Zimbabwe presidential election results expected +++ Turkey demands end to US sanctions

2. September 2018, 02:00

Zimbabwe presidential election results expected

Zimbabwe's electoral commission says it will announce at 3pm local time today when results of Monday’s presidential election are to be published. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Zanu PF says he has spoken to opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to try to defuse tension ahead of the announcement. Three people were killed during violent clashes yesterday after soldiers were deployed on the streets of the capital, Harare. Nick Mangwana of the Zanu PF, has accused the opposition of instigating the violence after his party was declared winner of the parliamentary vote: “This violence was not spontaneous. It was deliberately staged over a number of days. Press conference after press conference telling people to rise up.” Nkululeko Sibanda from the opposition MDC has accused president Mnangagwa of rigging the election and orchestrating the killings. “This façade about being a democratic person, somebody who understand people’s human rights and so forth, is over now, and a lot of Zimbabweans already understood who he always has been. He has a history with violence.”

Turkey demands end to US sanctions

Turkey has threatened to retaliate immediately if the United States does not reverse its decision to impose sanctions on two Turkish government ministers. The US announced the sanctions on Turkey’s justice and interior ministers, over the detention and trial of US pastor Andrew Brunson, on espionage and terror-related charges. The Turkish lira fell to a record low after the US announcement.

Israel halts Gaza fuel supplies

Israel’s defense minister Avigdor Liberman has again ordered a stop to supplies of fuel and gas to Gaza. He said shipments were being halted because of what he called continued terror from incendiary balloons from Gaza that have ignited fires in Israel.

New Congo Ebola outbreak

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced a new outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country. The World Health Organisation says the new cases are in a conflict zone and there are concerns about the safety of its response team trying to reach the affected population.

Russian journalists killed in CAR

The editors for three Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic on Monday say they were investigating a Russian private military company with links to the Kremlin, as well as Russia's interests in diamond, gold and uranium mining in the country. The editors from the Investigations Management Centre have cast doubt on official statements that the journalists may have been the victims of a robbery. Russian authorities say they are considering sending a team to investigate the killings.

The weather

Changeable with thundershowers and sunny spells. Top temperatures 25 to 34 degrees.

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