Taiwan: Parrot owner fined $90k after bird injures doctor

A Taiwanese man has been given a two month prison sentence and fined 3.04m New Taiwan dollars (US $91,350) after his pet parrot injured a doctor. According to Taiwan’s Central…

France: Protests against pension age rise intensify

A second wave of French protests and strikes is underway against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Eight big unions are taking part…

Pakistan: 100 confirmed dead in marathon search of rubble

The death toll has risen to 100 people after a mosque suicide bombing which targeted policemen in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan. The mosque is within a high-security zone…

Somalia: Top al-Shabab commanders killed by government forces

The Somali government says it has killed more than 130 fighters from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab – including top commanders. It says a joint operation was carried out with…

South Africa: Gunmen kill eight at birthday party

Gunmen killed eight people after opening fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday party in a township in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police have said. Two gunmen…

Kenya: Wildlife body defends lion vasectomy

he Kenya Wild Service (KWS) over the weekend explained why a captive lion had to undergo vasectomy earlier in the week KWS had initially said the procedure was meant to…

Chad: Sudan’s leader Burhan visits N’Djamena to boost ties

Sudanese military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan travelled to neighbouring Chad on Sunday for talks aimed at cementing ties between the two countries, the state-run Suna news agency reported. Gen Burhan…

Libya: Gas deal with Italy prompts backlash

Key Libyan political figures have rejected an $8bn (£6.4bn) gas production deal overseen by the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Italian government. Rights groups and observers in…

Tunisia: Second-round of polls now on

Polls are open in Tunisia for the second round of voting for parliament, which was largely stripped of its powers during President Kais Saied’s power grab 18 months ago. Registered…

South Africa: President announces continued of coal-fired power plants

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has said there are no plans to immediately abandon coal-fired power stations during a proposed transition to cleaner forms of energy. The country is one…