REUTERS - President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington this autumn, the White House said on Thursday, a daring rebuttal to the torrent of criticism in the United States over Trump’s failure to publicly confront Putin at their first summit for Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election.

APRNEWS - The office of French President Emmanuel Macron told AFP on Friday that it has begun dismissal proceedings against a top security aide who violently struck a protester during a demonstration in Paris in May.

A video published this week shows Alexandre Benalla manhandling and striking a demonstrator while wearing a police helmet, even though he is not an officer.

APRNEWS - “The aggregate cost of the 2019 elections is estimated at N242,445,322,600.00, but only N164,104,792,065.00 will be spent for urgent needs of the polls because of funds constraints,’’ President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed yesterday.

REUTERS - U.S. computer maker Dell Technologies Inc said on Monday it will buy out the holders of shares that track the performance of VMware Inc (VMW.N) using a mix of cash and equity in Dell.

AFP - The main Zimbabwe opposition group demands election reforms to ensure free and fair polls in July as a woman checks her voter registration details.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition said it plans street protests in the capital Harare on Tuesday to demand electoral reforms to ensure upcoming polls are free and fair.

AFRICANEWS - From the sprawling capital Kinshasa to villages deep in the equatorial forests, Congo’s ruling PPRD is in full-on election campaign mode, and President Joseph Kabila’s face is everywhere.

REUTERS - Egypt began the second of a three-day presidential election on Tuesday with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi set for an easy victory, after authorities urged people to cast their ballots to provide a strong mandate for the former military commander.

REUTERS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will promote her most prominent critic from within her conservative party, Jens Spahn, to the cabinet, provided a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) goes ahead, a party source told Reuters on Sunday.

AP - Venezuela's ruling socialist party has officially tapped President Nicolas Maduro as its candidate for this year's election.
Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello on Friday announced the unanimous decision. The government has said the election will be held by the end of April.

REUTERS - A company helping to produce a new voter roll for Zimbabwe has accused the election commission of “impropriety” in its handling of tenders, potentially tarnishing the credibility of a poll meant to usher in a new era of transparency post-Mugabe.