Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | Sir Ketumile Masire, Botswana’s second post-independence leader who is largely credited with being the architect of the country’s famed stability, has died, an aide said Friday. He was 91. One of Africa’s most respected elder statesmen, he was known for leading regional peace efforts in …

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The United Arab Emirates warned Qatar Friday that it faces “divorce” from its Gulf neighbours unless it takes seriously a list of demands including the closure of Al-Jazeera television. The Qatar-based broadcaster, a long-standing source of conflict between Doha and neighbouring countries …

Brussels, Belgium |AFP | EU leaders on Friday poured cold water on a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to hand Brussels more powers to control Chinese investments in strategic European industries. European leaders discussed the divisive topic on the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, as Europe …

Warder, Ethiopia |Chris Stein, AFP | The Somali people of Ethiopia’s southeast have a name for the drought that has killed livestock, dried up wells and forced hundreds of thousands into camps: sima, which means “equalised”. It’s an appropriate name, they say, because this drought has left no person untouched, …

COMMENT: Why African countries must prepare for a pull-out by a major contributor to their development University of Cape Town | Carlos Lopes|  As Britain focuses on what its relationship with the European Union might look like once it leaves the bloc, sometime during 2019, the rest of the world …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump pitched a new concept to his supporters Wednesday for the wall he intends to erect on the Mexican border: cover it with solar panels — and use the energy to cover construction costs. “Yes, we will build a wall,” he …

Le Bourget, France | Sonia WOLF, AFP | Inflight internet access, a nascent market still hobbled by slow speeds, is set to take off as dedicated satellites make surfing in the skies a reality, experts say. Even bans on bringing laptops and tablets on board imposed by Britain and the …

Paris, France | Gina Doggett, Laurence Benhamou,  AFP | France’s new President Emmanuel Macron heads to his first EU summit on Thursday pledging to breathe new life into the bloc after Britain’s shock Brexit decision and to bolster European defences in the face of Donald Trump’s “America First” policy. The …

COMMENT: Scientists have developed an independent analytical framework to prioritise policies Anne-Sophie Stevance, David McCollum|   In just the latest example of popular support for science, tens of thousands of people around the world recently marched to advocate for a worldview based on facts, not fiction. They understand that science could actually …

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Thai wildlife officers have arrested a Malaysian man attempting to smuggle two baby orangutans, 51 tortoises and six raccoons into the kingdom across its southern border, officials said Thursday. The animals were packed into plastic boxes and suitcases loaded into Ismail Bin Ahmad’s car, officials said. …