AFRICA

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 …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo will deliver a speech on New Year’s Day, a source close to his entourage said Wednesday, in what will be the leader’s first public address since he had a stroke in October. The 59-year-old leader has not been back to Gabon …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s deposed president Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday asked current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for “permission” to disclose sensitive information in the retrial of ousted Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi. Toppled in 2011 after mass protests against his nearly 30-year-rule, Mubarak took the witness stand in a …

Kasserine, Tunisia | AFP | Clashes between Tunisian protesters and security forces spread from an impoverished western city overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as anger grew over the death of a journalist who set himself on fire over economic conditions. In the western city of Kasserine, police fired tear gas at …

Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | Eight nations in southern and central Africa met on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has been a regional battleground twice in the last quarter-century. The one-day mini-summit was being staged in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | From its hillside overlooking the Ethiopian capital, Berhanu Mengistu’s century-old, gabled family home has seen emperors and governments rise and fall. It has withstood economic stagnation and the rapid population growth that replaced its once-patrician neighbours with a rabble of shacks. But it now …

Tarhuna, Libya | AFP | Stretching as far as the eye can see, groves of gnarled olive trees in northwest Libya have proudly withstood the country’s devastating conflicts. But the industry of extracting olive oil, often dubbed “green gold”, is now under threat after Libyan authorities halted exports in a …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo on Wednesday announced that key elections due to take place nationwide on December 30 would be postponed to March in two regions troubled by violence. However, the delay will not affect the nationwide timetable for the presidential ballot, which is being held …