ABUJA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — A panel of five judges from Nigeria’s election tribunal late Wednesday unanimously affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu, solidifying his position as the West African nation’s leader and effectively dismissing petitions by opposition parties. Delivering the judgment, which lasted over 12 hours, the five-member panel at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in the national capital of Abuja, said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labor Party (LP), which filed the petitions, had failed…

BAMAKO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed on Thursday during a dual terrorist attack in northern Mali, the Malian government said in a statement. Claimed by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the two attacks targeted the passengers of the boat “Tombouctou” and a military camp of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in Gao region, it said. “In response to this double attack, a combined air-land action by our valiant FAMa…

LIBREVILLE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — Brice Oligui Nguema, Gabonese transitional president, has appointed Raymond Ndong Sima as interim prime minister and head of the transitional government, announced Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, spokesperson for the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), on Thursday. TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT TO COME The spokesperson broke the news on national television in a statement signed by Nguema, who was sworn in Monday as transitional president, without specifying further details. The CTRI was set up by…

NEW DELHI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — The 18th Group of 20 (G20) Summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday in New Delhi, India. The summit, themed “One Earth · One Family · One Future,” will focus on inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access, among other topics. Here is a brief introduction of the group and its summits. Created in 1999, the G20 is a main forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues.…

HARARE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) — Atop a hill about six km south of downtown Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, lies a revered shrine where Zimbabwe’s departed heroes are laid to rest. Every second Monday of August, Zimbabweans gather at the shrine overlooking Harare to pay tribute to liberation war fighters who took up arms and fought colonialism to deliver the country from the shackles of British colonial rule. The day comes as a reminder to Zimbabweans, particularly young people, that the freedom they…

HARARE, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday said the country has attained food security during a campaign rally in Harare, the national capital, to drum up support for his ruling ZANU-PF party in the upcoming harmonized election on Aug. 23. “We are food secure, we shall continue to remain food secure,” Mnangagwa said amid loud cheers from party supporters. “We addressed the question of food security at the household level.”  Mnangagwa, who came to power in…

GENEVA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — The 15th BRICS summit, to be held in South Africa this month, is expected to make the global governance system fairer and counterbalance the dominance of Western countries, Carlos Maria Correa, executive director of the South Centre, told Xinhua on Wednesday. The event’s agenda will be topped by efforts toward de-dollarization (reducing the U.S. dollar’s hegemony) and the bloc’s expansion, said Correa. The BRICS group of major emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa…

ABUJA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday said it has resolved to activate its standby force in response to the recent coup in Niger while underscoring its continued commitment to restore constitutional order in the country through peaceful means. In a statement at the end of an extraordinary summit in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the regional bloc reiterates its strong condemnation of the coup in Niger, saying it upholds all…

NIAMEY, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — Niger’s junta appointed 21 ministers late Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of West African leaders who will discuss their response to a military coup in Niger. Abdourahamane Tchiani, president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), a governing body established by the soldiers after the coup, signed a decree to appoint new cabinet members, none of whom were from the ousted government. Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine will lead the…

BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on strengthening basic research to achieve China’s high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology will be published on Tuesday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year’s 15th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee. Strengthening basic research is an…