LAGOS – Intense fighting between the military and Islamist militants in northern Nigeria is reported to have killed at least 185 people, however the army has disputed this figure. Rocket-propelled grenades and heavy gunfire bombarded the remote town of Baga near the border with Chad for hours on Friday evening, officials say. Some 2,000 homes…
JOHANNESBURG – A granddaughter of Nelson Mandela has harshly criticised a longtime associate of the former president in an escalation of a dispute over funds linked to one of the world’s most revered figures. Tukwini Mandela accused lawyer George Bizos of insulting her mother, slandering the Mandela family name and spreading “blatant lies and innuendo”…
HARARE – CAPS United are on the verge of signing Malawian teenage sensation Gerald Phiri Jnr on a two-year deal. The highly-rated Mighty Wanderers winger – who can also play anywhere upfront – arrived in Harare on Friday as a free agent for a routine trial. Malawian journalist Peter Kanjere piled on the praise on…
DAKAR – Police in Senegal have arrested the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade on suspicion of corruption. Karim Wade denies accusations that he illegally amassed about $1.4bn (£900m) during his father’s rule. Karim Wade was a senior minister during his father’s rule from 2000 to 2012, and was in charge of major infrastructure and…
PRETORIA – A dagga bush is growing along the boundaries of the presidential guest house in Pretoria. And officials from a city improvement organisation say it is evidently being allowed to grow because the ground around it has recently been cleared. The bush, which has freshly turned soil and almost no weeds around it, leans…
CAIRO – The leader of Egypt’s Coptic Christians has accused the country’s president of “negligence” following deadly clashes outside the main cathedral in Cairo. Pope Tawadros II said Mohammed Morsi had failed to protect the building, where two people died after being attacked by an angry mob of Muslims. The remarks were the strongest issued…
NAIROBI – Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in as Kenya’s new president, following his victory in March against Raila Odinga. Dignitaries and tens of thousands of people witnessed the inauguration at a stadium in the capital, Nairobi. Mr Odinga did not attend the ceremony after his attempt to overturn Mr Kenyatta’s victory in court failed….
PRETORIA – University of the Free State vice-chancellor Professor Jonathan Jansen this morning dismissed a report quoting him as saying he wished former South African President Nelson Mandela would die. “I truly wish Madiba would live forever. I also wish some journalists would have more ethics before completely distorting a message,” he tweeted this morning….
JOHANNESBURG – The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is preparing to send more than 1,000 soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of a bid to stop the M23 rebel group from gaining more power there, it was reported at the weekend. Coming after the deaths of 13 soldiers in the Central…
NAIROBI – Kenya’s Supreme Court has upheld Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential election victory, rejecting several petitions challenging the vote. Chief Justice Willy Mutunga announced the decision, which was unanimous, saying the poll was free and fair. The appeal was lodged by Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s main rival in the presidential poll this month. Official results…
