TRIPOLI – Britons should leave the Libyan city of Benghazi immediately in response to a “specific, imminent threat” to Westerners, the Foreign Office says. The British Embassy in Tripoli has been in contact with a “small number” of British nationals whose details it had. Germany and the Netherlands have also urged their citizens to leave…
JOHANNESBURG – A South African court has found Nigerian militant Henry Okah guilty of masterminding the 2010 car bombing which killed 12 people. Okah was convicted of 13 counts related to acts of terrorism. He was arrested in Johannesburg a day after two car bombs exploded during the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. He had…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma has dismissed claims that his deputy in government, Kgalema Motlanthe, will leave his post following his failed bid for the African National Congress (ANC) presidency in Mangaung last month. Having lost the presidential race, Motlanthe declined nomination to serve as an additional member of the ANC national executive…
JOHANNESBURG – Former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is facing bankruptcy following his fight with South African Revenue Services (Sars) over R16m ($1,9m) in outstanding taxes. Rapport reports that many of former friends and partners have forsaken him. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday paper, Malema told how he was being avoided as…
CAIRO – A court in Egypt has ordered a retrial for ex-President Hosni Mubarak after accepting an appeal against his life sentence over the deaths of protesters. Mubarak, 84, was overthrown in 2011 after mass street protests in the capital Cairo and other cities, and jailed in June. Ex-Interior Minister Habib al-Adly will also be…
JOHANNESBURG – On Digital Media (ODM) which runs TopTV has launched a second attempt to introduce pornographic TV channels in South Africa exactly a year after the country’s broadcasting regulator denied TopTV’s first application. TopTV is currently under business rescue according to the Companies Act and seems to now believe that porn will save it….
ACCRA – Ghana’s main opposition party has boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of President John Mahama following last month’s disputed elections. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) said Mr Mahama won the election fraudulently. Official results gave Mr Mahama 50.7% of the vote, enough to avoid a run-off against the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo, who won 47.7%. Ahead…
ACCRA – Ghanaian President John Mahama is due to be sworn into office following a disputed election victory last month. Mr Mahama, who became acting president in July, has called for unity ahead of the inauguration, appealing to rivals who contested the 7 December result. Official results gave Mr Mahama 50.7% of the vote, enough…
ABIDJAN – A New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Ivory Coast turned from celebration to tragedy when 60 people most of them women and children were crushed to death in a stampede, officials said. Interior minister Hamed Bakayoko said another 40 people were injured. State media reports suggested that between 100 and 200 people had…
JOHANNESBURG – The South African government has sought to clarify remarks by President Jacob Zuma that angered dog lovers. Mr Zuma was quoted as saying at a rally on Wednesday that having pet dogs was part of white – not African – culture. But presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said Mr Zuma was simply warning against…
