The African Union is joining the G20, a powerful acknowledgement of a continent of 1 billion people
The decision by the Group of 20 of the world’s leading economies to admit the African Union as a permanent member is a powerful acknowledgement of Africa as its more than 50 countries seek a more important role on the global stage.
Teen getting 10 years for fire that killed 5 from Senegal
One of three teens accused of starting a fire that killed five immigrants from Senegal in 2020 at a Denver home has been sentenced under a deal that calls for him to get 10 years in custody — seven years in prison and three years in juvenile detention.
Grain supply tops Putin-African Union head talks agenda
The chairman of the African Union, Senegal’s President Macy Sall, has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the fighting in Ukraine and Western sanctions had worsened food shortages, and appealed to other countries to ensure grain and fertilizer exports aren’t blocked.
PSG player criticized for missing anti-homophobia day game
A group fighting homophobia in soccer has called on the French league and Paris Saint-Germain to ask player Idrissa Gueye for an explanation after he missed a game last week amid reports that he refused to play because he did not want to wear a rainbow-colored number on the back of his jersey.
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Leaders agree in Paris on helping African economies revive
More than 20 African heads of state and top officials from European governments, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have agreed to seek an additional $100 billion for reviving Africa’s economies crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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EXPLAINER: Why Senegal protesters are clashing with police
Deadly protests have erupted over the past week in the West African nation of Senegal, long considered a bastion of democracy and a regional leader on diplomacy issues. Anti-government protesters have set supermarkets ablaze and lobbed rocks at riot police in a rare display of violence on the streets of the capital, Dakar. Sonko's supporters say Senegalese President Macky Sall is trying to derail the opposition leader's political future. The protesters see Sonko's arrest as just one example of corruption in a government beset by greed. Sall went on national television late Monday, six days after the protesters first began demonstrating.
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Senegal opposition leader released as new clashes erupt
Demonstrators shout slogans in front of riot policemen during a protest against the arrest of opposition leader and former presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko, Senegal, Monday, March 8, 2021. Senegalese authorities have freed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko while he awaits trial on charges of rape and making death threats. Upon his release, the 46-year-old politician blamed his arrest on President Macky Sall, accusing the incumbent leader of seeking to sideline his future political prospects before the country's 2024 election. While Sonko publicly accused the president of plunging Senegal into an unprecedented crisis, the opposition leader said his goal wasn't to force Sall from power. Karim Wade, the son of the president Sall defeated in 2012, was once widely seen as the heir apparent before he was charged with corruption the following year.
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Protests backing opposition leader escalate in Senegal
A demonstrator holds up a Senegalese flag during protests against the arrest of opposition leader and former presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, March 5, 2021. Days of violent protests in Senegal have killed at least one person, local reports say, as young people take to the streets nationwide in support of the main opposition leader who was detained Wednesday. This week’s unrest in Dakar has been the worst seen in years in a country known for its stability. Police moved in to disperse crowds throwing objects at security forces and setting tires, pieces of wood and other objects on fire near the tribunal where opposition leader Ousmane Sonko appeared. Demonstrators reappeared after prayers to be confronted by authorities lobbing tear gas cannisters.
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Senegal's opposition leader arrested amid violent protests
A demonstrator throws a rock at riot police during protests in support of main opposition leader and former presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Sonko was arrested Wednesday on charges of disturbing the public order after hundreds of his supporters clashed with police while he was heading to the court to face rape charges. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)DAKAR – Senegal’s main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was arrested Wednesday on charges of disturbing the public order after hundreds of his supporters clashed with police while he was heading to the court to face rape charges. Sonko, who placed third in the 2019 elections, was accused of rape last month by an employee at a beauty salon. Ad“My car has been blocked for over an hour by the gendarmerie commanded by the prefect of Dakar.
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Spain's foreign minister visits Senegal to discuss migration
(AP Photo/Javier Bauluz)DAKAR – Spain’s foreign minister met Sunday with Senegal's president in the West African country’s capital Sunday to discuss the sudden increase of Senegalese migrants attempting to reach the Canary Islands by boat. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya met with President Macky Sall in Dakar to discuss migration and border cooperation between Spain, the European Union and Senegal. Human rights groups have been warning about the reopening of the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands since late 2019, when arrivals began increasing slowly. He participated in the meeting between Spain's foreign minister and Senegalese counterpart Aïssata Tall Sall. Sarr said they would work with Spain to increase legal ways for Senegalese to work in Europe, including circular migration programs.
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Europe, Gates pledge funds to get vaccines tor poor nations
That includes Covax, an ambitious but troubled global project to buy and deliver virus vaccines for the world’s poorest people. France and the European Union's executive commission each promised 100 million euros (about $118 million) for the WHO vaccine efforts. Spain promised 50 million euros (about $59 million), and the Gates Foundation promised $70 million (about 59.3 million euros). The new financing is in addition to the funds that countries previously contributed to Covax. Many European countries are back under various levels of lockdowns and with their hospitals under heavy strain.
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Mali's former president Amadou Toumani Toure dies at 72
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 file photo, President of Mali Amadou Toumani Toure gestures after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the chancellory in Berlin, Germany. Mali's former president Amadou Toumani Toure, who served as Mali's president from 2002 until March 2012 when he was deposed by a military coup, has died at the age of 72, according to Senegal's President Macky Sall on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)BAMAKO – Mali’s former president Amadou Toumani Toure has died at the age of 72. Toure served as Mali’s president from 2002 until March 2012 when he was deposed by a military coup. He then became known as the “soldier of democracy.”Toure then served as a general under Mali’s president Alpha Oumar Konare, who was elected in 1992.
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Senegal president offers condolences to Denver fire victims
An investigator stands in the doorway of a home in suburban Denver on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020, where five people were found dead after a fire. Three people escaped the fire by jumping from the home's second floor. Witnesses told firefighters that three people on the second floor of the burning home jumped to safety. Three people escaped Wednesday morning's fire by jumping from the homes second floor and are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries. The Denver coroner's office has not released the names or ages of the victims, who immigrated from Senegal in recent years.
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The Latest: New Delhi's rising cases prompt mass test effort
India records the highest spike of more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, with Mumbai and New Delhi as the worst-hit cities in the country. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)NEW DELHI India has registered another record daily high in new virus cases as New Delhi emerged as its worst-hit city. Steve Sisolak says the state will begin mandating the use of face-coverings in public places in an effort to stem a rise in coronavirus cases four weeks after casinos, restaurants and other businesses started reopening. Nevada has reported more than 14,300 coronavirus cases and 494 deaths from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Of the new cases reported Thursday, 13 were in Beijing and one in the neighboring province of Hebei.