Missing in Benin: Tour guide found dead, French tourists reported kidnapped

Germany's race to cut its reliance on gas from Russia has injected urgency into the first official visit to Africa by Olaf Scholz as he hunts new sources of energy supplies.

After years of discussion and agitation, Germany has agreed to return looted African colonial artefacts, including over 1,000 Benin Bronzes that will be repatriated to Nigeria.

Josiane Hodonou's small plantain flour business has almost doubled its production since the start of the war in Ukraine. With wheat flour becoming hard to find and expensive, some people see the cooking banana as a viable alternative.

Northern Benin is at the center of a security crisis which has moved south from the Sahel. Poverty and climate change have provided fertile ground for criminals and extremists.

Moving up a gear: the return of the Women's Tour de France

In this special edition, we report on the return of the Women’s Tour de France. After more than a 30-year absence, the race kicks off on July 24 from the Eiffel Tower, ending eight days later after a 1000 km ride through northern France. About 22 teams will be participating in the hope of winning the Yellow Jersey. Annette Young meets tour director Marion Rousse, along with other professional and amateur cyclists, including French national champion Audrey Cordot-Reagan. All of them hope that the event will give this women’s sport a much-needed global spotlight.

France aims to "respond positively" to requests from Benin and other countries for air support and intelligence to combat Islamist militants, a French official said on Wednesday, as French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the West African state.

Lavrov has sought to offer Moscow's support to Addis Ababa amid Western pressure. He has also again blamed Western sanctions for an ongoing food crisis, which has heavily impacted Africa.

Over 500 pieces will be returned under the deal. The artifacts were looted by British soldiers in the 1800s and sold all over Europe.

The new digital platform catalogs objects that were stolen from Benin Kingdom during the colonial era: Over 5,000 items across in 20 countries have been identified.

London's Horniman Museum signed over ownership of 72 artefacts, looted by British soldiers in 1897, to the Nigerian government on Monday.

A "historic" repatriation ceremony in the Nigerian capital attended by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saw 22 stolen Benin Bronzes transferred to their original owners.