Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for July 10th

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are African elections, radical Islam, governance in Egypt,  Investments in Kenya, and suspicion of President Zuma in South Africa.

Mugabe Threatens to Pull Zimbabwe Out of SADC
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe launched his campaign to extend his 33 years in power on Friday by threatening to pull his country out of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), accusing the group of bias after it recently asked him to postpone the election. "We are in SADC voluntarily," Mugabe said, warning the 15-nation group against interfering in upcoming presidential polls. "If SADC decides to do stupid things, we can move out and withdraw from SADC." The SADC had made appeals to delay the July 31 election…
To read more please visit the Voice of America News here

Khartoum abandonne ses menaces sur le pétrole du Soudan du Sud
Apaisement dans le conflit pétrolier entre les deux Soudans. Khartoum ne mettra pas sa menace de bloquer le brut sud-soudanais à exécution. C'est un haut responsable soudanais qui l'a annoncé, hier dimanche 7 juillet. Les autorités des deux pays sont parvenues à un accord la semaine dernière. Un épisode qui montre bien à quel point les tensions restent persistantes entre les deux Etats. La menace était venue d'Omar el-Béchir en personne. Le président soudanais avait donné soixante jours à ses compagnies pétrolières pour bloquer l'accès au pétrole du Soudan du Sud afin d'empêcher ses exportations.
To read more please visit the RFI site here

Minbar Ansar Deen and Boko Haram face UK membership ban
Home Secretary Theresa May has asked for the two radical Islamist organisations to be banned under terrorism laws. If approved by Parliament, both will be banned from operating in the UK from Friday, the Home Office said. Minbar Ansar Deen is based in the UK, while Boko Haram operates from Nigeria. Minbar Ansar Deen - also known as Ansar al-Sharia UK - promotes terrorism by distributing content through a forum on its website, which encourages individuals to travel overseas to engage in extremist activity, specifically fighting, according to the Home Office.
To read more please visit the BBC site here

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC, M23 Peace Talks to Resume in Kampala
Talks aimed at ending fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between government troops and the M23 rebels could resume next week. Though the Uganda People's Defence Forces Spokesperson Col. Paddy Ankunda who advises the facilitator of the dialogue, Uganda's Defence Minister Dr. Chrispus Kiyonga, could neither confirm nor deny the resumption of the talks this week, a top M23 delegate confirmed the news. René Abandi, the head of M23's negotiating team told The New Times in an interview yesterday that his seven-man delegation was on its way from DRC to Kampala ahead of the talks on Wednesday.
To read more please visit the AllAfrica site here

Egypt Islamists reject poll plan
Egypt's army-installed interim leader set out plans on Tuesday for elections by early next year, which were immediately rejected by the ousted president's Muslim Brotherhood, drawing a stern warning from the military. The Brotherhood, which has refused to accept the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, slammed the transition blueprint as an attempt to salvage last week's coup which would do nothing to end an increasingly bloody conflict. The army warned it would brook no disruption to what it acknowledged would be a "difficult" transition.
To read more please visit the Nation site here

Mali lifts state of emergency ahead of presidential vote
Mali has lifted a state of emergency in place since January, when France intervened to help drive out Islamists occupying the north, officials say. The move comes after Mali's army re-entered the key town of Kidal, held by Tuareg rebels, to improve security ahead of the presidential election. Rebels agreed to allow troops into the northern town as part of a peace deal. The election on 28 July will be the first in Mali since the military staged a coup in 2012.
To read more please visit the BBC here

Kenya rakes in Ksh68bn in investments, but teachers' strike, VAT Bill could slow growth
Kenya raked in Ksh68 billion ($800 million) in new investments in the three months to June, signalling renewed optimism over growth. Data from the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) — the agency that tracks investments on behalf of the government — shows the value of investments in the second quarter was a huge leap from the Ksh5 billion ($58.8 million) the country received in the first quarter, a sign that the economy was recovering from the uncertainties associated with the March 4 General Election.
To read more please visit the East African site here

Zuma on Cabinet reshuffle: I don't need to explain myself
President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday afternoon announced a Cabinet reshuffle, which was widely criticized by opposition parties and members of the public.Then, in a short statement on Wednesday headed "reasons for changes in national executive", the presidency said Zuma was not obliged to provide reasons for his choices."The presidency has noted complaints from some media houses and commentators that President Jacob Zuma did not provide reasons when announcing changes to the national executive. The presidency wishes to remind the opinion makers that the president of the republic uses his prerogative when appointing members to the national executive. He does not need to provide reasons," the statement read.
To read more please visit the Mail & Guardian site here