Mr. Rwasa's Wife, Annonciate Haberisoni's Assassination Attempt

Bujumbura (BI), Evening time, an assassination attempt was made to Mrs. Annonciate Haberisoni, wife to Mr. Agathon Rwasa, a prominent opposition leader in Burundi.

Sources say that one of the assassins walked in a Saloon where Mrs. Haberisoni was and shot two bullets, one of which hit Rwasa's wife on the head. It is reported that there was deadly wounds and that Mrs. Haberisoni was receiving treatment at a local clinic in Bujumbura, BUMEREC.

Mr. Rwasa has not spoken much to the media yet about the incident so far but sources tell that he is reserving himself just to avoid being misled into providing an attacking statement while he is not sure yet as per what triggered the assault on his wife.

Is Vladimir Putin Dead?

Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't been seen in public in 10 days, and the world is starting to wonder why.

Putin's absence has stretched from a brief hiatus to an eternity in Kremlin-time. He was last seen meeting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on March 5. On March 11, Putin canceled a visit to Kazakhstan in a move that would turn out to be a catalyst for the current manhunt. What could have been an innocuous scheduling change drew attention after an anonymous source from the Kazakh government told Reuters it was due to illness. Observers raised more red flags after Putin skipped an annual meeting with the Federal Security Service the next day.

China’s Silicon Valley sparking 49 tech startups a day

China’s answer to Silicon Valley is experiencing a surge in new technology companies as the world’s most populous nation reduces its reliance on manufacturing.

Beijing’s Zhongguancun district birthed 49 startups daily last year as innovation takes root in the country, Wan Gang, the nation’s minister of science and technology, said Wednesday at a briefing for the National People’s Congress in Beijing. China now has more than 1,600 technology incubators, Wan said.

Zhongguancun is home to a raft of established Chinese technology companies, from PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd. to search engine operator Baidu Inc. Xiaomi Corp., the nation’s biggest smartphone vendor, was established in the district five years ago and has reached a valuation of $45-billion to become the world’s most valuable startup.

Algeria 'Reasonably Optimistic' About Outcome of Inter-Libyan Dialogue in Algiers

Algiers — Algeria is "reasonably optimistic" about the outcome of the inter-Libyan dialogue which will be held Tuesday in Algiers, said Foreign Affairs Minister Ramtane Lamamra.

"We are reasonably optimistic, and work to ensure that the dialogue between the Libyan brothers results in the settlement of the crisis in Libya," said Lamamra in a statement to APS on the sidelines of a lunch offered in honour of the Algerian women.

"We hope that the meeting of Algiers will be a start, for our Libyan brothers and sisters, towards an agreement, national consensus on the creation of a government of national union and also on the security arrangements that allow the country to evolve and move towards the organization of calm elections, security and stability," he added.

Algeria: Violence Erupts at Protest Over Shale Gas Drilling Project

Protests against hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale gas in southernAlgeria turned violent over the weekend when the police clashed with demonstrators outside a base run by the American company Halliburton near the town of Ain Salah.

Tensions were still running high on Sunday, but no further violence was reported. Antifracking protests against the government oil and gas company Sonatrach and its international partners have occurred almost daily for two months, but had been peaceful until now. Clashes broke out when protesters approached Halliburton’s walled compound and burned tires in the roads. 

David Duncan travels with Kotoko to Algeria

Ghana Premier League champions Kumasi Asante Kotoko have confirmed former Accra Hearts of Oak coach David Duncan will take charge of the club after their trip from Algeria.

The Kumasi based club who have been poor in the league so far this season and have not won a league game since they sacked manager Didi Mass-Ud Dramani for the poor state of the club.

The club have now confirmed David Duncan will sign a contract with the club when the champions return from their trip from Algeria where the former Accra Hearts of Oak manager will just observe and supervise activities under interim coach Michael Osei.

Algeria, Qatar launch construction of steel complex

ALGIERS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Algeria and Qatar on Monday laid the first stone for the construction of a steel complex in the locality of Bellara of Jijel province, 375 km east of Algiers, local media reported.

This 1.76 billion U.S. dollars worth project, which is due to be finished within ten months, is part of the industrial partnership cooperation between Algeria and Qatar. It is due to generate some 3,000 jobs during the construction phase.

Once on service, the complex will create 1,500 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs, and will output 2 million tons of steel from 2017 in a first step. The production will gradually hit 5 million tonnes by 2019.

Sambo seeks Algeria support for Agric Minister to become AFDB president

Vice-President Namadi Sambo has urged Algeria to support the candidacy of Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister as the next president of the African Development Bank.

Mr. Sambo met with the Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal on Sunday, and both leaders discussed bilateral issues relating to the development and co-operation of their two countries in various fields.

Mr. Sambo used the occasion to solicit the support of Algeria towards the candidature of Akinwumi Adesina for the Presidency of the African Development Bank, AfDB, a statement from Mr. Sambo’s office said.

Algeria passes law banning violence against women

AFP, Algiers
Friday, 6 March 2015

Algeria’s parliament passed a law on Thursday criminalizing violence against women, in a move criticized by both Islamist lawmakers as well as Amnesty.

The law makes inflicting injury on one’s spouse punishable with up to 20 years in prison, and allows a judge to hand down life sentences for domestic violence resulting in death.

The bill passed in a vote attended by more than half of Algeria’s 462 MPs, and the result drew the ire of some of the assembly’s Islamists.

Lyon say Nabil Fekir has opted to play for France, not Algeria

Lyon prodigy Nabil Fekir has decided to play for France at international level, according to a senior figure at the midfielder's club.

It was reported Fekir, 21, had opted to pledge allegiance to Algeria, the country of his family's origins, late last week after being called up by the north African nation's coach, Christian Gourcuff, for an upcoming brace of friendlies.

However, ahead of Sunday's Ligue 1 game with Montpellier, Fekir issued a press release on Lyon's official website stating he had not yet made a "definitive decision."

After the weekend's 5-1 win, in which Fekir scored twice to help keep Lyon top of the table and take himself into double figures for the season, former OL striker and coach Bernard Lacombe told media the young midfielder now hopes to wear the shirt of France, the country of his birth.