ESWATINI PROTESTS FLARE UP

PRO-DEMOCRACY protests have flared up in eswatini again, months after authorities loyal to the country’s absolute monarch quashed an earlier round of demonstrations using tear gas and water cannon. Protesters say the 53-year-old King Mswati III has consistently ignored calls for reforms that would nudge eswatini, which changed its name from Swaziland in 2018, in the direction of democracy. The king denies accusations of autocratic rule and of using public money to fund a lavish lifestyle. | Reuters