China’s Chang and Canada’s Xuan win top prizes at Ballet Olympiade in Varna
Chinese dancer Sinuo Chang and Canadian ballerina Yuan Zhe Zi Xuan, also known as Jessica Xuan, won the top prizes at the Varna International Ballet Competition, the oldest ballet competition in world, on Sunday.
King Mohammed VI urges action to address Morocco’s social problems
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI called on Sunday on the government to do more to address the country’s social and economic problems, as the North African country struggles with social disparities.
UK’s new foreign minister in China for first overseas visit
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday to discuss cooperation between the two countries on his first major overseas trip since he replaced Boris Johnson earlier this month.
Zimbabweans vote in first election since Mugabe’s removal
Zimbabweans voted on Monday in the first election since the removal of former president Robert Mugabe, a watershed moment they hope will rid the country of its pariah status and spark a recovery in its failed economy.
Factbox: Zimbabwe’s voting system
Zimbabwe holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Monday in which the top two contenders, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, have promised to revive an economy ruined under Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
Nigeria to send air force and 1,000 security personnel to tackle banditry
Nigeria will deploy its air force and 1,000 security personnel to fight banditry in the northwest of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday.
Pakistan opposition party calls for investigation of election ‘rigging’
Pakistan’s main opposition party called on Sunday for a judicial investigation into what it said was rigging at an election this week that it lost.
Mali begins presidential vote count amid simmering insecurity
Vote counting began in Mali on Sunday evening after an election to determine whether President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will win a second term, amid ethnic and jihadist violence that has dramatically worsened since he came to power five years ago.
‘Very positive signals’ after U.S., Taliban talks: sources
A meeting between a senior U.S. diplomat and Taliban representatives in Doha last week to discuss a possible ceasefire ended with “very positive signals” and a decision to hold more meetings, people with knowledge of the talks said on Sunday.
Militants fire mortars in northern Mali during presidential election
Militants fired 10 mortar shells around the village of Aguelhok in the northern Mali region of Kidal, including one that exploded near a polling station set up for Sunday’s presidential election, said U.N. mission spokesman Olivier Salgado.
