Africa, Foreign Policy | featured news

John Kerry made his first trip to an Arab capital as secretary of state on Saturday, hoping to prod Egyptian politicians to show a measure of political peace and a commitment to economic change.

The US will on Thursday officially recognise Somalia's government in Mogadishu after more than 20 years, says a US official. The move could pave the way for US and international economic aid for the Horn of Africa nation. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce the news on Thursday at a meeting in Washington with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

A Libyan militant suspected by Egypt of involvement in last month's attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya has been killed during a raid by Egyptian security forces in Cairo, a security official said on Thursday.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured Egypt's new Islamist president on Monday that the United States would forge ahead with plans to expand economic assistance despite anti-American protests that cast new shadows over U.S. engagement with the region.

Mitt Romney got the capital of Libya wrong in his opportunistic statement this morning criticizing the President about his handling of the attacks against the US embassy in Cairo and the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Holding out Poland's transformation to democracy as a model for the world, President Barack Obama on Saturday exhorted Western allies and the American public alike to extend their support, energy and vision to those now reaching for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa.

Top Obama administration officials are expected to face continued criticism Thursday over their handling of the crisis in Libya, and louder calls for a clearer explanation of U.S. policy in the war-torn North African nation.