(Reuters) -Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has flown into exile in Belarus under a deal that ended a brief mutiny by his Wagner fighters in Russia, as President Vladimir Putin praised his own army for averting a civil war. Following are some facts about the businessman and founder of the Wagner Group. * With aggressive PR,…
By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) – A total of 130 countries representing 98% of the global economy are now exploring digital versions of their currencies, with almost half in advanced development, pilot or launch stages, a closely-followed study shows. The research by the U.S.-based Atlantic Council think tank published on Wednesday said significant progress over…
(Reuters) – Air strikes and anti-aircraft fire rattled parts of Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Wednesday, residents said, despite both the military factions that have been battling each other since mid-April declaring truces for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. War between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused a major humanitarian…
DAKAR (Reuters) – European election observers in Sierra Leone said there were “statistical inconsistencies” in the presidential results published by the electoral commission, which declared President Julius Maada Bio the winner of Saturday’s vote. The European Union Election Observation Mission called on the commission on Wednesday to promptly publish disaggregated results data per polling station…
By Jorgelina do Rosario LONDON (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund executive board will meet on July 12 to complete the first review of its $1.3 billion extended fund facility (EFF) programme for Zambia, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The board meeting comes after Africa’s second-biggest copper producer clinched a deal…
By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is examining how the Wagner Group’s short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military establishment might affect the mercenaries’ operations in the Middle East and Africa, officials said. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin startled the world by leading an armed revolt on Saturday that brought his fighters from the…
By Khalid Abdelaziz DUBAI (Reuters) – Thousands of men who worked as intelligence operatives under former president Omar al-Bashir and have ties to his Islamist movement are fighting alongside the army in Sudan’s war, three military sources and one intelligence source said, complicating efforts to end the bloodshed. The army and a paramilitary force have…
By Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States took aim at Russia’s Wagner Group and imposed sanctions on Tuesday on companies it accused of engaging in illicit gold dealings to fund the mercenary force. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on four companies in the United…
By Chijioke Ohuocha and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo ABUJA (Reuters) -Nigeria could save up to 3.9 trillion naira ($5.10 billion) this year alone after reforms to its foreign exchange market and the removal of a petrol subsidy, the World Bank said on Tuesday, but warned of growing inflationary pressures in the short term. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu…
By Ayenat Mersie and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo NAIROBI (Reuters) -Mohamed Ali doesn’t believe gay Africans exist. He says homosexuality is a Western invention imposed on the continent. Openly gay Africans are liars seeking visas to the West or money from rights groups, he adds. Ali is a member of Kenya’s parliament. He is desperate to follow…
