Congo President turned down predecessor’s PM pick
Reuters, Kinshasa
Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila wanted his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, to appoint Albert Yuma, a Kabila ally and chairman of state mining company Gecamines, as prime minister, but Tshisekedi refused, sources familiar with the matter said.
Yuma backed a new mining code adopted last year under Kabila that raised taxes on companies operating in Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s leading cobalt miner and Africa’s top copper producer.
2 gunmen killed in Saudi Arabia
AP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia says two wanted men were killed in a predominantly Shiite region in the kingdom’s east. The region is a place where numerous wanted Saudi men are designated as terrorists for their involvement in violent protests and suspected attacks.
The kingdom’s security body says its forces spotted four wanted people on Sunday in Qatif as they were heading to carry out a terrorist act. It says the group refused to surrender, shot at security forces and threw a hand grenade into a gas station, causing a fire.
Kazakhstan to hold presidential polls in June
Reuters, Almaty
Kazakhstan’s interim President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, called a snap presidential election for June 9 on Tuesday and looked to be in pole position to continue ruling the oil-rich Central Asian nation. The only other potential heavyweight candidate, Dariga Nazarbayeva, has no plans to run, her aide told Kazakh news website Tengrinews.kz after the vote announcement.
Her father Nursultan Nazarbayev ran the ex-Soviet republic for almost three decades until his surprise resignation last month. Tokayev, then speaker of parliament’s upper chamber, subsequently assumed the presidency.
Protesters warn of Chinese ‘invasion’ of Philippines
AFP, Manila
Protesters descended on the Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday to oppose the Asian superpower’s growing sway in the Philippines and as tensions rise over Beijing’s presence in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino flag-waving marchers chanted “China out” and brandished a banner saying “Defend our sovereign rights”, referring to Beijing’s expansive claims to the resource-rich waterway.
Saudi, UAE offer $200m in Ramadan aid to Yemen
AFP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which lead a military coalition against the Huthi rebels in Yemen, offered Monday $200 million in aid to the country for the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The donation, announced simultaneously in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, is part of a $500 million aid package announced by the allies in November to tackle widespread hunger and disease in the war-torn country.
