Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | One of the world’s powder-keg countries faces a crunch test on Sunday when Democratic Republic of Congo heads into elections marred by delays, clashes and fears of polling-day chaos. The vote crowns two years of turmoil, sharpening worries that the fragile giant of central …

Liverpool, United Kingdom | AFP | Halfway towards ending a 29-year wait to win the Premier League, the next seven days will test Liverpool’s title credentials to the fullest, starting with Arsenal’s visit to Anfield on Saturday. For a long time a new year visit to Manchester City on January …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the west African country’s security ministry said. “The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded,” the ministry said in a statement, adding …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Egypt’s foreign minister on Thursday voiced support for Sudan’s embattled government, as Khartoum grapples with demonstrations against price hikes in which a disputed number of protesters have been killed. Cairo’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and intelligence chief General Abbas Kamel arrived in Sudan’s capital on …

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | President Donald Trump’s lightning Christmas visit with US troops in Iraq has triggered questions and criticism in a country deeply divided over Washington’s influence since the 2003 US invasion. The Wednesday visit, Trump’s first with US troops in a conflict zone since he took office …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A network of Sudanese journalists went on strike Thursday in the wake of deadly protests sparked by a hike in bread prices, while opposition groups called for further rallies. Angry crowds have taken to the streets in the capital Khartoum and several other cities since …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A Burundian court has acquitted three civil rights activists who had been handed 10-year jail terms for undermining state security, their organisation said Thursday. The decision is a rare victory for rights activists in the troubled nation. Emmanuel Nshimirimana, Aime Constant Gatore and Marius Nizigiyimana, …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Former Madagascan president Andry Rajoelina has beaten his rival and predecessor Marc Ravalomanana in an election beset by allegations of fraud from both sides, the electoral commission said Thursday. Rajoelina has returned to power after he won 55.66 percent against 44.34 percent for Ravalomanana, it …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | When Russia’s annual “PROJECT” scientific forum in the city of Yaroslavl opened, the audience got to see Boris, a highly-advanced robot that major news channel Russia24 called “the country’s most modern robot”. Boris can reportedly walk and talk, do mathematical calculations and even dance, feats …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s government decided this week to dissolve parliament and hold early elections on April 9, seven months before their November due date. Here are questions and answers on where things stand as polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to win despite corruption allegations …