AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | With the world’s forests increasingly under threat from climate change and logging, leaders and top bank chiefs pledged billions on Thursday to help reverse the steep decline in Africa’s woodland areas. So far this century East Africa alone has lost around 6 million hectares of …

Tulu Fara, Ethiopia | AFP | From a quiet farmland at the base of rolling hills outside Ethiopia’s capital, the sound of wailing rang through the air. Devastated mourners flung themselves onto a ground littered with business cards, seat covers and shards of aluminium. They cried the names of loved …

AMISOM announces three days of mourning in honour of the late Acting Police Commissioner Mogadishu, Somalia | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), is observing three days of mourning in honour of the late Acting Police Commissioner Christine Alalo, who perished in the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s new prime minister sought to calm tensions Thursday ahead of planned demonstrations that could be decisive for the protest movement calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down. Noureddine Bedoui was speaking ahead of the first round of Friday rallies since Bouteflika’s surprise announcement earlier this week that he …

Governments have only just awoken to the digital economy but are stifling not supporting startups Project Syndicate | Perseus Mlambo | Africa is the youngest place in the world. But because African heads of state tend to be older – with an average age of 62 – they are out of …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia said Wednesday it would send the black boxes from last weekend’s deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash to Europe for analysis as urgency mounted for answers amid safety concerns for the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The second deadly crash involving the plane type in less than …

Lalibela, Ethiopia | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron visited Djibouti and Ethiopia on Tuesday, promising “respectful” partnerships in the face of growing regional indebtedness to China, which is fast expanding its foothold in the continent. Looking to strengthen economic, military and cultural ties in East Africa, Macron announced a new defence …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Thousands of protesters returned to Algeria’s streets Tuesday after jubilation over President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s vow not to seek re-election gave way to fears of a plot to prolong his two-decade rule. In a surprise announcement Monday, the ailing 82-year-old said he would not stand for a …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded a much-anticipated visit to Zimbabwe on Tuesday, dashing any lingering hopes that his country would bail out its economically-troubled neighbour. Ramaphosa commended the new administration of Emmerson Mnangagwa for its bid to revive the economy and promised to explore a number of options of financial help. …

Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwanda, which has accused France of complicity in the 1994 genocide that killed some 800,000 of its citizens, said Tuesday it had invited President Emmanuel Macron to attend the 25th anniversary of the massacre on April 7. Kigali has long insisted that France supported the Hutu regime and helped train …