AFRICA

Malibamatso, Lesotho | AFP |  Lesotho’s King Letsie III said Thursday the killing of the country’s army commander last week had caused “embarrassment” and”scared”the small mountain kingdom. Khoantle Motsomotso was gunned down by rival officers as the struggle between the tiny nation’s military and politicians continues to be marred by …

Bloemfontein, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s embattled president Jacob Zuma goes to court on Thursday in a fresh attempt to fend off the reinstatement of 783 graft charges relating to a 1990s arms deal. The country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has sought in 11 court …

Providing young African scholars opportunity to offer policy oriented solutions to development challenges COMMENT| Seife Ayele, Samir Khan, and Jim Sumberg | With two thirds of Africa’s population under 25 years of age, the continent’s youth may be its biggest competitive advantage. After all, countries’ long-term economic prospects are typically …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Lawmakers in Togo will begin to look at a constitutional reform bill from as soon as the end of this week, the head of the National Assembly said on Wednesday. Parliamentary groups and commissions met to read the government proposals, which came after opposition calls for …

Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia conducted three air strikes on Islamist Shabaab targets Wednesday, killing six fighters with the Al-Qaeda linked group, the US military said. The pre-dawn operation occurred in southern Somalia about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Mogadishu. The strikes were conducted under …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A former South African minister was convicted on Wednesday of brutally beating two women at a Johannesburg nightclub after one of them called him gay. Ex-deputy higher education minister Mduduzi Manana pleaded guilty to three counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP |  The chocolate industry is indirectly driving massive and illegal deforestation in Ivory Coast, fuelling a catastrophic decline in wildlife, a green group said Wednesday. “In several national parks and other protected areas, 90 percent or more of the land mass has been converted to …

Luanda, Angola | AFP |  Angola’s constitutional court on Wednesday upheld the ruling party’s landslide win in last month’s election which will usher in the MPLA’s fourth decade in power and rejected opposition claims the poll was flawed. The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola won 61.7 percent …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  A 14-year-old Kenyan girl was charged Wednesday with multiple counts of murder for allegedly starting a fire at a Nairobi school dormitory that left nine other schoolgirls dead. According to a source inside the court, where proceedings were held in camera due to the age …

ANALYSIS: What made Kenya’s Supreme Court ruling possible. Why it cannot happen in Uganda Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | Minutes after the historic Supreme Court ruling in Kenya that nullified the Aug. 8 presidential election, someone tweeted a quick thought, “It is not an understatement to say that Kenya’s Supreme Court has taught …