Morning Call
1. Nigerian writer Deji Adeyanju released by police
Deji Adeyanju, social media writer, blogger and campaigner for the Peoples Democratic Party has been released by the police.
Reports said he was freed around 7pm on Monday from Police custody at the FCT Abuja, hours after police took him out of Keffi Prison, where he was remanded on the orders of a Karshi Magistrate Court last week.
His case was adjourned till 21 January next year.
The police had charged him and two others, Daniel Abobama and Boma Williams, for posts the police considered defamatory and criminal.
He was arrested on November 28, 2018 while leading a protest to demand the neutrality of the Police in the forthcoming general election.
2. Matatu ban 'is to keep Kenyans fit'
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko says the ban of matatus from the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) will help commuters in the city to exercise and remain physically fit.
Speaking on Monday morning as the ban came into effect, the Governor played down concerns that commuting between one terminus and other was a tall order, saying that most city residents “don’t go to the gym.”
“From Muthurwa to the CBD is a one minute walk. Many people don’t go to the gym. We want our people to exercise,” said Sonko.
3. Suspicion in DR Congo over electronic voting machines
One of the main opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo says a plan to use electronic voting machines in the presidential election is illegal.
Martin Fayulu says the electoral commission is going to use the new machines to ensure the governing coalition's candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, becomes the next Congolese president.
Mr Fayulu wants ballot papers used instead in the 23 December poll.
He also accuses the electoral commission of planning to create a chaotic poll so that President Joseph Kabila can extend his time in power.
The electoral commission says the machines will help ensure the vote is fair.
4. Egypt president opens first arms exhibition in Cairo
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has inaugurated the first arms fair organised in Cairo, AFP news agency says state TV footage showed.
The three-day show will be attended by officials from 40 countries, and over 400 companies according to Egyptian authorities.
Defence Minister Mohamed Ahmed Zaki said at the opening ceremony that the army would roll back all forms of aggression on Egyptian soil.
International human rights organisations have long accused Egypt of using weapons originated in Europe against civilians to suppress opposition and activists, accusations that Cairo denies.
5. US and China agree to trade war ceasefire, more talks
US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping agreed Saturday to suspend any new tariffs in the escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies, even if huge existing duties will remain in place.
Following more than two hours of dinner talks between the two leaders, the White House said an increase of tariffs from 10 to 25 percent due to kick in on January 1 would now be put on hold, providing room for intense negotiations.
The agreement, hashed out over steak in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, lowers the temperature in a conflict that has spooked world markets.