Mark Tran

How many countries in Africa? How hard can the question be?

africacheck.org — Africa is one continent but how many countries? we were asked last week. The answer is more complicated than you might think but, simply put, there are 55 states that are recognised by either the AU or the UN or both. Researched by Ruth Becker "How many countries does the continent have in its entirety?"

Africa quiz - test your knowledge

guardian.co.uk — To celebrate Africa day on the anniversary of the birth of the Organisation of African Unity, 25 May 1963, we have put together this quiz. No Googling now, says David Smith

Africa quiz - test your knowledge

guardian.co.uk — To celebrate Africa day on the anniversary of the birth of the Organisation of African Unity, 25 May 1963, we have put together this quiz. No Googling now, says David Smith

No more 'ghetto' tours to the Bronx

stream.aljazeera.com — New York subway train at Westchester Square Station, Bronx. (Flickr/Timothy Vogel) A New York tour company came under fire when news broke of a Bronx "ghetto" tour. In what many are calling exploitative, the $45 Real Bronx Tour takes mostly European tourists through housing projects and food-pantry lines while emphasising the neighborhood's history of crime and poverty.

Jon Stewart Questions Obama's Priorities: Press Investigations Instead Of Banking Industry Prosecutions? (VIDEO)

huffingtonpost.com — Ever since the IRS scandal broke, Jon Stewart has focused on hammering the Obama administration in his top story almost exclusively - with the notable exception of his segment on Toronto's accident-prone mayor. Conservative media has made a lot of noise about Jon criticizing Obama in the wake of ScandalGate.

Sumatra, Indonesia: the rainforest's last stand - video

guardian.co.uk — The rainforest of Sumatra in Indonesia is steadily being turned into a giant industrial plantation that can neither support the wildlife that lives there nor the native human population. Environmental groups estimate that at the current rate of deforestation, the natural rainforest will be all but gone within 20 years, and little is being done to stop it.

Attacks on Muslims spike after Woolwich killing

guardian.co.uk — Fears of a prolonged backlash against Muslims have intensified after dozens of Islamophobic incidents were reported in the wake of the murder of the British soldier Lee Rigby in south London. The Tell Mama hotline for recording Islamophobic crimes and incidents recorded 38 incidents over Wednesday night, including attacks on three mosques, with more reported on Thursday.

Kenneth Waltz and His Legacy

foreignaffairs.com — In his scholarship, Waltz asked the tough questions about the difficult and important issues. He was motivated by both theoretical and policy questions, the latter often setting the agenda for the former. He was intellectually courageous, usually staking out iconoclastic positions -- some of which were initially derided, many of which ended up becoming mainstream thinking.