Africa

The United States and its allies have discovered Africa again. After 11 September, and with the Middle East on the boil, African oil and gas encourage Western powers...

France's first military exercise in English-speaking Africa, Tanzanite III on 11-22 February, got top marks in public, while its sponsors carried on bickering about what to 'do' about...

Africa is enjoying, or perhaps suffering, a spring offensive by Western leaders. France's President Jacques Chirac hosted 13 African leaders in Paris on 8 February; British Prime Minister...

At face value the omens could hardly be worse for Prime Minister Tony Blair's West Africa tour from 6-10 February. First stop Nigeria has been blighted by an...

For many Africans, the new year confirms the most pessimistic forecasts of economic gloom. Nigerians face a 50 per cent increase in fuel prices, South Africans must cope...

The Raelian Movement claims 55,000 members worldwide and is campaigning to increase its African membership. In mid-December Rael, its leader, was visiting Congo-Brazzaville, by invitation of President...

Legal sources in Paris say the long, venomous investigations into oil company Elf-Aquitaine will be buried before May's presidential election. Elf, merged in 1998-9 with Franco-Belgian giant TotalFina,...

Arms supplies to countries such as Zimbabwe and Congo-Kinshasa will be more tightly controlled, says Britain's Minister of State for Trade, Nigel Griffiths. UK-based arms dealers breaking embargoes...

Belgium's Sabena went bust. Swissair was to have rescued it but followed it into financial collapse. For Africa's business travellers and public servants, it's a disaster. Swissair, trying...

The third US-Africa Business Summit, in Philadelphia on 30 October – 2 November was larger and more successful than the previous ones in Washington (1999) and Houston (2000)...