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 …
Read More »Sex crimes to sieges: India’s controversial ‘godmen’
New Delhi, India | AFP | India’s self-styled “godmen” have legions of devoted followers but many are dogged by scandal and several have been charged or convicted of crimes. The latest example is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh — known as the “guru in bling” — who was sentenced Monday to 10 …
Read More »Five suspected cannibals in S.African court
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Five South African men charged over suspected cannibalism appeared briefly in court on Monday as scores of angry protesters gathered outside, police said. The men from the rural town of Escourt, in KwaZulu-Natal province, were arrested over a week ago after one handed himself in …
Read More »Four ‘hacked to death’ in Kenya attack claimed by Shabaab
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |Four people were hacked to death and their houses torched in an attack claimed by Shabaab militants in Kenya’s coastal Lamu county, police said Friday. “The attackers dragged people from their houses and killed them. We have launched investigations to establish the motive of the attack,” …
Read More »Model was offered cash to make Grace Mugabe assault ‘go away’
Centurion, South Africa | AFP |The 20-year-old South African model that Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe is alleged to have assaulted was offered cash to make potential charges “go away”, a lawyer said Thursday. Police have said they were also on high alert to make sure that the 52-year-old wife …
Read More »Anger boils five years after S.African massacre of miners
Marikana, South Africa | AFP | At the site of the 2012 Marikana massacre where police shot dead 34 strikers, thousands of South African miners sang remembrance songs Wednesday as campaigners demanded prosecutions and compensation. The 34 miners were gunned down after police were deployed to break up a wildcat strike …
Read More »Where is Grace Mugabe?
S.Africa police decline to reveal if Grace Mugabe has fled Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African police Wednesday said they knew the whereabouts of Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe, who faces accusations of assault, but declined to say if she had fled the country. The 52-year-old wife of …
Read More »Don’t report sex abuses revealed in confessional: Australia bishops
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Priests should not be forced to report child sexual abuse revealed in the confessional, top Australian Catholics said Tuesday, adding they would rather risk jail than break the sacramental seal. The comments follow a national inquiry set up by the government into institutional child sexual …
Read More »Grace Mugabe’s whereabouts unknown over assault case
UPDATE: Grace Mugabe accused of assaulting model in S. African hotel Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe was under investigation by South African police Tuesday after she allegedly used an extension cord to assault a model in a Johannesburg hotel. The alleged attack threatened to …
Read More »Chinese teen internet addict dies after rehab
Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese teen has died after spending less than 48 hours at a centre that treats internet addicts, shining a spotlight on the controversial facilities that seek to unlatch people from their screens. The first country to declare internet addiction a clinical disorder, China is estimated …
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