Sudan’s newly-appointed finance minister rejects post: SUNA
Abdullah Hamduk, named as finance minister in Sudan’s new administration, has formally declined the appointment, state news agency SUNA reported on Saturday.
South Sudan’s main rebel group accuses government of violating ceasefire
South Sudan’s main rebel force SPLM-IO has accused government forces of attacking their defensive positions a day after both sides signed a peace deal, while the U.N. mission said one of its peacekeepers was shot and wounded by a government soldier.
Exiled leader of Ethiopian rebel group returns home amid reforms
The exiled leadership of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which had previously been declared a terrorist movement by the Ethiopian government, returned home on Saturday, marking another step in political reforms driven by the new prime minister.
Chad army kills two civilians near Libyan border: sources
Chadian army helicopters killed two civilians in bombing runs over a gold mining town along the Libyan border, where government forces have clashed with a fledgling rebel movement, a family member of the victims and an intelligence official said.
Palestinian official says U.S. will never present Middle East peace plan
The United States will not present its long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace any time soon and is instead trying to unilaterally change the terms of reference for any future proposal, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday.
UK opposition says big London banks must never again be ‘masters of the economy’
London’s vast financial sector must never again be the “masters of the economy”, the finance spokesman of Britain’s opposition Labour Party said, accusing bankers of profiting from speculation at the expense of ordinary people.
At least 3 dead in Philippines as typhoon heads toward Hong Kong
A strong typhoon tore across the northern tip of the Philippines on Saturday, killing at least three people, wrecking homes and triggering landslides before heading toward Hong Kong and southern China by evening.
Iraq parliament elects Sunni lawmaker al-Halbousi as speaker, breaking deadlock
Iraq’s parliament elected Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Halbousi as speaker on Saturday, marking an important step toward establishing a new government four months after an inconclusive national election.
Egyptian court orders arrest of Mubarak’s sons over stock market manipulation
An Egyptian criminal court ordered the arrest of ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s two sons on charges of stock market manipulation, state news agency MENA reported Saturday.
Embattled German spymaster wants to double agency staff: media
The embattled chief of Germany’s BfV domestic security agency wants to more than double his staff to 6,000 people by 2021, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday, citing sources at the interior ministry.
