AFRICA

Palermo, Italy | AFP | More than 1,000 migrants sang hymns, danced and clapped as they sailed into Palermo on Monday, along with the corpses of 17 people who did not survive another series of tragedy-tainted rescues in the Mediterranean. Starting with the sick, women and children, several hundred of …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday commuted the sentences of 2,747 death row inmates, who will now serve life in prison. Kenyatta signed documents commuting the sentences during a ceremony at his official residence and also pardoned 102 convicts who were serving long jail terms. …

PICTORIAL: President Yoweri Museveni is in Lusaka Zambia where he will chief guest at Zambia’s 52nd, Independence anniversary celebrations on Monday. The President was given a 21-gun salute Sunday at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport after being received by his host President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Museveni is accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem, …

Ugandans edged out as Nigeria’s Wizkid, SA’s Semenya take top MTV awards Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nigerian afro-pop star Wizkid and South Africa’s Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya won top prizes at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards in Johannesburg on Saturday. Wizkid was named artist of the …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday accused Amnesty International of spreading “lies” that Sudanese government forces had used chemical weapons against civilians in war-torn Darfur. Last month, Amnesty said in a report that Sudanese forces had carried out more than 30 suspected chemical weapons attacks in …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Somali pirates have freed 26 Asian hostages held for nearly five years after the hijacking of their fishing vessel, the last commercial ship seized at the height of the country’s piracy scourge, negotiators said Saturday. The crew of the Naham 3, the second longest held …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  An Egyptian appeals court upheld on Saturday a 20-year sentence for ousted president Mohamed Morsi, the first final ruling in a string of trials for the deposed Islamist leader. The Court of Cassation also upheld sentences against eight of his codefendants, including seven who received …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Malawian President Peter Mutharika said Friday he was in “excellent health”, dismissing rumours of illness as he made his first comments after an extended trip to the United States. “I am not sick. I am still alive and I have more than nine lives,” the …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | The International Criminal Court — dealt a blow Friday with South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the tribunal — has launched nine investigations in eight African countries since its establishment in 2002. A 10th was opened in Georgia, the only country outside Africa. Here …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Burkina Faso said Friday it thwarted a “vast conspiracy” earlier this month by forces loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore, which aimed to seize power in the impoverished Sahel state. The plot called for attacking the presidential palace and detaining “certain authorities”, said Interior …