US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday drew firm distinctions between the United States and Russia as he sought to make the case that the US is the better partner for countries in Africa.

"Fintech" is Africa's modern-day gold rush, with investors betting big on startups that offer services from digital banking to retail payments and health care. In Uganda, pioneers in this emerging realm are catapulting even rural communities into the digital era.

Chad's transitional government has signed a peace deal with rebel groups on Monday in Doha, according to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Uganda's government shut down operations of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a non-governmental organization for LGBTQ rights, accusing it of operating illegally in the country, according to a statement from the government.

On July 1, a cable emerged from the Atlantic Ocean in Swakopmund, a small coastal city in western Namibia. Mostly known as a seaside resort, Swakopmund is used to visitors. But the giant ship out at sea, the string of buoys, and a fleet of smaller vessels manned by workers in hard hats and fluorescent bibs was an arrival of a different kind.