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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 20 november 2019

Germany's Merkel urges more investment in African nations

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER profit from European invest- tion.
Associated Press ment but more transpar- Europe and Africa face
BERLIN (AP) — German ency in Africa is essential so many common challenges
Chancellor Angela Merkel that German companies such as climate change,
on Tuesday urged more in- will have enough trust to in- digitization and migration
vestment in African coun- vest there, Merkel said. that need to be tackled to-
tries to improve their living Instability and extremism, gether, Merkel said.
standards and help pre- especially in the Sahel re- Germany, which took in
vent migrants from com- gion, also keep Western more than one million mi-
ing to Europe as part of the countries from further in- grants in 2015 and 2016,
Compact with Africa initi- vestment in Africa, she said. has been leading Europe-
ated through the G20. Africa is "a continent with an efforts to prevent an-
Meeting with several Afri- more opportunities than other surge with a strategy
can leaders and interna- risks but there's still a lot to that includes focusing on
tional partner organiza- do," Merkel told ARD public development aid and oth-
tions, Merkel said that "we television. er support to address the
should do everything to co- The Compact with Africa German chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the "G20 Invest- root causes that prompt
ment Summit - German Business and the CwA Countries 2019"
operate with Africa, not to was initiated in 2017 during on the sidelines of a Compact with Africa (CwA) in Berlin, Ger- people to flee their home
talk about Africa but to do Germany's presidency of many on Nov. 19, 2019. countries.
something together." the Group of 20 industrial- Associated Press Several global powers are
She welcomed Egyptian ized and developing na- pushing hard to exert more
President Abdel Fattah Al- tions. Twelve African coun- Togo and Tunisia. conditions in African coun- influence in Africa, taking
Sisi along with leaders from tries have joined the initia- Working with the World tries needed to attract advantage of the seem-
Ethiopia, Benin, Ghana, tive: Benin, Burkina Faso, Bank, International Mon- private investment. Those ingly waning U.S. inter-
Morocco, Tunisia and else- Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethio- etary Fund and the African include economic stability est in the continent under
where. pia, Ghana, Guinea, Mo- Development Bank, the and protection for invest- President Donald Trump's
Both Europe and Africa will rocco, Rwanda, Senegal, goal is to bring about the ments by fighting corrup- administration.q

Sweden drops Assange rape investigation after 9 years

By DAVID KEYTON version of events," Persson tion.
Associated Press said "the memory fades for While denying the allega-
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swe- natural reasons." tions in Sweden, he sought
den on Tuesday dropped Still, Persson said her state- asylum for protection from
its investigation into an al- ments "have been coher- possible extradition to the
leged rape by WikiLeaks ent, extensive and de- U.S. on charges.
founder Julian Assange, tailed." Ecuador withdrew As-
who is currently in prison in The decision follows a ruling sange's asylum status in
Britain, because too much in June by a Swedish court April and Assange was ar-
time has elapsed since the that Assange should not be rested by British police. He
accusation was made over detained. Two months ear- was sentenced in May to
nine years ago. lier, Assange was evicted 50 weeks in prison for jump-
Assange, who is battling an from the Ecuador Embassy ing bail in 2012. He remains
extradition attempt by the in London where he had in prison after authorities
U.S. so he can face spy- been holed up for nearly ruled he was a flight risk
ing charges related to his seven years. He was im- In this Wednesday May 1, 2019 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Ju- and faces an extradition
lian Assange is taken from court, where he appeared on charg-
WikiLeaks work, has always mediately arrested and is es of jumping British bail seven years ago, in London. hearing next year to the
denied the allegations currently serving a 50-week Associated Press U.S. to face spying charges.
made against him during a sentence in Britain for jump- There, the Australian faces
visit to Stockholm in August ing bail in 2012. First Amendment." London embassy to avoid an 18-count indictment in
2010. Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLe- Swedish authorities have arrest. That request was the Eastern District of Vir-
"Nine years have gone," aks editor-in-chief, said in a been investigating Assange granted two months later. ginia that accuses him of
Swedish prosecutor Eve- tweet that the focus should since August 2010 when After that, the investigation soliciting and publishing
Marie Persson said. "Time is now move onto the "threat" two women accused him stalled. Swedish prosecu- classified information and
a player in this. The oral evi- that Assange has been of sexual offenses. Sweden tors dropped the case of with conspiring with former
dence has weakened as a "warning about for years: then asked Britain to extra- alleged sexual misconduct Army intelligence analyst
time has passed." the belligerent prosecution dite Assange for question- when the statute of limita- Chelsea Manning to crack
Though the victim "submit- of the United States and ing, and in June 2012 he tions ran out in 2015, leav- a Defense Department
ted a credible and reliable the threat it poses to the sought refuge in Ecuador's ing only the rape allega- computer password.q