AFP - Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Monday won the rarely-awarded Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership -- the world's biggest individual prize.

The prize only goes to a democratically-elected African leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, served their mandated term and left office within the last three years.

AFP - Iraq needs $88.2 billion to rebuild after years of war against the Islamic State group, Planning Minister Salman al-Jumaili said Monday, as an international conference on the country's reconstruction opened in Kuwait.

AFP - A friendly face promising better times, or a mask to conceal a brutal dictatorship? South Koreans are divided on Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North's leader, and her landmark visit to their country.

REUTERS - A more aggressive U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has put the Taliban on the back foot, soldiers and police say, but bloody recent attacks in Kabul show the insurgency remains potent and a prolonged stalemate looms.

REUTERS  - Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their Social Democrat (SPD) partners faced a chorus of scepticism on Thursday as allies and opponents alike criticized a loveless coalition deal that some said showed the German chancellor’s time was coming to an end.

REUTERS - South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) had been preparing to fire Jacob Zuma as head of state this week, according to leaked comments from a top party official, but a negotiated exit now looks more likely.

REUTERS - Syrian government warplanes conducted air strikes against rebel-held eastern Ghouta on Thursday, killing 21 people and injuring 125 more, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, reported.

AFP - The US-led coalition killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters in retaliation for an attack in eastern Syria, a US official said, in one of the deadliest incidents of its kind.

The flare-up lasted into the small hours of Thursday and was sparked by an attack on positions held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir Ezzor province.

AFP - Turkey on Thursday said it planned to host in Istanbul a new three-way summit on Syria with the presidents of Russia and Iran aimed at reviving a drive to bring peace to the country.

AFP - Ousmane Dembele, who is recovering from injury, has resumed light training with the Barcelona squad, coach Ernesto Valverde said on Saturday adding that he would be "prudent" with the winger.