As Nelson Mandela lies critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, the world is preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday on Thursday, a day declared by the United Nations as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner's contribution to reconciliation.

An independent Zimbabwe election monitoring group said Wednesday many of the nation's 6.2 million voters will not be likely to cast their ballots if elections are not delayed.

Nelson Mandela has made "dramatic progress," and may be going home "anytime soon," said his daughter Zindzi on the eve of his 95th birthday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that ousted leader Mohamed Morsi is the only legitimate president of Egypt.

A top member of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has denounced the overthrow of the country’s democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi by the army, Press TV reports.

Tens of thousands of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo have fled to neighboring Uganda to escape renewed violence in the eastern Congo.

Supporters and opponents of Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi have called for mass rallies across the North African country on Monday.

At least three people were killed and 17 others injured early Monday in a mistaken attack on a bus in Egypt's North Sinai, a security source told Xinhua.

The lack of information on the whereabouts of Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi since his ouster has prompted speculation both at home and abroad.

The International Contact Group has urged three Madagascar's controversial candidates to withdraw from the presidential race by July 31.

Sudan on Sunday condemned the aggression against a patrol of the United Nations- African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in South Darfur State, a day after seven peacekeepers were killed and 17 others injured in an attack by unidentified assailants.

The Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF) on Sunday announced the appointment of a team of experts to investigate the killing of seven Tanzanian soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region.

Prominent liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei was sworn in on Sunday as Egypt's vice president for international relations in the interim government, official news agency MENA reported.

Egypt's prosecution said it launched Saturday an inquiry into criminal complaints against ousted President Mohamed Morsi and senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), from which Morsi hails, local media reported Sunday.

Egypt’s interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi, who is in tough talks with ministerial nominees, is set to announce the country’s post-coup cabinet.

Gunmen have killed seven United Nations peacekeepers and wounded 17 in an ambush in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

Several Egyptian MPs in the disbanded upper house of parliament have refused to accept the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, the country's first democratically elected leader, in a military coup.

At least seven people were shot dead and four others injured late Saturday night in an armed fight between two families in Qena governorate in southern Egypt, a Xinhua correspondent said.

Tens of thousands of police and polling officials in Zimbabwe on Sunday began to cast their ballots in a two-day early voting prior to the July 31 general elections as they will be busy on duty by then.

Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi is under a criminal investigation while the a new cabinet is taking shape, officials said Saturday.