AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Seven children died and scores were injured early Monday when a school building collapsed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, in an accident blamed on shoddy construction. “We can confirm that we have seven fatalities,” said government spokesman Cyrus Oguna. Education Minister George Magoha said in …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The Democratic Republic of the Congo is to introduce a second vaccine next month to combat the Ebola virus, which has killed more than 2,100 people in the country, the World Health Organization said Monday. The announcement came as the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s founding president Robert Mugabe had “advanced cancer” when he died in hospital in Singapore on September 6, the state-owned newspaper reported on Monday. The former guerilla leader, who died aged 95, came to power at the end of white minority rule in 1980 and …

Churches face competition and a troubled legacy as they grow | JOSEPH HELLWEG | Pope Francis recently completed a seven-day tour of three African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. It was a significant trip for a number of reasons. During his visit, the pope spoke on issues of peace and …

Gabon to be first African nation paid to fight deforestation Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Gabon will become the first African country paid with international funds to preserve its forests in an effort to fight climate change, the United Nations said Sunday. Norway will provide Gabon, which is almost 90 …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The World Health Organization has accused Tanzania of failing to provide information on suspected cases of Ebola in the country, potentially styming efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The WHO said it had learned on September 10 of a suspected case of …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo has praised President Yoweri Museveni for taking steps to remove hurdles that had created a row with Rwanda. Obasanjo said that he was in the country earlier in the year and talked to Museveni about ways to resolving …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Rare small protests broke out on Friday in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported. Dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square — the epicentre of the 2011 …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has signed a hosting agreement and a memorandum of understanding with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to host their East African regional office starting next month. The announcement was made after a meeting between leading officials of the bank and President Yoweri Museveni at State …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  A Zimbabwean doctors’ union leader whose suspected kidnapping sparked protests by medics in the capital Harare has been found alive, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Peter Magombeyi had been missing since Saturday night, with his Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) saying he was taken because …