Reuters

Royalists Make Strong Showing in Eswatini Parliamentary Elections

MBABANE - Fifty-one men and eight women were elected to Eswatini's parliament in last week's election, with a strong showing for pro-royalist candidates in results expected to make little difference to the politics of Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Pope France’s Pick of New Cardinals Include South Africa, South Sudan and Tanzania

Pope Francis on Saturday further cemented his legacy, elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and significantly raising the percentage of electors chosen by him who will have the right to vote for his successor. At a ceremony in St. Peter's Square known as a consistory, Francis "created" 21 new cardinals, the red-hatted "princes of the Church" who are his closest advisers at the Vatican and around the world.

Guinea Student Bicycles to Egypt for Entry to University

CAIRO / N'DJAMENA — 25-year-old Mamadou Safaiou Barry was determined to study Islamic theology at an elite school. Unable to afford a flight to Egpyt from Guinea, he drew a map of Africa in his spiral notebook and set off on a second-hand mountain bike.

Niger Junta: Dozen Soldiers Killed in Militant Attack

NIAMEY — At least a dozen Niger soldiers were killed in an attack by armed insurgents in the country's southwest on Thursday morning, the West African nation's defense ministry said in a statement.

Long-Serving US Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein Dead at 90

WASHINGTON — Dianne Feinstein, a long-serving Democratic U.S. senator from California who spearheaded the first U.S. assault weapons ban and documented the CIA's torture of foreign terrorism suspects, has died at 90, U.S. media reported on Friday.

Morocco to Receive IMF Loan For Climate-Related Disasters

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) executive board on Thursday approved a $1.32 billion, 18-month loan from its new Resilience and Sustainability Facility to help Morocco bolster its resilience to climate-related disasters, the fund said in a statement.

US Slaps Fresh Sanctions on Sudan as Conflict Continues

WASHINGTON — The United States Thursday imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, and one person it accused of exacerbating instability in Sudan as fighting has killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians.

Activists: Uganda Anti-Gay Law Causing Wave of Abuses

KAMPALA — Rights groups said Thursday that there has been torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people in Uganda, mostly committed by private individuals, following the passage of one of the world's harshest anti-gay laws.

Burkina Faso Junta: Coup Attempt Thwarted

DAKAR — Burkina Faso's military junta said on Wednesday that a coup attempt had been thwarted the previous day by security and intelligence services, without providing details on what had happened.

Sudan's Displaced Population Now The Highest in the World

PORT SUDAN— About two months after heavy clashes around his home in Sudan's capital drove Sherif Abdelmoneim to flee, soaring rent and food costs forced the 36-year-old and his family of six to return to a city where fighting still rages.

Analysts: French Withdrawal from Niger Weakens Western Influence

PARIS/DAKAR - France's decision to pull 1,500 troops from Niger leaves a gaping hole in Western efforts to counter a decade-long Islamist insurgency and couldbolster Russian influence across the vast, insecure scrublands of West Africa, analysts and diplomats said.

U.S. Congressman Denies Bribe Charges, Defies Calls to Resign

Egypt Moves to Purchase Wheat from Kazakhstan

CAIRO — Egypt's supply minister Sunday announced talks with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank for a loan facility that would finance wheat purchases from Kazakhstan — a move that traders say will provide a cheaper alternative to Russian grain which accounted for an increasing share of Cairo's wheat since last year.

African Development Bank Head Predicts End to Africa's Food Insecurity

New York — The African Development Bank last week said it has programs in over 30 African countries that have helped produced some $12 billion worth of food.

Somaliland Refuses to Discuss Reunification with Somalia

MOGADISHU - The breakaway region of Somaliland said it has no plans to discuss unity with Somalia, appearing to contradict Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who said he would act as a "unification mediator" between the two governments.

French Troops Prepare to Leave Niger

France will pull its soldiers out of Niger following a July coup in the West African country, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, dealing a huge blow to French influence and counter-insurgency operations in the Sahel region.

Somalia's All-Female Newsroom Tackles Taboos

MOGADISHU — People often laugh when Fathi Mohamed Ahmed tells them she runs the first and only all-female newsroom in Somalia, one of the most dangerous places on the planet to be a reporter.

Chinese Loans to Africa Hit Double-Decade Low

JOHANNESBURG — Chinese sovereign lending to Africa fell below $1 billion last year — the lowest level in nearly two decades — underscoring Beijing's shift away from a decades-long big ticket infrastructure spree on the continent, data showed on Tuesday. 

Nigerian President Tinubu Closes US Stock Exchange

While in New York for the United Nations General Assembly's General Debate, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu made a stop at the Nasdaq stock exchange Wednesday and rang the closing bell. “I am happy to bring Nigeria to your doorsteps and honored that we are here today with a bubbly market,” Tinubu said. He had presented his speech before the General Assembly a day earlier. Tinubu took the opportunity to promote investment in his country, declaring Nigeria “the greatest economy” where investors can make investments confidently, without fear. “We've removed a lot of bottlenecks. We've cleared the oil subsidy that is corrupt. And we have also, you know, retooled the exchange rate to a reliable, dependable, one-figure of floating of the exchange naira,” Tinubu said.

The UN Climate Ambition Summit Lays the Groundwork for COP28

NEW YORK - Heading into the COP28 conference in Dubai, this week's U.N. Climate Ambition Summit broke fresh territory by naming and shaming the fossil fuel industry for its role inthe climate crisis, according to advocates tracking the talks in New York.