LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell last year experienced a sharp rise in the number of oil spills caused by pipeline theft in Nigeria, which the company said were the result of larger output and higher oil prices.

CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) - With steaming plates of rice and freshly sliced apples on the side, a group of Cairo-based food scientists work in their lab to decide whether the foreign grains will suit Egyptian palates.

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Hundreds of students marched in Algiers on Tuesday demanding the immediate resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the replacement of Algeria's political system, a day after the veteran ruler announced he would leave by the end of the month.

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerians searching for their dream home to buy or rent are turning to the internet in droves, leading to a surge in the number of property-focused technology firms.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's biggest telecoms operator Safaricom lost a further percentage point of subscriber market share in the period to the end of December, its fifth straight quarterly fall, data from the sector regulator showed on Tuesday.

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Flooding linked to Cyclone Idai, which lashed southeast Africa last month, could reduce Malawi's staple maize crop by around 20 percent this farming season, Agriculture Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha said on Tuesday.

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is now expected to resign this month after resisting weeks of protests, established himself by ending a ruinous civil war but came undone over corruption and economic stagnation.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak is spreading at its fastest rate yet, eight months after it was first detected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his mandate ends on April 28, state news agency APS said on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass protests and army pressure seeking an end to his 20-year rule.