Washington, United States | AFP | Deadly radiation from the cosmos, potential vision loss, and atrophying bones are just some of the challenges scientists must overcome before any future astronaut can set foot on Mars, experts and top NASA officials said Tuesday. The US space agency believes it can put …

Paris, France | AFP | Rapid population growth and poor infrastructure have put two out of three cities in Africa at “extreme risk” of the threats posed by climate change, according to a new analysis released Wednesday. With UN figures showing 86 of the world’s 100 fastest-growing cities are in …

Douala, Cameroon | AFP | A Cameroon military tribunal has dropped a lawsuit against a TV presenter from the country’s restive anglophone region who was detained for several days last week accused of “attacking state security”, her lawyer said Monday. Mimi Mefo, who heads English news for privately-owned Equinoxe broadcasting, …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The head of DR Congo’s biggest opposition party, Felix Tshisekedi, said Monday he was abandoning a day-old agreement to field a joint opposition candidate in next month’s presidential elections. “I gather that the agreement reached in Geneva was not accepted by the grassroots and …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascar’s former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week’s presidential vote. A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had “noted candidates committed breaches” ahead …

Palermo, Italy | AFP | Italy hosts Libyan and global leaders on Tuesday to try to kick-start a long-stalled political process and trigger elections, with eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar casting a shadow over the fresh bid to bring stability to the chaos-stricken nation. Italy is the latest country aiming …

Audit reveals need for honest discussion, greater accountable and sufficient funding Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Shining the spotlight on the huge numbers of refugees Uganda hosts peaked in June 2017 with a meeting of world leaders on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kampala that sought to raise …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | At least three Malian civilians were killed and four foreigners working for a UN-contracted mine-clearing operation wounded in a suicide attack Monday in the country’s violence-hit north, the security ministry and other official sources said. The attack, claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, took …

Sao Paulo, Brazil | AFP | Lewis Hamilton hailed his Mercedes team as legends on Monday and described his championship-clinching victory in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix as the best moment in five triumphant seasons. His dramatic success confirmed Mercedes’ record-equalling fifth consecutive double of drivers’ and teams’ championships. It was …

Paris, France | AFP | Bombs and guns aside, a smartphone can be a powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist — but it can also provide intelligence services with the tools to track them down. Three years ago to the day, the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 …