AFP, LAGOS: A growing Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria has killed 101 people, as West Africa battles to contain a flare-up of the virus, according to data from the nation’s health authorities released Saturday. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) statistics show that reported cases of the…

AFP, MOGADISHU: Somali government troops backed by African Union peacekeepers on Saturday recaptured the key port of Merka from Shebab insurgents, just one day after the Islamists swept into the city, the army and residents said. “The Somali forces and AMISOM peacekeepers secured control of Merka…

AFP, ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said as many Taliban groups as possible must be persuaded to join any upcoming peace discussions with the Afghan government, as a third round of four-country talks aimed at reviving negotiations with the insurgent group began Saturday. Delegates from Afg­hanistan, Pakistan,…

AFP, LONDON: British newspaper columnists on Saturday took aim at Julian Assange and the UN panel that found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been “arbitrarily detained”. The WikiLeaks founder, who faces a rape allegation in Sweden, urged Britain to let him walk free from Ecuador’s…

AFP, CONCORD, United States: In a state whose motto is “Live Free or Die,” New Hampshire’s primary Tuesday is do or die for Republican…

AFP, NEW DELHI: Bhutan’s royal couple on Saturday announced the birth of their first child, a baby prince, delighting the remote Himalayan kingdom where the monarchy is revered. The newest royal, the son of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema, was safely delivered at Lingkana…