AFRICA

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  A court on Thursday ordered $153.3 million allegedly diverted by Nigeria’s former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke from the state-run oil firm to be handed over to the government. Judge Muslim Hassan, sitting at the federal high court in Lagos, made the forfeiture order in the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Belgian Hugo Broos, who guided Cameroon to a shock Africa Cup of Nations title 11 days ago, has applied for the vacant post of South Africa coach. His name was among those released Thursday by the South African Football Association (SAFA) for one of …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  The leader of Nigeria’s Senate on Thursday said President Muhammadu Buhari was well after visiting him in London, trying to dispel rumours about the state of his health. Bukola Saraki on Wednesday travelled to the British capital with the majority leader in the Senate, Ahmed …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than a half billion people live without electricity, trails the world in government policies that promote sustainable energy, according to a new World Bank report Wednesday. Much of the rest of the world, however, has made strides toward making energy …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libya’s transition has been bogged down by insecurity and chaos, leaving the country looking like a “failed state” six years after the NATO-backed uprising that ended Moamer Kadhafi’s rule. “We got rid of one dictator only to see 10,000 others take his place,” said Fatma …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A former head of Nigeria’s state-run oil company is under investigation after almost $10 million in cash was found at a property he owns. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an anti-corruption agency, said it had seized $9.8 million (9.2 million euros) from a …

Paris, France | AFP |  The French nuclear group Areva said Tuesday a truck carrying a chemical used in the uranium fuel process had tipped over in Benin, but there was “no risk” of contamination. The accident occurred in the West African country on Sunday near Dassa, about 200 kilometres …

On a South African farm, despair over  attack Onderstepoort, South Africa | AFP | Peeling back the maize plant’s leaves reveals a small brown caterpillar — an armyworm that writhes as it burrows into the heart of the crop, producing a sticky dark paste. Eighty percent of the Prinsloo family’s …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  The Gambia’s new government has asked the United Nations to halt the process of withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) begun by the regime of former leader Yahya Jammeh. The Hague-based court, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against African nations, …

Mediator Benjamin Mkapa and Burundi’s  foreign minister Nyamwite at previous talks.Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Burundi’s government affirmed Tuesday it will shun peace talks with opposition figures planned for later this week in Tanzania, dragging out a political crisis that has stretched for over a year. The talks are intended …