Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday for a state visit to bolster ties with one of its few remaining diplomatic allies despite growing international pressure from China.

After years of war and restrictions in Gaza, a mother of five has turned to making dolls to bring comfort to children who have lost their toys in the devastation.

For the first time, Audubon Zoo in New Orleans welcomed three Hartmann’s mountain zebras last week. This species is rarely seen in human care as there are just 80 of these zebras across 20 facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has introduced rules addressing the use of AI in films eligible for the 2027 Academy Awards.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Saturday announced his arrival in Eswatini — Taipei’s only diplomatic ally in Africa — after an earlier trip was cancelled when several countries revoked overflight permits.

A cyclist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is embarking on a 14,000-kilometer journey through 17 African countries to promote peace, as conflict rages in the country’s east.

Tanzania has shut down the Nduta refugee camp in the country’s northwest, sending almost all remaining Burundian refugees back home, according to activists and the United Nations.

Some military officers in Mali worked with jihadis and separatists who recently launched their biggest round of attacks in over a decade in the conflict-battered country, authorities said late Friday.

The United States has sharply criticized Zambia after a deadline passed without the signing of a major new health aid agreement worth more than one billion dollars.

Some mothers in Cameroon said they saw vast improvements in their children’s health after the rollout of malaria vaccines.

Motorists and residents in Syokimau, Machakos County, just southeast of Nairobi, are facing major disruption after heavy rains triggered flooding in the area.

A Chinese policy giving African nations tariff-free access to its market came into effect on Friday. The deal lasts two years and covers 53 of the continent’s 54 nations. Only Eswatini is excluded over its ongoing ties with Taiwan.

Waste pickers in the Kenyan capital are being trained how to be more productive and help the environment – by playing a board game. They learn about the circular economy, sustainable practices and how to advocate for their own needs.

Former Congolese leader Joseph Kabila has dismissed newly imposed US sanctions against him as “unjustified and politically motivated.”

This year the pavilion honors Jamaica with native food, drinks and artists across the island, including communities impacted by Hurricane Melissa

Tuareg separatists and jihadists have been waging a unified battle to bring down the country’s junta.

At a rally on Friday to mark International Workers Day, the head of Tunisia’s General Labour Union called for members to unite and overcome internal divisions.

The Eastern Route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is one of the world’s deadliest migration paths, with over 900 deaths or disappearances in 2025. But desperate migrants keep making the journey, despite knowing the risks.

Edgar Lungu’s body will stay in a ‘mutually agreed mortuary’ in South Africa until the dispute between his family and the Zambian government is resolved.

The son of a Guinean opposition video blogger as well as an opposition member have been kidnapped, AFP learned Thursday from their respective family and political circles, the latest in a string of disappearances connected to government critics.

Residents return to Sudan’s Tuti Island, where fishing boats move along the Nile and damaged homes stand beside fields and old neighbourhoods after months of war and displacement

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will return from injury in time for a proper farewell, but he won’t be ready for Sunday’s game at Manchester United.

The ‘Badr 2026 tactical manoeuvres’ in the Sinai Peninsula featured army units, special forces, fighter jets, and tanks.

Kenya has temporarily waived fuel quality standards in response to shortages due to the war in the Middle East.

The ‘Badr 2026 tactical manoeuvres’ in the Sinai Peninsula featured army units, special forces, fighter jets, and tanks.

The joint anti-jihadist force of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali carried out “intense air campaigns” in Malian territory following attacks by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and Tuareg separatists, the government of Niger said late Thursday.

The FIFA presidential vote in 2027 that is set to give Gianni Infantino a final four-year term in office will be hosted by Morocco — the football body’s second straight election meeting in Africa where he has built strong political ties.

A Ugandan-American man was sentenced to death on Thursday over the murder of four young children he stabbed to death at a kindergarten in Uganda’s capital

A proposed Ugandan law has been fiercely criticised by rights groups, journalists and businesses for replicating the language of “foreign agents” used in a Russian law aimed at silencing dissent.

An estimated 8 million youngsters have not been able to attend classes since the start of Sudan’s civil war in April 2023.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International on Thursday called on Nigerian authorities to investigate the reported deaths of 150 members of thje Fulani ethnic group in a camp run by the country’s military.

Washington accuses him of supporting the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and its political-military arm, the Congo River Alliance.

Police said the vessel was believed to be carrying between 35 and 40 passengers. although it could not confirm the exact amount “due to lack of a passenger manifest”.

Sadio Camara was killed during last weekend’s coordinated attack by jihadist militants and their Tuareg separatist allies on military positions across the country, the largest in over a decade.

Hundreds gathered on Wednesday in N’Djamena to demand the release of Chadian opposition leader and former premier Succes Masra, who has been in custody for almost a year

Some 300,000 Malians have sought refuge in Mauritania’s Hodh Chargui region since a security crisis began in 2012, fuelled by violence from jihadists, local criminal gangs and pro-independence groups

A ceremony for Sadio Camara was held under tight security in the capital, Bamako, on Thursday.

Pix of the Day, 30 April 2026

Emily and Simon watched their son become the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon from their home in Kenya.

President William Ruto held a more formal welcoming ceremony Thursday, where he described Sawe’s win as “a defining moment in the history of human endurance.”