AFRICA

Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast | AFP | Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday he would not run in October’s election, ending months of speculation over whether he would seek a third term. October’s presidential election looms as a major challenge for the West African country after its 2010 vote …

Aswan, Egypt | AFP | Deep in the Nubia, a region along the Nile in southern Egypt, a baby crocodile sits on Mamdouh Hassan’s shoulder to wow tourists. The reptiles are a source of income for Egypt’s Nubian minority, with visitors paying to marvel at the tamed creatures. But beyond bringing …

West African political leaders recently announced that the CFA franc – a currency created by France in 1945 for its colonies and still used by 14 African countries – will be replaced this year by a new currency pegged to the euro called the eco. COMMENT |Célestin Monga | But …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Mustapha Abdullahi spent his childhood in constant hunger “roaming the streets for food” in his village in northern Nigeria, unsure when his next meal would arrive. Like many living in areas where opportunities are scarce, he knew he had to move. When he turned 12 he travelled …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  The United States has been “undiplomatic” in its role facilitating talks between three countries on the Nile River over a giant dam, Ethiopia said on Tuesday, but promised to continue negotiations. The US has been enabling talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Grand …

Lome, Togo | AFP |  Togo’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday rejected opposition claims of electoral fraud and declared Faure Gnassingbe the winner with more than 70 percent of the February vote and president for a fourth term. In the final tally, the incumbent garnered 70.78 percent of the ballots while opposition …

Paris, France | AFP | A ‘pandemic’ of air pollution shortens lives worldwide by nearly three years on average, and causes 8.8 million premature deaths annually, scientists said Tuesday. Eliminating the toxic cocktail of molecules and lung-clogging particles cast off by burning oil, gas and coal would restore a full …

Washington, United States | AFP | A smartphone app that lets users check the eyes of newborn babies for jaundice may be an effective, low-cost way of identifying which cases need treatment, scientists reported Monday. Jaundice, a liver problem which causes the skin and whites of the eyes to turn yellow, …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | “We are counting on you in helping us make Zimbabwe great again,” said Zimbabwe’s number two top diplomat in a passionate appeal to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) on sanctions against his country. Citing the continued untold sorrow and deterioration of the well-being of his countrymen, …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | In a continent where armies often prop up governments, crush dissent and interfere in mainstream politics, Malawi in southern Africa has been an exception for decades. From Sudan to Zimbabwe to Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, the military has had a long track record of being …