At the sharp end of conflict in Syria, in a schoolchild's bag in Kenya, whether fighting deadly diseases or studying forestry, the smartphone has become ubiquitous in just over a decade. This year, the number of users is expected to pass three billion, and AFP photographers have sampled how the phones have become a mainstay of lives around the w ...

Madagascar's former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week's presidential vote. A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had noted candidates committed breaches ahead of the November 7 poll in the poor Indian Ocean ...