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South Africa marks 50th anniversary of massacre
(AP)
AP - A half century ago, police officers massacred 69 black South Africans in the township of Sharpeville, where protesters had burned the passbooks that the white-led apartheid government required them to carry at all times.
Freed Darfur kidnap victim tells of daily fears
(AFP)
AFP - Franco-British former hostage Gauthier Lefevre on Saturday described the "daily struggle" of staying positive for five months as the kidnap victim of a criminal gang in Sudan's war-torn Darfur.
DR Congo could win debt relief deal by June: IMF
(Reuters)
Reuters - Democratic Republic of Congo could win a deal to wipe out the bulk of its $11 billion debt in time for June celebrations marking 50 years of independence, the International Monetary Fund said on Saturday.
7,000 demonstrators protest Togo election results
(AP)
AP - Thousands of opposition demonstrators have taken to the streets in the West African nation of Togo to protest presidential election results.
US condemns Ethiopia for VOA jamming
(AFP)
AFP - The United States condemned Ethiopia's blocking of Voice of America broadcasts, calling the country's accusations of the US radio service "baseless and inflammatory."
Bomb scare in Nigerian violence-wracked city: witness
(AFP)
AFP - Students in Nigeria's violence-rocked central Jos city tackled a man believed to be mentally ill Friday after mistaking him for a suicide bomber, army spokesman and a student said.
Minister: Sierra Leone rattled by disaster hoax
(AP)
AP - A top official in Sierra Leone's government said he raced to a town in the country Friday after news reports said at least 200 people had been killed in a mining accident there, only to find out it was a hoax.
US says new Darfur truce important step for peace
(AFP)
AFP - The United States said Friday the Sudanese government's ceasefire with another rebel movement is "a very important step" toward establishing peace in the western Darfur region.
Nigeria's ruling party to hold key talks after cabinet sacking
(AFP)
AFP - Nigeria's ruling party will hold key talks after Acting President Goodluck Jonathan in a shock move sacked a government he inherited from the country's ailing head of state, officials said Friday.
Oprah, schoolgirls to testify at defamation trial
(AP)
AP - Oprah Winfrey and several schoolgirls allegedly abused at her academy in South Africa are expected to testify at an upcoming trial in Philadelphia.
Rwanda opposition figure indicted for breaching state security
(AFP)
AFP - A court in Rwanda charged Friday a key opposition figure with breaching national security after extraditing him from neighbouring Burundi.
Nigerian armed group claims attack on oil pipeline
(AFP)
AFP - Nigerian rebels claimed Friday to have blown up an oil plant in the restive Niger Delta region and threatened further raids, adding to the mounting crises facing Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
Street kids stage their own World Cup in South Africa
(AFP)
AFP - Wearing jerseys in national colours, football teams from eight countries face off on a South African pitch, in full World Cup fervour. But in this tournament, the players are all street kids.
Sudan clashes kill 13 in tense border area
(AFP)
AFP - At least 13 people have been killed in fighting between northern nomads and the southern army, a military spokesman said on Friday.
Nigeria oil facility damaged, military says
(AP)
AP - A Nigerian military spokesman says an oil facility in oil-rich southern Nigeria has been damaged by an attack.
World Cup ticket sales 'hit by global crisis'
(AFP)
AFP - The world economic downturn has forced World Cup organisers to review initial projected ticket sales, but host South Africa on Friday was confident of full stadiums.
Mubarak names successor to late Al-Azhar cleric
(AFP)
AFP - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Friday appointed a new head of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious institution, after the death of its top cleric last week, the official MENA agency reported.
Rioters protest bail for SAfrican hip-hop artist
(AP)
AP - South African police have fired water cannons at angry youths and children protesting a court decision to grant bail to a hip-hop artist accused of killing four children in a drag race.
Cairo hosts donor conference to rebuild Darfur
(AFP)
AFP - International donors are to gather in Egypt's capital on Sunday with a two-billion-dollar target for the reconstruction of Darfur, Sudan's western region devastated by a seven-year war.
Bharti board to meet as $9 billion Zain deal nears
(Reuters)
Reuters - Bharti Airtel's board will on Saturday discuss its $9 billion bid for Kuwaiti telecom group Zain's African units, a source said, and the two sides may clinch a deal next week.
