Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed will stand in the country's upcoming presidential election, his party announced Wednesday, days after the death of incumbent Beji Caid Essebsi. "Chahed is the candidate of the Tahia Tounes party" for the September 15 election, spokesman Ali Baccar said. The prime minister will discuss his candidature "after the end of the (seven-day) mourning period" for Essebsi, who died last week aged 92. Originally scheduled for November, the vote was brought forward following Essebsi's death on July 25. Presidential hopefuls must formally submit their candidacy between August 2 and August 9. Launched at the start of the year, Chahed's Tahia Tounes has become the second largest party in parliament, behind Islamist-inspired Ennahdha. In recent months, the 43-year-old Chahed's popularity has fallen as

End-to-end encryption is the technology that keeps messages sent on WhatsApp, iMessage and other secure platforms. It is also becoming a major battleground in deciding the future of the internet. On one side stands many of the most powerful people in the UK and US governments. On the other is some of the largest technology companies in the world. And between them is the fight for whether communications over the internet should be able to be read by security services and the police, and whether it is worth weakening the protections that keep the private to do so. The debate has been revived by senior politicians on either side of the Atlantic. Most recently, new home secretary Priti Patel suggested that encryption on

Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk and Megan Rapinoe are among the 20 players to be nominated for the FIFA Best Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards. Kane is the sole England representative on the men's shortlist and is rewarded having led them to the Nations League semi-finals, as well as helping Tottenham to their first Champions League final. Van Dijk is nominated having been part of the Liverpool side that won the Champions League, as well as winning the PFA Player of the Year award. Rapinoe is one of several USA players on the women's shortlist after helping them to win the Women's World Cup this summer, where she was named Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament winner. Van Dijk is

Damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes,' said beloved former president Ronald Reagan shared a racist exchange with Richard Nixon in a newly unearthed phone conversation from 1971 in which the former president describes African delegates to the United Nations as “monkeys”. Speaking with Mr Nixon, who was then president, a day after the UN voted to admit The People’s Republic of China into the global organisation, Mr Reagan said: “To see those, those monkeys from those African countries — damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!” Mr Reagan was the Republican governor of California at the time, and was calling Mr Nixon at the White House to complain about UN members who voted against the US position. Tim Naftali, the former

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria says that it is targeting multiple housing units across states of the federation through the National Housing Fund scheme, as part of efforts to tackle the housing deficit in the country. Executive Director, Business Development and Portfolio Management, Abdullahi Umar Dankane, disclosed this in Sokoto, at a two-day zonal retreat organised for officials of the bank. He said that the scheme is a collaborative project with some organisations to provide 100 houses per states across the federation. Dankane listed the National Employers Consultative Association, the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress as early organisations that are participating in the scheme. “We intend to build 100 housing units in every state of the federation. For now, we

Strikes by British Airways pilots could disrupt hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers from August after the airline lost a second legal attempt to block industrial action. The court of appeal upheld a verdict by the high court last week that dismissed BA’s argument that the strike ballot was invalid. The pilots union, Balpa, can now proceed with planned strikes with two weeks’ notice. “BA’s attempt to defeat the democratic view of their pilots in court, rather than deal with us across the negotiating table, has sadly wasted huge amounts of time and money that could have been put into finding a peaceful resolution,” Balpa’s general secretary, Brian Strutton, said. “Now the window for negotiation and compromise is closing fast. BA need to wake

According to him, Buhari has made the country safer than it was in 2015. Many critics of the Buhari government do not agree with this view. The President Muhammadu Buhari government says it will soon take delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets in 2020 from the United States of America. The fighter jets are meant to combat the Boko Haram insurgents and other terrorist elements. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement, “While the military arsenal is not something you pay for and get, requiring mostly long-time orders, weapons will come in accordance with the terms of contracts. “This country is expecting the commencement of the delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets, very effective

President Muhammadu Buhari has met with the leadership of the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), at the State House. At the meeting, the president assured the group of the Federal Government’s continuous support towards the private sector. Speaking further, he also lamented over the persistent gridlock in the Apapa area of Lagos State, which has posed a serious challenge for businesses in the area. He, however, promised to work more with the state government to resolve the challenge. The President also spoke about the recent signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). While the agreement has several advantages such as the creation of a single market, followed by free movement and a single-currency union, the president highlighted some potential challenges. According

The Trump administration says it will set up a system allowing Americans to legally access lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Wednesday morning. Azar, a former drug industry executive, says U.S. patients will be able to import medications safely and effectively, with oversight from the Food and Drug Administration. States, drug wholesalers and pharmacists would act as intermediaries for consumers. The administration’s move comes as the industry is facing a litany of consumer complaints over drug prices, as well as legislation from both parties in Congress to rein in costs. President Donald Trump is supporting a Senate bill to cap medication costs for Medicare recipients. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says he and

Pro-government forces, including NATO allies, caused more civilian deaths in Afghanistan than insurgents in the first half of 2019, a new UN report said. Foreign and government forces are responsible for 717 deaths, while anti-government elements (including Taliban) caused 531 deaths, the United Nations found. In total, the UN documented 3,812 civilian casualties (1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured) in the first half of the year. The UN "continues to regard the level of harm done to civilians as shocking and unacceptable," the global agency said. Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics,” said Richard Bennett, Human Rights Chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. “The fact remains that only a determined effort