Serial rapist sentenced to more than 250 years in jail

A South African man has been given 25 life sentences for multiple crimes including rape and attempted murder.The South Gauteng High Court sentenced 26-year-old Shadrack Xidada Chauke for 23 counts of…

Kenya police mistake teenager for wanted man, shoot him dead-boy's father

Kenyan police on the trail of one of the country's most wanted criminals shot dead a 17-year-old boy after mistaking him for their suspect, the boy's father said on Tuesday, in the latest accusation …

Swedish doctor held in Ethiopian jail since 2013 released

Ethiopian authorities on Tuesday released an Ethiopian-born Swedish cardiologist who has been in jail since 2013 on corruption and terrorism charges, his family members said.Fikru Maru, who founded a…

Uganda denies Bible and Koran taxes

The head of Uganda's revenue authority has denied a report by privately-owned newspaper Daily Monitor about a plan to tax Bibles and Korans.Doris Akol said the story was "fake news".She replied to a …

Five-year-old Albino girl snatched and decapitated for her 'magical' body parts in Mali

A five-year-old albino girl has been snatched and beheaded after a ritual murder for her body parts, which are deemed magical in Mali.Armed men abducted Djeneba Diarra from her family's home in Fana …

Ugandan government to impose tax on Bibles and Korans

Clerics from both the muslim and christian have been surprised by an order from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) asking religious groups to start paying taxes on Bibles, Korans, prayer and hymn boo…

Liberian Vice President publicly apologises to George Weah

Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard Taylor has apologised to President George Weah live on morning television for leaving the country "frequently" without informing him, reports the New Dawn newspap…

Mother's anguish as baboon attacks baby

A Zimbabwean mother, Jean Gama, has recounted the moment she found her one-year-old daughter being mauled by a baboon outside their home, where she had been playing her sibling.Gama said the attack b…

Gaza killings: South Africa recalls ambassador from Israel

South Africa has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel after the Middle Eastern country's soldiers killed almost 60 Palestinian protesters on Monday.The government said the decision was made in light of…

Rights body asks for clemency for Sudan's Noura Hussein

Three United Nations agencies have written to Sudan's President Omal al-Bashir to urge him to pardon a 19-year-old woman who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.Noura Hussein killed her hu…

Suspected bomb found in attacked SA mosque

South Africa's elite police squad are investigating a possible explosive device left in a mosque attacked by three men last week.Hawks spokesman Simphiwe Mhlongo told Reuters news agency the bomb squ…

South Africa police probe 'extremism' element in mosque attack

South Africa's elite police unit has taken over the investigation of a mosque attack near Durban which killed one person because "extremism" is suspected as a possible motive, an official said on Fri…

Tanzania accused of abuses against Maasai

A new report accuses the Tanzanian government and some foreign safari companies of a series of human rights abuses against the indigenous Maasai people.The report, released today by independent polic…

Grace Mugabe's immunity in assault case challenged

Afrikaner lobby group Afriforum is heading to court to challenge a decision by the previous South African government to grant Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity.Zimbabwe's former first lady is accused …

At least 21 dead after dam bursts in Kenya

A dam burst in Kenya after weeks of torrential rain, unleashing a torrent of water that smashed into two villages killing at least 21 people and causing "huge destruction", rescue services and govern…

Family angry over Kenyan televangelist's acquittal

The family of a woman killed in a car crash blamed on Kenya's controversial televangelist James Ng'ang'a have dismissed his acquittal as a "sham", the local Daily Nation news site reports.A court acq…

Suicide bomber kills at least two in east Libya

A suicide bomber on Tuesday attacked a checkpoint in eastern Libya held by militiamen loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, killing at least two people including a civilian, a senior security official s…

Ebola reported in DR Congo

Two cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the north-western town of Bikoro, a health official in the Democratic Republic of Congo told news agency Reuters.Jean Jack Muyembe, who works for the country…

Libya's Haftar plans new offensive on Derna

Libya's eastern city of Derna has been threatened with a military ground operation for months - and it now appears to be underway, led by forces under thecommand of the controversial Field Marshal Kh…

Equatorial Guinea opposition party ban upheld by nation's highest court

Equatorial Guinea's Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the country's main opposition party, as well as lengthy prison sentences for 21 of its members.The Citizens for Innovation, or CI Party, was diss…