AFRICA

Paris, France | AFP |  French judges have ended their investigation into the substantial assets of Gabon’s late president Omar Bongo and his family, none of whom have been charged, sources close to the case said Wednesday. French prosecutors have been investigating since 2010 whether the fortunes amassed in France …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Thousands of Zimbabweans marched through Harare on Wednesday in a show of support for first lady Grace Mugabe who evaded assault allegations in South Africa by claiming diplomatic immunity. The march, organised by President Robert Mugabe’s all-powerful ZANU-PF party, came two weeks after Grace was accused …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday led his first cabinet meeting for five months after a long stay in London where he received treatment for an undisclosed condition. The 74-year-old retired general, who flew back to Nigeria on August 19 after more than 100 days in …

  Kwita Izina ceremony set for September 1 Kigali, Rwanda | GORILLAFUND.ORG |  Naming infant mountain gorillas has become an important annual nationwide tradition in Rwanda since 2004. The naming ceremony, called Kwita Izina and organized by the Rwandan Development Board, is based on a historic Rwandan cultural practice for naming …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s parliament has passed a $300 million (250 million euro) budget despite the war-torn country’s government conceding it lacked the funds to pay for it. Nearly four years of civil war, as well as inadequate and decrepit infrastructure, have left the country with few …

Thursday, 4pm Uganda ??  vs Egypt ?? Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cranes striker Farouk Miya is confident Uganda Cranes will build on their strong start to the 2018 World Cup qualifiers despite recent changes to the team’s coaching staff. Speaking to FIFA.com, Miya said the departure of coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic and arrival of Moses …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s main opposition leader on Tuesday vowed to forgive his political opponents and not seek revenge following four months in jail for allegedly failing to give way to the presidential motorcade. Hakainde Hichilema addressed a prayer meeting two weeks after his release from prison telling thousands …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Tuesday pardoned a leading human rights activist who was facing trial on charges of spying for foreign embassies, state media reported. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, an engineering professor at the University of Khartoum, was arrested by security forces in December as part …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenya’s Supreme Court judges completed on Tuesday their hearing of an opposition challenge to the August 8 poll and said a ruling will be delivered on Friday. Opposition leader Raila Odinga argued the presidential poll was rigged and took his case to the court, challenging …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A court in Sudan convicted a university student on Tuesday of killing a policeman during protests in the capital last year, a defence lawyer told AFP. Asim Omer, who was studying at Khartoum University, was arrested in December and charged with killing the policeman after hundreds …