STRICT Islamic Sharia law banning consumption of alcohol, prostitution, stealing, gambling and other vices came into force on Sunday in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest state. Kano Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said the bill would apply only to Muslims. He appealed to state residents to abide by it, warning that those who took laws into their […]

FORMER South African President Nelson Mandela has expressed optimism as talks to end Burundi’s seven-year civil war focused on the most difficult issues that have so far foiled a comprehensive peace agreement. Mandela, who is meeting with Burundian president Pierre Buyoya, angrily dismissed speculation that Burundian leaders are not ready to suspend hostilities and pick […]

A FIRE has raged through a squatter camp on the outskirts of Cape Town, destroying up to 1200 shacks and leaving thousands of people homeless, South African rescue service officials said. One person suffered slight burn wounds and two others were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire swept through the crammed Joe Slove informal […]

OWN CORRESPONDENTS, Cape Town | Monday IN A bittersweet moment, the South African government gave the people of Cape Town’s District Six, who were evicted under apartheid, back their land at the foot of Table Mountain – but only a handful will return. The deal gives the evicted, now mostly elderly, the right to a […]

PRESIDENT Abdelaziz Bouteflika has agreed to a 33% rise in Algeria’s minimum wage and a 15% increase in civil service salaries from January 1, officials said. The increases, however, fell short of levels agreed in talks among the government, trade unions and employers last week – a 66% hike in the minimum wage, and a […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) chief whip Tony Yengeni has pushed for a halt in the corruption probe into South Africa’s multi-billion rand arms purchase deal, government sources have claimed in a news report. In response, spokesmen for the ruling ANC denied there had been any attempt to stop the “super” […]

FOUR Angolan soldiers went on a shooting spree, killing six people and seriously wounding two others in Kuito, 580km southeast of Angola’s capital, Luanda. The troops opened fire while trying to force their way into people’s homes, the Portuguese news agency Lusa said. The soldiers then shot at an ambulance and killed an emergency worker […]

THE European Union has donated 2.4 million Comoros francs to improve Comoros agriculture and related trade, says the EU office in Moroni. The donation will help maintain the production of the Islands’ main sources or revenue; vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang (a perfumed oil) and other essential items. The money will also enable the Comoros to promote […]

A FATHER and son collapsed and died on the way to hospital after eating a fish they had just caught in Indian Ocean waters off of Zanzibar, relatives said. A hospital attendant said the post mortem certificate showed the two had died from eating poisoned food. The fish has since been taken to the hospital’s […]