AFRICA

Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday hailed “unprecedented” moves by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to transform his country as the young African leader makes his first trip to Europe. Abiy, 42, has won global praise for forging peace with neighbouring Eritrea, announcing economic reforms …

Researchers at Africa Water Week call for efforts to “decolonize” and improve water permit systems, so more farmers are encouraged to invest in much-needed irrigation Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Millions of African farmers still face legal restrictions on water access, dating back to colonial times, according to a study …

Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | They have their hands full at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, where record numbers of orphaned chimps are being delivered to their care, victims of the relentless expansion of human activity. Poachers hunt them for their meat, farmers shoot them to protect their crops and …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | The soldier’s father remembers the exact day when he spoke to his son for the last time. It was August 26. He hasn’t heard from him since. He’s not alone: dozens of other soldiers stationed in northeast Nigeria, in the heart of Boko Haram’s Islamist …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | “If I was to vote, I would definitely vote for the rubbish bins because at least they feed us,” scoffed Claudine Rajaonarison. She had been scouring the streets of Antananarivo since 4:00 am for plastic to sell. Rajaonarison, a 35-year-old mother of three, said she …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s eastern Mpumalanga province has the most polluting cluster of coal-fired power stations in the world producing record levels of nitrogen dioxide, a report by environmental campaign group Greenpeace said Monday. Mpumalanga, which borders Mozambique, is the hub of South Africa’s coal industry …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Neglected by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country’s east, Libya’s southern desert has increasingly become a hideout for foreign rebel groups that stand accused of stoking growing insecurity. “Kidnapping, theft and banditry have multiplied” in the region, said Ali Akri Molia, commander of a …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | The Anonymous hackers collective on Sunday claimed it hacked into more than 70 Gabon government websites, as part of what it called a campaign against dictatorships. Government sites including the ministries of communications and the civil service were inaccessible on Sunday, as were the websites …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabonese President Ali Bongo, hospitalised in Saudi Arabia since Wednesday, was taken into medical care after suffering a bout of exhaustion during a trip to Riyadh, his office said Sunday. The 59-year-old leader was in the Saudi capital for a flagship economic forum when he …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram jihadists launched a large assault on a military base in Nigeria’s remote northeast region and killed one soldier, defence officials said Sunday. The attack on 145 Battalion in Gashigar, Borno State, began on Saturday and continued into early Sunday morning, said Nigerian air …