US supercarrier due in Sea of Japan ‘in days’: Pence Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The US supercarrier Carl Vinson will arrive in the Sea of Japan in days, Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday, after days of mixed messages from Washington over the warship’s whereabouts. The strike group was …

Djibouti, Djibouti | AFP |  US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived Sunday for a short visit to Djibouti, a strategic Horn of Africa nation which hosts Washington’s only permanent military base on the continent. Camp Lemonnier, home to some 4,000 US soldiers and contractors, is vital to US military operations …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Kenya’s Mary Keitany set the fastest time in a women-only marathon as she won a third London Marathon on Sunday in an unofficial 2hrs 17min 01sec. The 35-year-old, who also has three New York Marathon victories, beat Ethiopian track great Tirunesh Dibaba by almost …

Uganda’s former World and Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich put up his best showing in three years when he finished second at the Haspa Hamburg International Marathon Sunday morning. Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Mekonnen won the sprint to the tape (2:07:26 ), edging out Kiprotich who clocked 2:07:31. Kenya’s Jacob Kendagor was third in …

Kana Rugbana, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigerian commander Remi Fadairo points to the roiling plume of black smoke blotting the morning horizon in the Niger Delta -— the unmistakable sign of an illicit oil refinery. “Let’s see if we can go eat them for breakfast,” he says with an ominous …

Museveni pushes for home-based value addition on Africa’s minerals – they belong to country Bahir Dar, Ethiopia | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has urged African leaders to stop what he described as ideological meandering. Leaders, he said, should thoroughly discuss and distill positions which can help their people …

New Delhi, India | AFP |  The recent arrest of Vijay Mallya highlighted the problem of bad loans in India, but analysts say the tycoon’s unpaid debts are just the tip of an iceberg that is already holding back the country’s economic growth. The multimillionaire owner of a Formula One …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | President Robert Mugabe’s grip on power has faced little recent threat from Zimbabwe’s splintered opposition, but efforts to forge a unified alliance in next year’s election could test his supremacy. Any opposition bloc would first have to overcome fierce rivalries within their various camps, and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Eden Hazard fired Chelsea into the FA Cup final as the Belgian’s blistering strike ensured Antonio Conte’s selection gamble paid off in his side’s dramatic 4-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday. Blues boss Conte sprang a major surprise by starting with Hazard and Diego …

Paris, France | AFP | France was on edge Saturday on the eve of its most unpredictable presidential election in decades, which will take place under heightened security after the jihadist killing of a policeman. The shooting on Paris’s world-renowned Champs Elysees avenue on Thursday thrust questions of security to …