Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | From ancient Rome to modern times, mankind has suffered devastating periods of hunger caused by drought, war or misguided politics. Last week South Sudan was declared the site of the world’s first famine in six years, affecting about 100,000 people. Here is an exploration of …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to bring one trillion dollars in public and private investment to rebuild what he called America’s crumbling infrastructure. Trump made the promise in a high-stakes speech to a joint session of Congress, moving to make good on one …

Miami, United States | AFP | Colon and rectal cancer rates are rising sharply among young and middle-aged adults in the United States but doctors have yet to pinpoint why, researchers said Tuesday. Generation X and millennials face anywhere from two to four times the risk of colon and rectal …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  The Gambian parliament on Tuesday scrapped the constitutional age limit on presidential election candidates after new President Adama Barrow faced questions over his deputy’s eligibility due to her age. Anyone over 65 has been barred from running for The Gambia’s highest office under a constitutional …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership — the world’s biggest individual prize — drew a blank once again in finding a suitable laureate, it was announced Tuesday. The prize only goes to a democratically-elected African leader who demonstrated exceptional leadership, served their …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Rio’s Sambodromo parades are a fantasy of beautiful bodies and dreamlike costumes but the self-declared greatest show on Earth is prepared in a dirty street next to an open sewer. The contrast between what happens inside Rio de Janeiro’s specially built samba stadium …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has come under fire after a picture of her casually kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office was widely shared on social media. In an image captured by an AFP photographer, Conway appears on the …

Edinburgh, United Kingdom | AFP |  Scotland’s nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday pressed on with calls for a new independence referendum, saying it might be the only way to protect the country’s interests as Brexit approaches. “Proposing a further decision on independence wouldn’t simply be legitimate, it would almost …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use, in the first clash at the Security Council since US President Donald Trump took office. The twin vetoes came as peace talks …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump teased a budget plan Monday that includes a nearly 10 percent increase in defense spending and a “large reduction” in foreign aid. Previewing measures aimed at backing up campaign promises with dollars and cents, Trump promised a “public safety and national …