APRNEWS - Protests in Zimbabwe’s historic elections turned bloody on Wednesday as a man was shot dead during demonstrations over alleged vote fraud and President Emmerson Mnangagwa appealed for calm.

The man died after soldiers fired live ammunition during opposition protests in downtown Harare, AFP reporters saw.

APRNEWS - Pakistan cricket legend turned opposition stalwart Imran Khan claimed victory Thursday in the country’s tense elections, following accusations of poll rigging by rival parties.

“We were successful and we were given a mandate,” Khan said during a live broadcast, adding there was “no politician victimisation” in the contest.

APRNEWS - A total of fifteen lawmakers on the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have officially defected to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The move which comes ahead of general elections in 2019 means that the APC is currently the minority in the Senate – the country’s upper chamber of parliament.

APRNEWS - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega refused Monday to bow to protesters’ demands that he step down, vowing in an interview with US television that he will see through his current term until 2021.

APRNEWS - President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani has reiterated the importance of a democratic Libya in ensuring stability in the wider Sahel region of Africa.

Libya has in the last few years been a key route through which irregular migration has flourished in addition to the activities of human traffickers who endanger the lives of migrants.

APRNEWS - A blast that narrowly missed Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at a weekend rally in Bulawayo has claimed its first fatality, a state-run radio station reported Monday.

“Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has confirmed that one of the White City Stadium explosion victims has died,” Star FM News said.

APRNEWS - DR Congo President Joseph Kabila, whom critics accuse of seeking an illegal third term in office, has been named as a leading figure in a campaign group for the vast African country’s upcoming elections.

AFP - Three Catalan leaders imprisoned in Spain over their role in their region's independence crisis will take their case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, their lawyers in London said on Thursday.