AFRICA

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has spent the last 13 years building political credibility to match his status as a sporting icon. Weah, 51, put education, job creation and infrastructure at the centre of his …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Former international footballer George Weah will be sworn in as Liberia’s new president on Monday, a landmark moment that marks the troubled country’s first peaceful democratic transition since 1944. Weah will become the 25th president of the West African nation, taking power from President Ellen …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize as a champion of women’s rights, is stepping down after making history as Africa’s first elected female president in Liberia. Taking the reins of a nation that had just emerged from a civil war leaving …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least five people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the UN said, as the authorities cracked down on a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila. Witnesses said security forces fired live rounds and tear gas in Kinshasa to disperse …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buoyed by rising stock markets and commodity prices, Africa’s billionaires are collectively wealthier than a year ago. The 23 billionaires that Forbes found in Africa – up from 21 billionaires last year — are worth a combined $75.4 billion, compared to $70 billion in January …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Two American and two Canadians who were kidnapped in an ambush by gunmen in northern Nigeria this week were freed on Saturday, police said. Nigerian security forces had launched a manhunt after the four were seized on Tuesday evening in the state of Kaduna by …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In Kinshasa, perhaps just one thing beats the cost of living — and that’s the cost of being dead. Since the start of the year, funerals have become a common sight in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, the tragic outcome of floods, cholera …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A heavy police presence is expected in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa on Sunday ahead of planned protests demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power. Catholic church leaders have called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila’s 17-year rule, three weeks after …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of women took to the streets of Togo’s capital Lome on Saturday to protest against the power of President Faure Gnassingbe. Since September, a coalition of 14 political parties has held almost weekly marches, where thousands have called for Gnassingbe to step down to …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ruling ANC party said Saturday it would “act decisively” to rebuild its reputation, as local media reported that President Jacob Zuma could soon be forced from office. Zuma has been under growing pressure to resign since he was replaced as head of …