Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | As Nigeria prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, UNICEF reported on Friday that over 1,000 children have been abducted by jihadists since 2013. “Since 2013, more than 1,000 children have been abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, including 276 girls …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | A new disease infecting cassava — dubbed “Ebola for plants” — could spell a looming food crisis for Africa, researchers have warned, fearful that the emerging blight could decimate one of the continent’s most vital food crops. Africa is the world’s largest producer of …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government on Thursday agreed on the “need to take action” alongside the US and France over a chemical weapons attack in Syria, Prime Minister Theresa May’s office said. “Cabinet agreed on the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress and to …

2178, Russia | AFP | Arsenal survived a scare as they progressed to the last four of the Europa League on Thursday after coming back to draw 2-2 with CSKA Moscow in Russia in their quarter-final second leg. Fedor Chalov and Kirill Nababkin scored for CSKA to set Arsenal nerves …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Eleven lions, including eight lion cubs, have been found dead in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda after possibly being poisoned, a conservation official said on Thursday. The three lionesses and eight cubs were found dead near Hamukungu fishing village in the park, a popular tourist …

2047, Algeria | AFP | Algerians on Thursday mourned 257 people killed in a military plane crash the day before, the country’s worst-ever aviation catastrophe, with no indication yet of the cause. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced three days of national mourning after the plane slammed into a field near the …

Washington, United States | AFP | The United Nations warned world powers against letting the crisis over an alleged chemical attack against civilians in Syria from “spiraling out of control” after US President Donald Trump said “missiles will be coming.” As tensions mounted over a face-off with Damascus-ally Russia, opponents …

Beijing, China | AFP | A surrogate mother has given birth to a baby boy in China four years after his parents died in a car crash, Chinese media reported. The deceased couple was undergoing fertility treatments before the fatal accident in 2013. Their parents fought a drawn-out legal battle …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The first South African to be jailed for racist slurs went to court on Wednesday in a bid to appeal her conviction and three-year jail sentence. Former realtor Vicki Momberg, 49, was last month sentenced to three years with one year suspended after being …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Now that Muhammadu Buhari has ended months of suspense over whether he will seek re-election as Nigeria’s president, all eyes are on the ruling party to see whether it will give him a clear shot at the nation’s top job. Buhari made history in 2015 …