Editor's note

They’re the women standing behind or alongside their husbands on the regional or global stage - but some of Africa’s First Ladies are powerhouses in their own right. Jo-Ansie van Wyk and Chidochashe Nyere explain how the role of First Lady has played out in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Burundi in recent years.

Malawians are set to go to the polls to choose their President, MPs and local government representatives for the sixth time since the country became a multiparty democracy in 1994. Chris Changwe Nshimbi takes a look at what to expect among the eight candidates contesting the presidency, and 13 parties vying for seats in Parliament.

Julie Masiga

Peace + Security Editor

Top Stories

Former First Lady Grace Mugabe representing Zimbabwe at an Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV and AIDS summit EPA/Khaled Elfiqi

First ladies in Africa: a close look at how three have wielded influence

Jo-Ansie van Wyk, University of South Africa; Chidochashe Nyere, University of Pretoria

The presidents' wives hold a lot of sway within the political power structure.

Eight candidates are running for president in Malawi’s election. shutterstock

What to expect from Malawi’s sixth poll since one-party rule ended

Chris Changwe Nshimbi, University of Pretoria

It's an achievement in itself that Malawi is holding its sixth multi-party national elections since its transition from dictatorship under former President Kamuzu Banda.

Politics + Society

Trouble in the Gulf as US-Iran dispute threatens to escalate into serious conflict

Tony Walker, La Trobe University

A tense standoff in the world’s most volatile region is not only dangerous, it could have been avoided by the US adhering to an agreement that was far from perfect, but better than the alternative.

What Nigeria must do to deal with its ransom-driven kidnapping crisis

Chukwuma Al Okoli, Federal University Lafia

Kidnapping in Nigeria has blossomed into a burgeoning criminal enterprise.

Health + Medicine

How Ghana is using graphic pictures to cut tobacco use

Ellis Owusu-Dabo, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Arti Singh, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

Ghana is the latest country in Africa to mandate the use of pictures on cigarette packages to convey health warnings.

Some women with psychotic disorders are more vulnerable around the time of menstruation, our analysis suggests

Thomas Reilly, King's College London

First robust confirmation of an old theory that links a fall in oestrogen with worsening mental health.

Science + Technology

The Earth’s magnetic north pole is shifting rapidly – so what will happen to the northern lights?

Nathan Case, Lancaster University

As the Earth's magnetic north pole heads towards Siberia, concerns have been raised that the northern lights could move with it.

The way we define kilograms, metres and seconds changes today

David Brynn Hibbert, UNSW

Today marks one of the biggest shake-ups in the history of measurement. But the new standards on how we define units of mass, length, time and so on are not easy to explain.

Energy + Environment

Five reasons ‘green growth’ won’t save the planet

Oliver Taherzadeh, University of Cambridge; Benedict Probst, University of Cambridge

If we want to live sustainably, we must question our appetite for growth.

Biodiversity loss has finally got political – and this means new thinking on the left and the right

Victor Anderson, Anglia Ruskin University

Ecosystem deterioration, along with climate change, is now becoming a controversial political question.