Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Young, fashion-conscious and eager for change, thousands of Zimbabweans spent this week partying at music concerts and open-air bars during a six-day festival hosted in the capital against all the odds. The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), founded in 1999, was abandoned last …

FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and USA’s Galen Rupp at the Olympics. Kipchoge made an attempt today to become the first man to run the marathon under 2 hours.Monza, Italy | AFP | Reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya narrowly failed in his attempt to complete the …

Durban, South Africa | AFP |  African countries are becoming increasingly repressive and causing more people to leave their homes, British charity Oxfam said this week, as Germany warned of the destabilising effect migration is having on the continent. Political freedom and the problem of Africa’s brain-drain were among the …

Paris, France | AFP | The campaign team of French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron on Friday blasted a “massive and coordinated hacking attack” after internal documents including emails and accounting papers were released online. “The files circulating were obtained several weeks ago due to the hacking of the personal and professional …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Manuel Lanzini left Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge in tatters as the West Ham forward sealed a 1-0 win that put Chelsea within touching distance of being crowned champions. Mauricio Pochettino’s side paid the price for a lethargic display at the London Stadium and …

Johannesburg, South Africa |  Three former South African presidents for the first time issued a joint call for action Friday to end the nation’s “worsening” political crisis, the latest campaign targeting President Jacob Zuma. In an unprecedented move, the country’s living former heads of state — Thabo Mbeki, F.W. de …

  Paris, France | AFP | French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen wrapped up campaigning Friday ahead of this weekend’s election as security concerns emerged again following the arrest of a suspected extremist. Both centrist Macron and far-right Le Pen visited cathedrals and gave interviews as they sought …

Doha, Qatar | AFP |  South Africa’s Akani Simbine surprised a world-class sprint field, including Justin Gatlin, Asafa Powell and Andre De Grasse to claim a season-opening 100m Diamond League victory on Friday. The 23-year-old powered home in a time of 9.99sec to become the first South African man to …

Nigeria’s Buhari seen in public for first time in weeks PHOTOS: President @MBuhari with Chief of Staff Abba Kyari and NSA Babagana Monguno, at Juma’at prayer at the State House Mosque, today. pic.twitter.com/pbmrmvBxXx — Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) May 5, 2017 Abuja, Nigeria |  Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday made …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  An American soldier has been killed in a night-time raid in Somalia, in what is believed to be the first US military death in combat there since the infamous events of “Black Hawk Down” 24 years ago. The death occurred three weeks after the US …