Mozambique ruling party likely to win elections despite dissatisfied youthVenâncio Mondlane is enthusing young voters in presidential elections but Frelimo's Daniel Chapo still likely winnerMozambicans go to the polls on Wednesday in elections that the ruling Frelimo party is expected to win easily, even as an outsider candidate is shaking up the presidential race and winning over young voters in a country where the median age is just 17.Frelimo has ruled the southern African country since the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. For the first time, it is fielding a presidential candidate born after independence, Daniel Chapo, a provincial governor who was relatively unknown until being picked in May as the candidate to succeed the outgoing president, Filipe Nyusi. Continue reading...
Suddenly, all MPs know where the Chagos Islands are and what's best for them | John CraceMany who last week couldn't have got within 500 miles of Mauritius on a map now can't bear it taking the archipelagoWhat a difference a week makes. Just last Wednesday, you could have put money on most MPs being totally clueless about the exact location of the Chagos Islands. Give them a map and many would have better luck being blindfolded.Even a hint wouldn't have made much difference. Are they east, west, south or north of Mauritius? To be in with a shout, you have to know where Mauritius is. And most MPs wouldn't get within 500 miles. The Indian Ocean is bigger than you think. And don't get them started on Diego Garcia. Surely he's the younger brother of the titular character in the 1974 Sam Peckinpah film Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. A year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar
On Tuesday 3 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back at a political year like no other, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at guardian.liveTaking the Lead by John Crace is published by Little, Brown (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply. Continue reading...
Lammy defends Chagos deal, saying it saves important UK-US military baseForeign secretary says status quo not sustainable as Tory MPs accuse Labour of giving away key assetDavid Lammy has hailed the decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as a deal to save a strategically important UK-US military base, after accusations from opposition MPs that a key asset was being given away.The government announced last week that it was going to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain's last African colony, but the military base on Diego Garcia will remain under UK control. Continue reading...
Biden to visit Angola as global powers vie for African influenceUS and EU are supporting infrastructure projects in Angola, which has historically been closer to Russia and ChinaWhen Joe Biden travels to Angola on Sunday, it will be the first trip to an African country of his presidency and the first to the continent by a sitting US president since Barack Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015.It is a marker of how Africa's 54 countries are increasingly courted by global powers, drawn to the continent by geopolitical shifts and an abundance of minerals needed for electric cars and other battery-powered technologies. Continue reading...
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