Abbas decrees first Palestinian elections in over 15 years

The move to outlaw the group comes after two police officers were killed in violent protests. Previously, the TLP's leader gave the government an ultimatum to expel the French ambassador.

Several police officers who were seized by anti-France demonstrators from radical Islamist group TLP have been freed. Protesters want the French ambassador to the country expelled in an ongoing dispute over blasphemy.

Since 2017, the insurgency raging in northern Mozambique has cost close to 3,000 lives and displaced more than 700,000 people. On March 23, 2021, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group attacked the town of Palma, prompting French energy group Total to shut down its operations in the region, despite having invested more than $20 billion dollars in a liquefied natural gas project there. As this mega-project is put on hold, and the company’s staff withdrawn – at least until stability is reestablished – the Mozambican government is largely refusing outside military assistance.

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the Düsseldorf-based Islamist association on suspicion of financing terrorist groups abroad such as the Palestinian Hamas and al-Shabab in Somalia.

Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 22 civilians with knives and machetes in an overnight raid on villages near the town of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said on Wednesday.

Ten captives taken by extremists in Nigeria are freed. The group had been held by ISWAP militants, who have killed hostages in the past. Also, we look at the tourism industry in Ethiopia ahead of June 21 regional elections. The sector has been hit hard by the conflict in the Tigray region and the Covid-19 pandemic. And we see how a Chinese-funded harbour in Sierra Leone is stirring environmental fears. NIGERIA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has resumed the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise. The exercise, which was last conducted before the 2019 General Elections, was slated to resume in the first quarter of 2020 but was abruptly halted due to the outbreak of COVID-19. GuardianTV takes a look at the process and here are things to know.

Low turnout of voters marked the Local Government election in Lagos. Here are some scenes and sounds from today’s election in Lagos.⁣ ⁣

Zambia's President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema thanked outgoing President Edgar Lungu for conceding defeat after a landslide election win on Monday (August 16). With all but one constituency counted, Hichilema won 2,810,777 votes against Lungu's 1,814,201, and was declared president by the electoral commission. It marked the country's third peaceful handover of power to an opposition party. Speaking to supporters Hichilema also thanked Zambians for voting for him.

The Taliban's victory in Afghanistan could raise the morale of various Islamist extremist groups. Analysts believe that this will lead to new alliances and an increased danger of terrorist attacks.

Although US military withdrawal raises the risk of terrorist activity, experts say the Taliban will likely value pursuing international recognition of their rule over harboring militants.

Getting voters to take part in Germany's upcoming Bundestag election is a challenge in places like Duisburg-Hochfeld. Many residents there struggle day to day and have given up on politics.