AFRICA

South Africans vote Wednesday in municipal elections widely seen as a referendum on President Jacob Zuma, with the stalling economy overshadowing progress made since the end of apartheid. Zuma’s African National Congress (ANC), which controls the majority of the 278 municipalities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Congo’s veteran opposition chief Etienne Tshisekedi on Sunday called for elections to be held this year and for President Joseph Kabila to step down as scheduled on December 20. Tensions have been growing in the mineral-rich but troubled state over fears that Kabila, in …

Washington, United States | AFP | Washington has warned that those who perpetrate atrocities in South Sudan’s civil war will be held responsible for their crimes. The United States served as a midwife in the creation of the South Sudan, formed in July 2011 by partitioning Sudan. But South Sudan …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Dozens of secondary schools across Kenya have been deliberately set on fire, but as the authorities struggle to pinpoint why, fractious relations between pupils, teachers and a controversial education minister offer clues. In the last three months, 117 Kenyan schools have been partially burnt by …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States urged the UN Security Council on Friday to back a regional force for South Sudan to shore up UN peacekeepers unable to cope with the violence. The council adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN mission in South …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | High school finals are always a terrifying prospect for Egyptian students. After cheat sheets were leaked this year, the exams turned into a nightmare for Mariam Khaled. She had gone home to sleep after finishing an exam. When she woke up, she discovered she would …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Friday on deploying a UN police force to Burundi to monitor human rights and help quell violence in the African country. France requested a vote on a draft resolution presented two weeks ago to …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on anti-government activists, foreign embassies and disaffected war veterans as he sought to assert his grip on power following recent protests. Mugabe addressed thousands of supporters outside the headquarters of the ruling ZANU-PF party, issuing …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Congo’s veteran opposition chief Etienne Tshisekedi returned home after a two-year absence to a warm welcome from large crowds Wednesday as the mineral-rich African nation heads into fresh turbulence. Thousands of supporters sporting Tshisekedi T-shirts and waving party flags who had gathered at the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Every morning, Mama Biliki prepares small bags of popcorn outside her ramshackle house in Ajegunle, one of Lagos’ poorest neighbourhoods, to sell by the roadside for 50 naira each. On a good day, she reckons she can earn about 5,000 naira ($16, 15 euros) hawking …