Baking yourself in a tanning booth remains a popular activity among the vain and pasty of Caucasian descent, despite increasing health warnings. But at the other end of the spectrum, skin tempering practices are just as risky, and ever growing in popularity. Read more...

Who hasn't received an email asking them to send money to the other side of the world? One country where online scammers are making a very profitable living, Ivory Coast is threatening to launch a crackdown on the fraudsters. Read more...

News of Michael Jackson’s death spread like wildfire across Africa and the world. But do Africans still consider the performer – who spent much of his life attempting to whiten his skin – as a black singer they can identify with? Read more...

Rainy season in Cote d'Ivoire has taken a heavy toll on the country's financial capital, where 19 people have been killed by mudslides. Our Observer in Abidjan says that it's negligence on the part of the authorities that's to blame. Read more...

Nineteen people were killed in a stampede outside a stadium in the capital of the Ivory Coast on Sunday. One of our Observers in the country, who was at the scene with his camera, told us that corrupt police forces and stadium staff are at fault for the catastrophe. Read more...

The posts for the semi finals are almost complete. The Black Gazelles were mowed down by the Pharaohs and the Eagles of Carthage were devoured by the untamable Lions. In both cases, it wasn’t easy. We saw two of the best matches of the competition. Read more...

 

The last game between the Ivory Coast and Mali was one of the best [IC won by 3 -0]. Because they'd already qualified for the quarter-finals, the elephants gave themselves wholeheartedly. Read more...

In the bar where I watched the match.

For us the match was ours before it started. But after half an hour of play, we started to get a bit worried. Read more...

The African Cup of Nations (CAN), which kicked off its 26th yearly edition on Sunday, is followed worldwide and rivals the UEFA Euro competition and the Copa America in popularity. The atmosphere is, of course, heating up most in Africa's major cities, from where our Observers will be sending us post-match updates with photos and comments. Here are comments and predictions from Abidjan, Casablanca, Cotonou and Accra. Read more...