AFRICA

Rabat, Morocco | AFP |  Engineers in Morocco are preparing to test the Arab world’s first high-speed railway this week with trains reaching 320 kilometres (200 miles) per hour, the country’s rail office said Monday. One train reached 275 kph (170 mph) on Monday along a stretch of track between …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Monday stripped one of the top candidates to succeed him of a cabinet post, as the battle to replace the long-ruling leader intensifies. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who also doubled as minister of justice, was replaced as minister by ruling ZANU-PF …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenyan police lobbed tear gas at opposition supporters who protested around the country on Monday to demand a reform of the election commission before new polls are held later this month. Thousands gathered in the capital and the western opposition stronghold Kisumu, while smaller demonstrations …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The speaker of Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament announced his resignation without giving any reason on Sunday. Abadula Gemeda was the speaker of the House of People’s Representatives from 2010 and was previously army chief of staff and president of the country’s most-populous region, Oromia. …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday extended for two months a unilateral ceasefire in the war-torn regions of Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, state media said. The decision, extending the truce to December 31, came days after the United States lifted a 20-year trade embargo …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s national carrier aims to revive its fleet by procuring new components from Boeing and Airbus after Washington lifted its 20-year-old trade embargo on Khartoum, a minister said Sunday. Sudan Airways, one of the oldest airlines in Africa, has 12 of its 14-strong fleet of aircraft …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia’s health minister died of a heart attack on Sunday after taking part in a charity marathon to help battle cancer, officials said. Slim Chaker, 56, fell ill after running some 500 metres (yards) and then making a speech at the start of a race in …

Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana’s government on Sunday promised to tighten safety at fuel stations across the country after seven people were killed and scores more injured when a tanker truck carrying natural gas caught fire in the capital and triggered explosions. The fire and blasts in the Legon area …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberian presidential candidate George Weah on Friday denied contact with ex-leader Charles Taylor as controversy erupted over the former warlord’s alleged behind-the-scenes role in the country’s politics. After stepping off a helicopter on his return to the capital, Monrovia, from a nationwide tour ahead of elections …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A leaked memo from Nigeria’s minister of state for oil has shown that irregularities in the state-owned oil giant remain entrenched, despite official vows to root out the “cancer” of graft. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari to report on questionable practices in the …