Unlocking dead capital in Nigeria

A car bomb exploded on a road leading to the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least eight people. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance service, put the death toll at eight.

A powerful explosion hit in Greek capital Athens damaging an office block and smashing nearby storefronts as one person reportedly injured. One person was injured and several buildings were extensively damaged by an explosion in central Athens that led to a fire early, officials and witnesses said.

Al Shabaab militants attacked several police stations and security checkpoints in Somalia's capital Mogadishu early on Wednesday, officials and the militants said, a show of force as the nation prepares for a much-delayed presidential election.

As Burkina Faso's military leader Paul-Henri Damiba was sworn in as president on Wednesday (February 16) local residents of the capital Ouagadougou said they want him to focus on security issues. Resident Simplice Bama said that the security situation had been deteriorating since 2015. "We continue to be attacked so I say to myself that this new president has a lot to do," he told Reuters.

The body of a Mexican television host and model was found in a southern neighborhood of Mexico City. She is the sixth media worker to be found dead in Mexico this year.

We look at some evocative front pages from British weekly The Economist and French daily Libération. But first, French President Emmanuel Macron announces his re-election bid in next month's presidential election in France. His announcement is not a surprise, but is overshadowed by continued bloodshed in Ukraine.

The Saudi capital is changing, as demonstrated by the MDLBeast Soundstorm festival, an electronic dance music event held late last year on the outskirts of Riyadh. After trying to diversify its oil-dependent economy, Saudi authorities are now looking to develop the entertainment industry. Partying legally in Riyadh is rare, but is now possible. However, human rights groups are warning that this change, however welcome, should not overshadow the kingdom's crackdown on free speech. Our regional correspondent reports.

Residents of Liberia's capital Monrovia say waste management has become a full blown crisis with just a few trucks to collect garbage that is dumped on the streets and beaches.

Accra residents were grappling with flash flooding on Tuesday (May 24) after heavy rain hit the Ghanaian capital overnight.

An explosion at a market in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, has killed at least one person and injured many more. The initial blast sparked a fire.

After annual rains that have left dozens dead in Sudan, thousands of people in the farming town of Al Managil and surrounding villages have lost homes and property in what they say is the worst flooding in a decade.

Economist Jayati Gosh believes a windfall tax is a "no-brainer". "The difficulty is how do you establish how much is windfall? It's very complicated," Ghosh tells FRANCE 24. She is a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the newly appointed co-chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation.