Election officials began counting votes in Madagascar after Wednesday's election for a new president in which three former heads of state were running as the Indian Ocean island sought to defuse a political crisis. Attempts by the most recent president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, to change the island's electoral laws backfired, sparking nearly th ...

Thirty-six candidates will do battle to win the presidency in Wednesday's polls. The three frontrunners are former presidents and here are their profiles: Ravalomanana: milkman-turned-millionaire Marc Ravalomanana, 68, was ejected from power in 2009 and is looking to get his revenge at the ballot box. A former milkman born to a ...

The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is the leading global producer of vanilla and blessed with a bountiful biodiversity, yet it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Here is some background as the country heads to the polls Wednesday in the first round of its presidential elections: Fourth largest island Stretching ...

Madagascar votes on Wednesday for a new president in unprecedented polls in which the three front-runners are former heads of state facing-off amid efforts to defuse a political crisis. Attempts by the most recent president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, to change the large Indian Ocean island's electoral laws backfired, sparking nearly three months ...

Rates of female genital mutilation among girls under 14 have fallen sharply in most regions of Africa over three decades, according to ground-breaking analysis cautiously welcomed by aid groups. The age-old ritual of cutting or removing the clitoris of young females has been decried by human and women's rights advocates and can lead to a host of ...