AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | “Time for an interview? I have a lot of time at the moment,” said Owino Onyango, sweating as he stepped out of his blacksmith’s shop in Nairobi to talk business, and politics. “Business goes with politics: if politics go down, business also goes down”, said the …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberians turned out in force on Tuesday to choose a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in a contest set to complete the country’s first democratic transition of power in more than 70 years. A calm day of ballot casting with long lines across the nation …

Kismayo, Somalia | AMISOM | African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United Nations have handed over a new police headquarters and a vehicle to Jubbaland state to help boost security in the region. Speaking at the ceremony, Jubbaland Police Commissioner Ahmednasir Guled Hassan commended the support provided by AMISOM …

Lome, Togo | AFP | The Togo government on Tuesday announced a ban on all midweek marches, hours after the opposition announced plans for a rally next week in a campaign aimed at forcing out President Faure Gnassingbe. From Monday to Friday “all marches are banned. People can meet in a …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Supporters of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga took to the streets Wednesday as poll officials mull their next move after his withdrawal from a presidential election plunged the country into uncharted waters. Opinions are split on what the veteran opposition leader’s decision implies for what …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Counting was under way in Liberia on Wednesday following a peaceful poll that will determine President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s successor after 12 years and complete a historic democratic transfer of power. The first official results in the presidential and legislative elections are expected on Wednesday …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Tuesday vowed a thorough investigation after seven people were murdered by vigilantes in a vampire scare that has driven UN staffers out of the affected region. Since mid-September, vigilantes have slaughtered seven people suspected of trying to obtain and drink human …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s cabinet reshuffle quashed opposition within his government, state media said Tuesday, as the 93-year-old leader prepares to stand again in elections next year. Mugabe stripped Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa of his role as justice minister, reassigned the finance minister and created a …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Health officials in Nigeria have called for calm after dozens of suspected cases of monkeypox were reported in seven states across the south of the country. Thirty-one suspected cases of the viral disease have been identified since the first was reported in Bayelsa State on September …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  Ethiopia will devalue its currency by 15 percent in a bid to boost demand for its major exports, a state-run media outlet reported Tuesday. Africa’s second most-populous country is also one of its best economic performers, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimating in …