Africa

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa says economic hardship will pass despite being compounded by natural disasters as the Transitional Stabilisation Programme lays foundation for economic turnaround – urges Church to feed the vulnerable and support government's food distribution exercise, blames greed by unscrupulous businesspeople as reason behind escalating prices of basic commodities

Politician breaking wind shuts down session of parliament in Kenya, speaker orders air fresheners brought to the chamber to tackle problem while members blames each other for offending smell

Nigerian state of Borno bans street begging, police spokesman says the command "will not fold its arms and watch unscrupulous elements jeopardise the hard-earned peace and security of the state"

More than 5 million Zimbabweans, about a third of the population, need food aid according to UN, 2.5 million people on cusp of starvation, severe drought and Cyclone Isai named as causes of crisis, UN's World Food Programme was already appealing for USD 294 million but says now an additional USD 331 million is needed

95-year-old former Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe hospitalised in Singapore since April, regularly travels to the country for medical check-ups but this time had to be kept under observation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa says Mugabe is making good progress and could be discharged soon

Half of Ebola cases remain undetected in Democratic Republic of the Congo and the epidemic could last up to three years, according to country's new Ebola response coordinator Jean-Jacques Muyembe

Namibia's land reform minister Utoni Nujoma says drought-affected farmers have themselves to blame for not fencing off and not avoiding overgrazing their land the way white farmers do, and that extending resettlement farm program risks turning the whole country into desert, lashes out at communities for "bedevilling mentality of entitlement"

One dead and 14 injured in clash between park rangers and Pygmies near Kahuzi Biega national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – increased tensions lately as Pygmies dislike being denied access to the 6,000-square-kilometre gorilla haven, and rangers accuse the group of illegal entering and deforesting

Three jihadists sentenced to death for Isis-inspired murder and beheading of two Scandinavian women in Morocco last December, 21 other men accused of playing part in murders or being linked to ringleader Abdessamad Ejjoud awaiting verdict

Ebola confirmed in city of Goma, on eastern border of Democratic Republic of Congo, with a population of over two million, 1,600 have died by the disease since last year's outbreak, Rwanda on high alert

At least 26 people killed in attack on Asasey hotel in southern Somalia, suicide bomber rammed car containing explosives into hotel and followed by gunmen, Islamist terror group al-Shabab claims attack, local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one Briton and a journalist among dead

Tunisia bans wearing of the niqab in government buildings, citing security reasons, comes after three suicide bombings in Tunis in the space of a week

Two suicide bombers blows themselves up in two separate attacks in Tunisian capital Tunis, killing one police officer and wounding eight other people, as reports came in, President Beji Caid Essebsi was rushed to hospital after suffering "severe health crisis"

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo shows no sign of stopping, "truly frightening" medical research charity says, nearly 1,400 people have died since last August, around 70% of those infected – efforts to contain spread hindered by militia group violence and suspicion towards foreign medical assistance

More than 100 dead after Sudanese military attacks protestors in capital Khartoum, demonstrators demand military council, which ousted president Omar al-Bashir in April, make way for a civilian-led interim body

Four shot dead in Burkina Faso church, islamist militants believed to be responsible, fourth deadly attack on Christians in the country since April

Islamic Boko Haram adopts strategy trying to build turf by courting rather than bringing usual orgy of rape, murder and pillage, civilians suspected of spying however can still expect torture and execution

World's first malaria vaccine Mosquirix, with a 40% protection rate, rolled out in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana, 435,000 people die of malaria each year and children under 5 at greatest risk, mosquitoes become resistant to drugs and insecticides after 10 to 20 years

More than 130 people killed with guns and machetes in ethnic attack on Mopti village in Mali by Dogon hunters accusing the Fulani villagers of ties to jihadist groups

Algeria's president Abdelaziz Bouteflika will hand over power to a democratically elected successor after a new constitution is approved and a national conference is held

Tanzanian village leader beheaded for opposing poaching gangs, Faustine Sanka was helping to police Tarangire National Park, a local youth is being held by police and questioned about the killing

Chinese woman sentenced to 15 years in jail for ivory smuggling in Tanzania, Yang Fenglan nicknamed the "Ivory Queen" smuggled 800 pieces between 2000 and 2014, along with illicit animal trade she operated a prominent Chinese restaurant in Dar es Salaam

Angolan parliament decriminalizes homosexual relations and bans sex-oriented discrimination, first change to penal code since independence from Portugal in 1975

Kenya third African nation to start teaching Chinese to elementary school students from 2020, the place of China in the world economy has grown so strong Kenya stands to benefit, says head of country’s curriculum development institute

Former South African president Jacob Zuma to release music album, Twitter uproar after popular a capella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo agrees to back his struggle songs

Failed coup attempt in Gabon after President Ali Bongo seeks medical treatment in Morocco, Lt. Obiang declared move to "restore democracy" but government forces claimed they had reasserted control 6 hours later

China may be preparing to seize the largest and most lucrative port in Mombasa, as Kenya fails to repay massive debts on shady Chinese loan for underperforming railway

Egyptian security forces kill 40 suspected militants in three coordinated raids in North Sinai and Giza, a day after a bombing on a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza killed four people, the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for more than a year

3 Vietnamese tourists dead and multiple injured following bus bombing in Egypt, no claims of responsibility for device planted behind a wall near pyramids, Egyptian tourism has plummeted in the wake of deadly violence since 2011 Arab Spring revolution

Mozambique government finds 30,000 non-existent persons on payroll, the fraud represented nearly 10% of official public workforce and cost the state EUR 220 million, nearly 50% of government budget is devoted to payroll

Danish photographer sparks outrage in Egypt after posting image of woman in a sexual pose atop pyramid, Andreas Hvid claims he and the anonymous woman scaled the wonder after hours, Egyptian antiquities minister claims the act was a “violation of public morality”

Robert Mugabe has been receiving medical treatment in Singapore for last two months, is no longer able to walk but expected to return to Zimbabwe next week, according to president Emmerson Mnangagwa

France to return 26 royal statues taken by the French army in 1892 to Benin, not an isolated or symbolic case according to French president Macron who wants to define an international framework for returning artworks to African countries

Morocco finishes construction of the fastest rail line in Africa, Tangier-Casablanca line covers 350km in 2h10m at 320km/hr, France loaned the kingdom EUR 2 billion to finance half the project which took 7 years to complete

Fighting in Congo leaves 8 UN and 12 Congolese soldiers dead, an operation aimed at containing Allied Democratic Forces rebels is ongoing in an area experiencing ebola outbreak

Mass grave with 200 bodies discovered on Ethiopian border, former administrator of strife-torn Somali region Abdi Mohammed Omer recently arrested and accused of stoking ethnic tensions and violence

American Charles Wesco shot dead in English-speaking part of Cameroon during cross-fire between government forces and Ambazonian separatists, the missionary moved to the region two weeks earlier together with wife and eight children, both sides blame each other for the murder

Angolan government claims 380,000 illegal immigrants left country following "Operation Transparency", the crackdown focused on illegal diamond trade and most immigrants fled to neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo

London scientists intend to release 10,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in Burkina Faso to end malaria, only 40 species of 3,500 are able to carry malaria and the genetic modification targets female reproduction

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign agreement excluding his 2.8 million hectares from government land reform drive, Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize says consensus yet to be reached and that it's a "somewhat slippery issue"

50 dead and over 100 wounded after oil tanker collides with small vehicle in Democratic Republic of Congo

Talks underway for Chinese to take control of Zambian national power utility ZESCO, Chinese government already controls state broadcaster ZNBC, Zambia's sovereignty at risk due to "predatory infrastructure financing" defaults

6 dead and 14 injured after suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, al-Qaeda-affiliated local militant group al-Shabab blamed for the attack which also leveled nearby buildings

Nearly 400 inmates escape Tripoli prison after riot in the wake of nearby militia battles, most of the escaped were common criminals or former supporters of the Gaddafi regime

Mnangagwa declared electoral victor in Zimbabwe presidential race as Constitutional Court denies election rigging, the successor to Robert Mugabe and member of ruling ZANU-PF claimed 50.8% of the votes, narrowly avoided runoff election against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa with 44.3% of the votes

Foreign affairs minister of Africa's eSwatini determined to maintain diplomatic allegiance to Taiwan, the former Swaziland is the last African diplomatic ally to recognize Taiwan's sovereignty

South African government delivers repo demand to white farmland owners during public holiday, the government initially offered 1/10th of the asking price in earlier negotiations, head of the Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs says the courts will have to determine what "just and equitable" compensation would be

Zimbabweans increasingly rely on mobile phone payment systems in a post-hyperinflation cash-less society, economic disaster plus scarce foreign currency supplies lead to 3 tier pricing system between USD, reserve bank bond notes and EcoCash mobile payments

Taiwanese tourist killed by hippopotamus at wildlife hotel at Lake Naivasha in central Kenya, the victim was originally identified as Chinese as Kenya does not recognize the Taiwanese government diplomatically

ANC targets 139 farms to expropriate coming weeks, also considers tax for land owned by "absent landlords"

Zimbabwean soldiers patrol Harare streets day after security forces backed by armored vehicles and military helicopter killed six unarmed demonstrators protesting the election

Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF wins 109 out of Zimbabwe's 210 parliamentary seats with 58 seats still to be announced, can change constitution at will with 30 additional seats, opposition calls election rigged but ZANU-PF denies accusations

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says constitution to be changed to more explicitly allow land expropriation without compensation, states reform "of critical importance" to economy – around 10% of land in white ownership expropriated from white farmers since 1994, a third of ANC's target

11 taxi drivers killed and four critically wounded in South Africa after gunmen assault minibus returning from funeral, police investigating possible motives, ten people killed in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa says his government is "racially blind", promises white farmers that their land won't be taken as "invasions is a thing of the past" and rule of law must apply, asks farmers to work together with the government ahead of July 30 elections

Ghana national football association dissolved after allegations of corruption against chairman Kwesi Nyantakyi

Pastor bitten to death by crocodile during baptism at Lake Abaya in Ethiopia

At least 29 killed under unclear circumstances in Menka in one of Cameroon's Anglophone regions, army spokeman says government troops surrounded hotel after tipped off to separatist rebels' presence and that "several terrorists were neutralized" after long firefight

Amnesty International accuses Nigerian army and militia group Civilian Joint Task Force of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped Boko Haram, brigadier general John Agim says report false and that credible intelligence report says organisation released cooked report to demoralize entire military system

Zimbabwe has applied to re-join Commonwealth according to organisation's Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, observers' report on upcoming election in country part of informal assessment to determine re-admission

US ambassador to Cameroon accuses government forces for targeted killings against country's Anglophone separatists, calls for dialogue to end escalating 18-month crisis

Nigerian former vice president Atiku Abubakar to run in next year's presidential election, becoming main challenger of Muhammadu Buhari, wants to privatize parts of state oil firm NNPC and says he is believer in very small government

South African photographer Sam Nzima dead at 83 – took iconic photo of dying 13-year-old Hector Pieterson during 1976 Soweto uprising, which Time Magazine 2016 named one of 100 most influential photographs in history

At least 48 killed after Patel Dam in central Kenya bursts, most structures within three-kilometre radius destroyed

Democratic Republic of Congo Health Ministry confirms two cases of Ebola in Bikoro in northwestern part of country, 17 deaths in area

Nigerian military with support from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin rescues 1,000 Boko Haram hostages, mostly women and children

At least 51 killed by bandits and former cattle rustlers who surrounded village of Gwaska in northern Nigeria, children under age of 10 among dead

Pentagon accuses China of harassing US fighter pilots with military grade lasers in Djibouti – formal complaint issued, demanding that Beijing investigate series of incidents in area where respective countries operate military bases just 18 miles apart

More than 60 killed in suicide attack against mosque and market in Mubi in northeast Nigeria, Islamist Boko Haram whose insurgency has left 20,000 people dead since 2009 suspected to be behind bombing

31 civilian pastoralist Berbers killed by suspected jihadists in northeastern Mali day after 12 civilians killed in attack outside town of Anderamboukane in same area, reprisal for successful attacks on jihadist bases by Tuareg groups according to tribal leader Sidigui Ag Hamadi

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar returns to Libya after two-week absence during which he received medical treatment in Paris, has promised to drive out Islamist militants and is being accused by opponents of trying to reimpose authoritarian rule

Zimbabwe parliament orders Robert Mugabe to answer for missing USD 15 billion in relation to diamond production, will be former president's first public appearance since coup in November last year

Mace stolen in front of politicians in Nigeria parliament but later found elsewhere in Abuja, ornamental staff formally required for senators to pass new laws but in its absence legislative work proceeded with spare

Swaziland king Mswati III renames country Kingdom of eSwatini to mark 50 years since independence from British rule, change for Africa’s last absolute monarchy noted to possibly mean rewriting country’s constitution

Zimbabwe's government sacks 10,000 nurses who went on strike, cites interest of patients and of saving lives, sacked staff will be replaced by unemployed and retired nurses

Authorities in Ghana capital Accra asks mosques to use mobile text or WhatsApp messages rather than loudspeaker as prayer calls, interviewed Muslims worried about economic implications for imam and that call to prayer is traditionally supposed to reach as far as possible

German aid worker from non-governmental organisation Help abducted by unknown gunmen in Niger near border with Mali, four Nigerien colleagues also kidnapped but later released

Protesters put 16 corpses in front of UN headquarters in Central African Republic's capital Bangui after accusations that organization's soldiers killed 21 civilians during fighting with Muslim militia

At least 257 dead as Algerian military Ilyushin Il-76 plane crashes shortly after taking off from Boufarik airbase outside Algiers, 26 of passengers representatives of West Saharan independence movement Polisario

Zimbabwe to invite EU, US and other countries in West to monitor election in July, ending ban imposed by Robert Mugabe in 2002 after accusations that foreign powers favored opposition

Nigerian President Buhari seeks re-election despite concerns over his health and low energy during recent years, vowed in 2015 to crack down on graft and stamp out Boko Haram insurgency which has not been achieved

Winnie Mandela dies at age 81, was married to South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela for 38 years up until divorce in 1996, infamous for backing practice of necklacing and for involvement in kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Stompie Seipei in 1988

At least 15 dead and 83 injured when criminals attack civilians and military personnel with suicide bombs and fire arms in Maiduguri in NE Nigeria, it is suspected that Boko Harem is behind this

400 men invade Grace Mugabe's farm Smithfield north of Zimbabwean capital Harare to pan for gold, destroy drip irrigation equipment and refuse to leave when former first lady confronts them

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reelected as Egyptian president with 92% of vote in election where all serious challengers were prohibited from taking part, turnout estimated at 40% at most, well below 47% turnout in 2014

Car bombing in Egyptian Alexandria kills one and injures four while city's security chief who was intended target remains unharmed, explosion comes amid heightened security ahead of Monday's presidential elections

Grace Mugabe suspected to be behind ivory smuggling syndicate in Zimbabwe, Australian nature photographer Adrian Steirn went undercover as buyer to expose scheme, president Mnangagwa orders immediate investigation

African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) created as 44 countries sign agreement in Kigali, Rwanda, has to be approved by national parliaments before taking effect, 10 African countries decline to participate, among them Nigeria

At least 101 out of 110 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria last month freed, not clear what has happened to remaining nine but reports suggest five died during abduction

Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam announces his candidacy in country’s presidential elections this year, is wanted by International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during 2011 rebellion

Mugabe may lose privilege of being buried at heroes' cemetary if he does not cease engaging in oppositional politics, according to MP and former leader of veterans' movement Joseph Chinotimba

At least 12 dead in central Somalian town of Mahas after villagers backed by Somali army troops fight off al-Shabaab attempt to impose taxes

Former South African president Jacob Zuma to stand trial for corruption in connection with government arms deal

Transport union in South Africa sounds alarm as train is hijacked on weekly basis by frustrated passengers after recurring delays, train conductor threatened with knife or gun and forced to deviate from planned route, spokesperson for union says government knows about problems but does not act since only poor people take the train

Julius Maada Bio gets plurality of votes and faces Samura Kamara of ruling party APC in second round of Sierra Leone presidential election, Bio led country during short period following 1996 military coup

Robert Mugabe poses in photo with brigadier general Ambrose Mutinhiri who after resignation from Zanu-PF aims to challenge Zimbabwe's president Emmerson Mnangagwa in August election, could mean that Mugabe family is behind candidacy according to analyst

Thieving animals rather than corruption allegedly behind disappearance of Nigerian tax money, snake said to have swallowed equivalent of USD 100,000 belonging to exam board for public universities, senator defending colleague accused of misappropriating funds suggests that missing USD 194,600 was stolen by monkeys

Gunmen launch twin attacks in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, against French embassy and army headquarters, eight security personnel killed and 80 people including civilians wounded

Overwhelming majority of South African parliament passes bill to confiscate white-owned land without compensation – time of reconciliation over, now time for justice, says Julius Malema

Security forces kill one activist and wound several others in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa during church-led demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila, internet shut down across country