Journalist Craig Timberg, the former Johannesburg bureau chief for The Washington Post, says international AIDS organizations working in Africa went off in the wrong direction in fighting the spread of HIV across the continent.

Violent protests marked the run-up to Sunday's first round of presidential elections in Senegal. Unofficial vote counts indicate a possible run-off between incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade and a former prime minister. Critics say Wade's third term bid is unconstitutional, and they are concerned about corruption and the high cost of living. Host Michel Martin checks in with NPR's West Africa Correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton.

Russian and Ukrainian security services claim to have foiled the plan. The suspected mastermind, Chechen warlord Doku Umarov, remains at large.

Senegal awaits the results of the first round of Sunday's contentious presidential election. Unofficial tallies indicate a possible runoff between the sitting president and a former political ally. The vote was preceded by deadly violence — sparked by opposition to a third term bid by the West African nation's octogenarian leader.