Top Sierra Leone Politician Accused Of Bigamy

The invitation letter the police sent to Mr Kabbah. BBC

The main opposition presidential candidate in Sierra Leone is being questioned by police following bigamy allegations filed against him by his wife.  Allie Kabbah is married to Local Govt Minister Diana Finda Konomany, who belongs to the governing party. 

Stolen: US Actor, Nicolas Cage To Return US$276k Dino Skull To Mongolia

© raywinstagram / Instagram; Michael Caronna / Reuters

Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage has agreed to hand back a rare Tyrannosaurus bataar skull to Mongolia after learning the national treasure was illegally shipped from the country.

The skull has been in the actor’s possession for nearly 10 years: Cage bought it in March 2007 from the I.M. Chait Gallery in Beverly Hills. Cage’s publicist Alex Schack told Reuters the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull had come with a certificate of authenticity.

Man Pulled Alive From Rubble Three Days After China Mudslide

A survivor is carried on a stretcher on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, after being pulled out by rescuers more than 60 hours after a landslide hit an industrial park on Sunday in China, Dec. 23, 2015. (China Daily/Reuters)

A man was pulled out alive from rubble in a southern Chinese city on Wednesday, more than 60 hours after a waste heap collapsed and buried dozens of buildings in mud and construction debris, state media said.

Tian Zeming, who was found at 3:30 a.m., was in a coherent state but his legs had been crushed in Sunday’s landslide at an industrial park in Shenzhen, a boomtown near Hong Kong.

Burundi Rebels Organize 'Forebu' Force To Oust President

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza won a controversial third term in power following months of political violence ©Marco Longari (AFP)

Burundi's rebels came together Wednesday for the first time as a force aimed at ousting President Pierre Nkurunziza, after months of bloodshed in the troubled central African country. The formation of the 'Forebu' insurgency comes amid mounting regional pressure on the government to accept African Union peacekeepers it calls an "invasion force".

HRW: Killed Nigeria Shias Buried In 'Mass Graves'

Nigeria Shias took to the streets to protest against the military (Image credits: Ahmed Musa; Image source: BBC Africa Live)

Nigeria's military "quickly buried" at least 300 Shia Muslims in mass graves after killing them in what appeared to be a "wholly unjustified" attack in northern Zaria city, a leading human rights group has said. 

2-IN-1 STORY: Four Militants Detonate Suicide Bombs On Lake Chad Island

Four militants detonated suicide bombs after being found out by a group of locals on a Lake Chad island, killing three of the attackers but no one else, official and security sources said on Wednesday.

The maze of islands and waterways on the shrinking shores of Lake Chad are a favourite hiding place for Islamist Boko Haram fighters who are mostly based in neighbouring Nigeria's northeast but often cross into Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

After Outcry Over Presidents' Faces On Ghanaian Buses, Mahama Bans First Class Travel For Public Officials

Image credits: BBC

Past Ghanaian presidents’ faces (including Mahama, Atta Mills, Kuffour & Rawlings) on these buses have been causing controversy in Ghana's capital, Accra. It cost almost US$1m to get pictures of the country's presidents' bust shots plastered on 116 buses.

Tokyo Sexwale: FIFA Candidate Questioned Over World Cup Bribes

Tokyo Sexwale

FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale has appeared before a US grand jury in New York as part of an on-going investigation into World Cup bribes. The BBC has learned that he was questioned in relation to an alleged US$10m corrupt payment from South Africa to ex-FIFA vice president Jack Warner.

Sexwale appeared as a potential witness at the FBI's request on December 17.

Superbug Crisis Warning Issued Over Antibiotics Resistance

The unnecessary prescription and use of antibiotics as a form of treatment is believed to be an aggravating factor

It is "almost too late" to stop a global superbug crisis caused by the misuse of antibiotics, a leading expert has warned. Scientists have a "50-50" chance of salvaging existing antibiotics from bacteria which has become resistant to its effects, according to Dr David Brown.

The director at Antibiotic Research UK, whose discoveries helped make more than 30 billion US dollars (£20 billion) in pharmaceutical sales, said efforts to find new antibiotics are "totally failing" despite significant investment and research.

‘Sharia Compliant’: Malaysia Launches Its First Airline Governed By Islamic Law

Maiden Sharia compliant flight took place on Sunday ferrying 150 passengers from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi

A new airline has launched in Malaysia which follows the rules of Islamic law in a first for the country. During flights, there is no alcohol served and only halal food is provided.

Rayani Air’s maiden flight took place on Sunday ferrying 150 passengers from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi, a popular tourist destination where the airline is headquartered.

₦1.4trn Fine: FG Calls MTN’s Bluff, Says Dec 31 Deadline Subsists

NCC sanctioned MTN over failure to remove 5.1 million unregistered subscribers from its network

The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would neither be cowed nor threatened by MTN’s court action against the ₦1.4trn fine which was later reduced to ₦780 billion, insisting that the telecommunications company risks another fine if it fails to pay on deadline. Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, made the statement yesterday in reaction to the suit instituted by the telecom operator at a Lagos High Court, weekend.

Boko Haram Keeps A Million Children Out Of School: UNICEF

Children stand next to a UNICEF tent in the refugee camp in Assaga, southeast Niger ©Boureima Hama (AFP)

The Boko Haram insurgency has kept more than one million children out of school, the UN children's agency reported on Tuesday, highlighting fears that a lack of education will fuel further radicalism in and around Nigeria. Over 2,000 schools are closed across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, while hundreds of others have been attacked, looted, or set on fire by Boko Haram jihadists in their quest to create an independent Islamic state, said UNICEF.

Costa Rica Closes 2015 With 99% Renewable Energy

Water gushes out of a floodgate at the hydroelectric dam Cachi in Ujarras de Cartago, 60 miles of San Jose, Costa Rica © Juan Carlos Ulate / Reuters

Costa Rica has boasted that almost all of the energy it has produced in 2015 came from renewable sources, making the small Central America country a global leader in green energy. “We close 2015 with 99 percent of clean energy!” announced the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on Facebook, saying that “the energy produced … in 2015 reaches 98.95 % with renewable sources as of December 17.”

EGYPTIAN FOOTBALL: Zamalek FC Quit Egyptian League Over Refereeing

Getty Images

Egyptian champions Zamalek have quit the current Premier League season, the club has announced on its website.  Zamalek's board met after a 3-2 loss to El-Gaish on Sunday evening and decided not to complete the competition.

The board are due to meet again on Monday to discuss the matter further.

2-IN-1 STORY: Oil Prices Crash To Epic Lows After US Vote As Nigerian Oil Workers Reject PIB

OPEC Logo

Crude oil prices on the global market crashed on Monday to epic lows, as they beat 2008 global economic crisis prices and sank beyond 11-year low with the US vote to lift ban on oil exports. New data released on Monday, revealed that the price of crude oil in the OPEC basket of twelve crude, stood at 31.63 dollars – an 11-year-low.

The last time the OPEC basket stood at a daily low of less than US$32 was in April 2004, when it traded at US$31.32.

Burundi MPs Debate AU Force

Burundi has been in turmoil since April Reuters

Burundi's parliament is debating the plan by the African Union to send 5,000 peacekeepers to the country to protect civilians in Burundi. The parliament is expected to back the government's rejection of the force, which it has described as an "invasion force". 

South African King 'Tries To Avoid Jail'

King Dalindyebo waged a reign of terror against some of his subjects Reuters

A convicted king in South Africa should be given clemency by President Jacob Zuma or preferential treatment in prison, an influential traditional leaders body has said, the local News24 site reports.  King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo - a monarch of Nelson Mandela's Thembu ethnic group - is due to report to police on Wednesday to start a 12-year jail sentence after a court convicted him of kidnapping, assault and arson. 

FIFA: Sepp Blatter And Michel Platini Get Lengthy Bans

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation. The bans come into force immediately.

12 Dead As Tourist Bus Crashes In Thailand: Police

In a 2015 study on global road safety, the World Health Organization found Thailand had the world's second most dangerous roads with 36.2 fatalities per 100,000 people ©Stephen Shaver (AFP)

At least 12 people including Chinese tourists were killed on Sunday when a bus plunged off a road in Thailand, the latest fatal smash in a country with some of the world's most dangerous highways. Investigators said the accident happened shortly after midday in Doi Saket district 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the northern city of Chiang Mai.

"Initial reports show there are 14 people injured and 12 people have died," an officer at Doi Saket police station told AFP, asking not to be named.

Gunmen Abduct Gov Dickson’s Sister, One Other

Governor Seriake Dickson

A 26-year-old lady, Nancy Keme Dickson, has been kidnapped by armed men at the Okaka suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital. The gunmen also seized her sales girl. GRAPHITTI NEWS gathered that Nancy is Governor Seriake Dickson’s sister.