by a company controlled by TotalEnergies to construct a 3.5 billion U.S. dollar oil pipeline that will transport the country’s crude to international markets, Godfrey Kabbyanga, the state minister for information, said in a statement…

Pacific Islands urge Japan to delay release of Fukushima waste

Japan’s planned release of wastewater from the Fukushima power plant raises concerns in Pacific Island nations that are still grappling with the legacy of nuclear testing decades ago. Pacific Island nations have urged Japan to delay the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant over fears it could contaminate fishing grounds. The appeal…