AFRICA

Fez, Morocco | AFP |  In recent times the imperial city of Fez has been overlooked by tourists in favour of  Marrakesh, but now Morocco’s “spiritual” capital is bustling with visitors due to major renovations and low-cost flights. “It is an open air museum, with the largest pedestrian zone in the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Traffic jams on the snarled up roads of Nigeria’s megacity of Lagos are legendary, but a growing problem is also clogging up the waterways of Africa’s biggest city — water hyacinths. The spread of the invasive species of fast-growing plant is not only damaging transport links …

Salé, Morocco | AFP | The alleged leader of a jihadist cell accused of killing two Scandinavian hikers in Morocco admitted to the murders in court on Thursday, saying they were carried out in the name of the Islamic State group. Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Democratic Republic of Congo awaited Thursday the delayed return of the remains of former opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, an emotion-laden moment for the country after his son Felix became president this year. A revered opponent of authoritarianism in DRC, Tshiskedi died in Belgium in February …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi is threatening to cut ties with the UN envoy appointed to the country, ahead of elections next year that the government in Bujumbura insists are an internal matter, according to UN diplomats. The UN Security Council abruptly scrapped a meeting on Burundi scheduled …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Hundreds of workers at Sudan’s banks and government offices, including the key oil ministry, went on strike for a second day Wednesday to demand the country’s ruling generals step down. The two-day strike, which one protest leader said was “90 percent successful”, aimed to pressure the …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in for a second term in office on Wednesday, vowing once more to tackle crippling security threats and root out corruption in Africa’s key economy. The 76-year old leader, in power since 2015 and re-elected in February, took the oath …

Cape Coast, Ghana | AFP | Abigal Aguanyi, a trader and mother in the West African nation of Ghana, knows first-hand how dangerous malaria can be — her two-year-old niece nearly died from it. So when she heard that a new vaccine was being rolled out against the disease, that across …

Maputo, Mozambique | AFP |  Islamist insurgents have resumed attacks in northern Mozambique after a cyclone last month, killing nearly two dozen villagers and torching homes in a mounting political threat in the run-up to a general election. A shadowy jihadist group that has targeted Cabo Delgado province since October 2017 …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika on Tuesday urged opposition parties to accept the outcome of an election clouded by fraud allegations as he was sworn in for a second term. Thousands of supporters gathered at a sports stadium in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre to watch him take …