SOUTH AFRICA  – South Africa’s apex court has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma is not eligible to run for parliament in next week’s critical general election.

The unanimous ruling capped months long speculation and legal wrangling on whether the former leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), turned thorn in its side and public face of a rival party, would be able to stand for the country’s top legislative body.

Zuma was forced to resign as president in 2018 after a series of corruption scandals and internal infighting in the ANC. He was found guilty of contempt of court by the same constitutional court for his refusal to testify to an anti-corruption commission.

It is that sentence that barred him from running, the court ruled on Monday.

“(Zuma) Is accordingly not eligible to be a member of and not qualified to stand for election to the national assembly until five years have elapsed since the completion of his sentence,” read Justice Leona Theron.

“We welcomed the judgement, and we think it is well reasoned. A contempt of court sentence is an extremely important sentence, and it is a sentence that cannot be treated lightly. The constitutional court has reaffirmed this,” said Neeshan Balton, of the Ahmed Kathrada foundation on local television.

Zuma and his newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe Party represent a spoiler threat to the ANC, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal province. And ANC insiders fear they could eat away at the ruling party’s support there.

The vote on May 29th could be the sternest test yet for the party of Nelson Mandela with scores of opposition parties vying for ballots. Many analysts believe that the party’s majority is under threat. While the court ruled that Zuma is not eligible to run for MP, his party will still contest the election and his face will remain on the ballot.

A representative of the party did not respond to queries from CNN. (CNN)…[+]

DELHI – Northern India, including capital Delhi, is reeling under a fierce heatwave with temperatures soaring above 45C over the weekend.  On Sunday, Najafgarh district in Delhi recorded a temperature of 47.8C, the highest in the country this season. The weather department has said the heat spell is likely to continue this week. The searing heat comes as India is holding its general election, the results of which will be declared on 4 June.

Indian summers, which extend from March to September, are usually hot and humid. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the country is likely to experience longer and more intense heatwaves this year. On Saturday, temperatures crossed 45C in 10 locations in the National Capital Region (NCR), which encompasses Delhi and some districts from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The IMD has predicted that maximum temperatures in Delhi and other northern cities are likely to hover around 45-46C over Monday and Tuesday. It has also predicted a fresh heat spell over parts of western and central India over the next few days.

Many Indian states, reeling under the heatwave, are also going to the polls this week.  On Monday, millions of voters will cast their votes in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar while Delhi will vote on 25 May.  The elections are being held in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June.  Many voters have expressed discomfort stepping out in the extreme heat. They say it’s difficult standing in queues, especially for senior citizens. India’s election authorities have extended voting timings and have asked people to protect themselves against the heat while going to vote. (BBC)…[+]

MEXICO CITY –  Mexico’s headline inflation likely ticked up in the first half of May for the third consecutive fortnight, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, fueling bets the Bank of Mexico will hold its key interest rate steady at its next monetary policy meeting.

The median forecast of 10 analysts projects annual headline inflation (MXCPHI=ECI), opens new tab of 4.79% for the first half of May, slightly up from 4.67% in the second half of April. “We believe that the price of some agricultural products may continue to put pressure,” said Humberto Calzada, chief economist at the Rankia Latin America firm, citing adverse climate conditions.

Meanwhile, the closely watched core index (MXCPIC=ECI), opens new tab, seen as a more useful measure of consumer price trends because it strips out some volatile energy and food prices, is seen at 4.31% in annual terms, its lowest level since May 2021. Mexico’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady at 11.0% earlier in May, in a unanimous decision, as inflation remained above its target range.

Bank of Mexico governor Victoria Rodriguez said last week the bank’s five-member board will discuss the possibility of resuming interest rate cuts at the upcoming June 27 monetary policy meeting. Nonetheless, deputy governor Irene Espinosa said days later she did not expect a rate cut at the next meeting. Compared with the previous two weeks, analysts estimated that monthly headline inflation fell 0.22%, while monthly core inflation rose 0.15%. (MXCPIF=ECI), opens new tab, (MXCPIH=ECI), opens new tab. Mexico’s national statistics agency will publish official inflation data for the first half of May on Thursday. (Reuters)…[+]

NIGER  – The United States says it will pull all its troops out of Niger within the next four months or so after the West African country’s military government ordered them to leave.

Niger last month told Washington to withdraw its military personnel, which number close to 1,000, branding their presence “illegal”. The military government, which took power last year, has already overseen the withdrawal of troops from former colonial power and traditional security ally France as it has strengthened ties with Russia.

The US pullout has already begun, the Pentagon and Nigerien defence officials confirmed in a joint statement on Sunday, with all of the troops set to vacate the country by September 15 “at the latest”. Until a coup last year, Niger had been a key partner of the West and involved in Washington’s fight against armed groups in the Sahel.

The new agreement between Niger’s defence ministry and the US Department of Defense, reached after a five-day meeting, guarantees the protection of US troops until their withdrawal, the joint statement said. “The withdrawal of American forces from Niger in no way affects the pursuit of relations between the United States and Niger in the area of development. Also, Niger and the United States are committed to an ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations,” the statement added.

US troops and some gear have already begun leaving the country, senior military officials told Reuters and The Associated Press news agencies. The plan is to remove all lethal, hazardous or classified equipment before the last US troops depart, but items determined to be too expensive to fly out could be left for the Nigerien military to use instead, the officials added. They admitted that Niger had been an “anchor” in US counterterrorism efforts over the last decade and that they were still looking at options on how to fill the gap.(Al Jazeera)…[+]