Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Thousands of Brazilians angry at political upheaval, corruption and the cost of the Rio Olympics blocked traffic in protests hours before the gala opening ceremony. Most people came to vent anger at center-right interim president Michel Temer who took power in May on …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s local elections delivered a sharp setback to the African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday, as partial results showed falling support for the party that ended apartheid. With about 80 percent of the vote counted, the ANC was ahead nationwide but it recorded …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  East African leaders will gather in Ethiopia on Friday to discuss a regional intervention force to back up UN troops in South Sudan, an initiative vehemently opposed by President Salva Kiir. Regional bloc IGAD has raised the possibility of deploying an “intervention brigade” with …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | An Emirates plane with 275 people on board was involved in an accident on landing Wednesday at Dubai airport but all the passengers were evacuated safely, the government said. Footage on social media showed smoke billowing from the aircraft. “An Emirates plane coming …

Burundi’s government has rejected the deployment of 228 UN police to the troubled African nation, saying a French-led UN resolution authorising the force was made without its consent. The UN Security Council on Friday agreed to deploy the force in its strongest move to date to try to end more …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Brazil has barely got over its World Cup disaster and now it is counting on Barcelona star Neymar to finally deliver a treasured first football Olympic gold medal. Olympic gold is the only international title to elude Brazil in an illustrious history that …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Nobel prize-winning Egyptian chemist Ahmad Zewail, who served as a science and technology advisor to US President Barack Obama, died Tuesday in the United States at the age of 70, Egypt’s presidency announced. Zewail, a naturalised US citizen, won the Nobel prize for chemistry in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africans vote Wednesday in closely contested municipal elections that could deal a heavy blow to the African National Congress (ANC) that has ruled since leading the struggle to end apartheid. Nelson Mandela’s former party risks losing control of key cities including the capital …

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has shelved a plan to build a $10 million film village outside the mainly Muslim northern city of Kano, bowing to virulent opposition from radical Muslim clerics. The decision deals a blow to a booming industry, developers said, as the centre was to generate …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | US warplanes Monday carried out air strikes on positions of the Islamic State jihadist group in its Libyan stronghold of Sirte for the first time, the country’s unity government announced. “The first American air strikes on precise positions of the Daesh (IS) organisation were carried …