ACCRA – Some 175 people have died in a fire at a petrol station in Ghana’s capital, Accra, officials say. The fire on Wednesday night started as people in the city were trying to cope with two days of heavy rain, which has left many homeless and without power. The flooding hampered rescue efforts and…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s sports minister says the decision to donate $10m (£6.5m) to Fifa to develop Caribbean football was made by former President Thabo Mbeki. The payment, which South Africa denies was a bribe to secure the 2010 World Cup, is central to the Fifa scandal. The claim comes after a letter emerged that…
LAGOS – Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is making his first foreign trip – to Niger – since taking office last week. He is expected to discuss the regional offensive against Boko Haram militants with Nigeria’s northern neighbour. Niger, Chad and Cameroon have been helping Nigeria recapture territory from the insurgents, who Mr Buhari has described…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has denied paying a $10m bribe to secure the 2010 World Cup, in the wake of a US inquiry into corruption at world football body Fifa. Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said the money in question was above board and intended to support football in the African diaspora in the Caribbean. The…
LAGOS – Nigeria’s new President will be sworn in Friday, marking the first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties in the nation. Retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who won the election in March, will be inaugurated in the capital of Abuja. When he takes over from Goodluck Jonathan, he’ll have to tackle a stubborn militant…
NAIROBI – Kenyan police have been involved in a fierce gun battle with militant Islamists in north-eastern Garissa County, leaving one officer wounded, a government spokesman has told the BBC. The al-Shabab militants had ambushed the police near Yumbis town in Garissa County, Mwenda Njoka added. He dismissed as propaganda al-Shabab’s claim that at least…
BUJUMBURA – Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has been photographed playing football as protests continue over his bid to run for a third term in office. Mr Nkurunziza was playing in his daily kickabout with friends in the capital, Bujumbura. In the latest unrest, a protester was shot dead in Bujumbura. Last week, there was a…
BUJUMBURA – As protests and sporadic violence continue to roil his country, Burundi’s President has pushed back the parliamentary and local council elections by one week, to June 6, a presidential spokesman said Wednesday. President Pierre Nkurunziza is set to make a formal announcement about the delay later Wednesday at the African nation’s State House….
BUJUMBURA – Gunfire erupted in Burundi on Thursday, hours after an army general announced a coup and the President’s spokesman dismissed it as a “joke.” Sporadic gunshots rocked the capital as residents expressed fear and uncertainty following the attempt to overthrow President Pierre Nkurunziza. “People are staying indoors, not moving,” said Gad Ngajimana, who lives…
BUJUMBURA – A Burundi army general says senior officers are “dismissing” President Pierre Nkurunziza, amid unrest over his bid to be re-elected for a third term. Maj Gen Godefroid Niyombareh announced that a national salvation committee had been set up to run the country. However, it is not clear how much support he and the…
