Tom Pfeiffer

Thousands of mourners dressed in black gathered in Cairo on Tuesday for the funeral of Egypt's Orthodox Christian Pope Shenouda.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has called on its rivals to accept the will of the people after a first-round vote set it on course to take the most seats.

Egyptians desperate to stop cheats stitching up the country's first free election in decades are lining up by the thousand, cameras at the ready.

The US sought to drum up international backing for ways to stem the bloodshed in Libya as forces loyal to Moammar Gadaffi waged fierce gun battles.

An absence of Islamist slogans from Tunisia's revolt punches a hole in the argument of autocrats that they are a bulwark against religious radicals.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi's reformist son is trying to use the homecoming of the Lockerbie bomber to boost his waning prestige.

A €400-billion plan to power Europe with Sahara sunlight is gaining momentum, even as critics see high risks in a large corporate project.

The global financial crisis is not threatening power investment projects seen as vital to Africa's development and major deals are still on track.

Current market movements are not rational and the rand's value does not reflect inherent strength or weakness of the SA economy, Trevor Manuel says.

Africa's economy will grow by less than previously expected as the financial crisis hits demand for commodities, the African Development Bank says.

When rumours of a ''gay wedding'' spread through the town of Ksar el Kebir, the only evidence produced was a video on YouTube of a man dancing in women's clothes. Four people are now in prison accused of homosexual acts, Islamists are decrying a decline in morals and liberals are warning that the kingdom risks sleep-walking into extremism.

Ecologists say a tragedy is unfolding in North Africa where construction firms are moving in on some of the last unspoilt stretches of Mediterranean coastline in the search for profits. With Spain trying to preserve what remains undeveloped on its built-up shoreline, Morocco has stepped forward as a willing host for large-scale tourism development.