AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The UN has sounded the alarm over fighting in eastern DR Congo, warning that violence, which is unfolding alongside an Ebola outbreak, could hamper next month’s elections. Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN stabilisation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO, said the …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will on Wednesday vote to lift sanctions on Eritrea following a landmark peace deal with Ethiopia and a thaw with Djibouti that have buoyed hopes for positive change in the Horn of Africa. Diplomats say they expect the council …

Paris, France | AFP | Rapid population growth and poor infrastructure have put two out of three cities in Africa at “extreme risk” of the threats posed by climate change, according to a new analysis released Wednesday. With UN figures showing 86 of the world’s 100 fastest-growing cities are in …

Harnessing data, awareness and investment to tackle Africa’s wastewater woes Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | With an estimated 56 per cent of Africa’s urban population living in slums, wastewater management on the continent is a problem that needs urgent attention. In the streets of Kibera, one of the world’s largest informal …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the army to buy up the entire country’s crop of cashew nuts after private companies refused to pay the price fixed by his government. The move comes just days after Magufuli fired Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba and Trade Minister …

Douala, Cameroon | AFP | A Cameroon military tribunal has dropped a lawsuit against a TV presenter from the country’s restive anglophone region who was detained for several days last week accused of “attacking state security”, her lawyer said Monday. Mimi Mefo, who heads English news for privately-owned Equinoxe broadcasting, …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The head of DR Congo’s biggest opposition party, Felix Tshisekedi, said Monday he was abandoning a day-old agreement to field a joint opposition candidate in next month’s presidential elections. “I gather that the agreement reached in Geneva was not accepted by the grassroots and …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascar’s former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week’s presidential vote. A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had “noted candidates committed breaches” ahead …

Palermo, Italy | AFP | Italy hosts Libyan and global leaders on Tuesday to try to kick-start a long-stalled political process and trigger elections, with eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar casting a shadow over the fresh bid to bring stability to the chaos-stricken nation. Italy is the latest country aiming …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | At least three Malian civilians were killed and four foreigners working for a UN-contracted mine-clearing operation wounded in a suicide attack Monday in the country’s violence-hit north, the security ministry and other official sources said. The attack, claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, took …