Daily News on Issues Affecting Africa for October 14

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are: the worsening Ebola forecast, protests in Nigeria calling for the release of kidnapped schoolgirls, corporate investment in Africa, UN call for peace in Libya, upcoming elections in Mozambique and a potential military offensive by Monusco in Eastern Congo.

Forecast for Ebola Worsens as Mortality Rate Rises

The World Health Organization reported sobering new figures Tuesday about the Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa, saying the mortality rate had risen to 70 percent and that the number of new cases could reach 10,000 per week by December.

The organization had been saying that the number of new cases was about 1,000 per week for the past four weeks, and that the mortality rate for Ebola had been around 50 percent.

To read more from the New York Times, click here.

Protests mark kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls six months ago

Protesters calling for the release of 219 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants were set Tuesday to mark the six-month anniversary of their abduction with a march on the presidency.

To read more from France 24, click here.

Rothschild seeks African partners

N M Rothschild & Sons, the world's largest family-owned financial advisory firm, is seeking partners in Africa's largest economies to help it seize opportunities as growth accelerates.

Rothschild did not intend to have African offices outside of Johannesburg, "so we either have to work from a distance and fly in and out or have partners — we plan to do both", Martin Kingston, deputy executive chairman in SA, said last week. "There's a huge amount of money being mobilised for Africa and there's going to be significant opportunities to provide support and advice."

To read more from Business Daily, click here.

UN chief calls for peace in Libya during surprise visit

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has called for peace in Libya during a surprise visit to Tripoli as part of a UN-brokered reconciliation process. On his first visit since 2011, when Col Muammar Gaddafi was ousted, he told MPs meeting at a hotel in the city there was "no alternative to dialogue".

To read more from the BBC, click here.

Mozambique election: citizen journalists keep politicians on their toes

As Mozambique prepares to go to the polls for Wednesday's presidential election, the ruling party Frelimo faces its first real political challenge since the country gained its independence from Portugal in 1975.

President Armando Guebuza must step down after his maximum two terms in office, and the campaign mounted by Renamo – Frelimo's long-standing political rival – has resulted in a race to succeed him that has become too tight to call.

To read more from the Guardian, click here.

Congo-Kinshasa: MONUSCO Set to Hit FDLR

The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) appears to be on the verge of a military offensive to eliminate the FDLR militia in Eastern Congo. Monusco Commander Lt-Gen Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz told the UN Security Council last week.

The UN organ commander said he believes that Congolese civilians can be effectively protected only through "proactive" operations against armed groups.

To read more from allAfrica, click here.