AFRICA

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country’s young and poor in his second run for the presidency. Weah will face Vice President Joseph Boakai on December …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | At least 13 people died and nine were reported missing after a boating accident in the Tanzanian waters of Lake Tanganyika, a local official told AFP on Saturday. “The accident happened at dawn on Friday… a boat carrying 135 passengers collided with another carrying 63 …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Former football star George Weah has waited 12 years to become president of Liberia, and with his dream now within touching distance fans danced and sang in support in a Monrovia stadium on Saturday. Weah goes head-to-head with Vice-President Joseph Boakai on December 26 in …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | With one year until long-delayed elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the countdown officially begins Saturday for a vote which is supposed to bring about the belated departure of President Joseph Kabila. But it remains unclear if the 45 million Congolese voters who registered …

Niamey, Niger | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Niger late Friday for a morale-boosting visit to France’s Barkhane anti-jihadist force and told troops the fight against extremists in the region would continue in 2018. Former colonial power France has been leading regional counterterrorism efforts in West Africa’s Sahel region, …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola has suffered a week of fuel shortages, a bitter irony for one of Africa’s leading oil producers, and a hardship that some people blame on opponents of President Joao Lourenco. The majority of petrol stations in the capital Luanda have had long lines of motorists …

Rome, Italy | AFP | A group of 162 “vulnerable” refugees were flown directly from Libya to Italy on Friday for the first time, a day hailed as “historic” by Interior Minister Marco Minniti. “For the first time a humanitarian corridor has been opened from Libya to Europe. It’s a start,” …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali’s army said Thursday it killed five jihadists but lost one soldier repelling an attack in the centre of the vast, landlocked nation. The assault happened at a military outpost near the remote town of Niono at around 0130 GMT, a military statement said. The …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia’s minister for women said Friday more needs to be done to promote female civil servants to top jobs after a study showed that few reach the most senior positions. Just 37 percent of Tunisia’s 630,000 civil servants are women, said Khaoula Labidi, who coordinated …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s ruling United Party said Friday it would not appeal the top court’s rejection of its legal challenge to delay an upcoming presidential run-off vote, seen as a crucial test to the crisis-hit country’s stability. The party of Vice-President Joseph Boakai, one of the two …