Paris, France | AFP |  World leaders from the United States, Britain and France on Sunday strongly condemned the weekend suicide bombing in Somalia, the worst attack in the country to date with at least 137 deaths. Saturday’s blast occurred at a junction in Hodan, a bustling commercial district of …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  At least 276 people have been killed and 300 injured by a massive truck bomb that tore through a busy shopping district of Mogadishu, the government said Monday, making it the deadliest attack ever to hit conflict torn Somalia. Desperate residents of the capital searched …

Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi is to become a father for the third time, the Barcelona star’s wife Antonella Rocuzzo confirmed on Sunday. “Family of 5 #Blessed,” Rocuzzo posted on Instagram alongside a picture of Messi and the couple’s two sons Thiago …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  George Weah, 51, emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among young people in his second run for the presidency. Now Weah has a confirmed place in the runoff round against …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  The death toll from a massive weekend truck bomb in a busy shopping district of Mogadishu surged to at least 137, police said Sunday, warning it could rise further after one of the worst-ever attacks to hit war-torn Somalia. The figure was a huge jump …

Weah and Boakai edge towards Liberia presidential run-off Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Former football star George Weah and incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai on Saturday edged closer to competing in a run-off vote for Liberia’s presidency, with three quarters of polling stations counted. Weah now commands 39.2 percent of votes …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  More partial figures released by Liberia’s electoral commission Friday showed former footballer George Weah ahead of incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai as they battle for the presidency. With 33.71 percent of polling stations counted, Weah has taken the lead with 39.7 percent (205,218 votes), while Boakai …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  Somalia’s defence minister and army chief have both resigned, without explaining why, in a potential blow to the government’s fight against Shabaab Islamist militants. The resignations come as Somali security forces struggle to contain attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group. Defence Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi confirmed his …

S.Africa court clears way for Zuma graft prosecution Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that President Jacob Zuma can face prosecution on almost 800 charges of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma had lodged a challenge at the court …

Nairobi, Kenya | PSCU |  Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law the Supplementary budget that allocates  ($116 million) for the October 26 fresh presidential poll and Kshs 25 billion ($242 million) for free secondary education that kicks off in January next year.  The Supplementary Appropriation (No. 3) Act, 2017, also allocates Kshs 6.7 billion …