SmallShop....Africa News

A eighty-four year old man in Northern Nigeria has prompted anger from Muslims, even receiving death threats, for having 86 wives. Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reports from Bida, where Mohammed Bello polygamy has caused huge controversy.

CAIRO ( AFP  ) — A group of European tourists and their guides snatched by armed bandits in a remote desert 10 days ago were freed unharmed in a pre-dawn raid by Egyptian special forces, officials in Egypt said. The group of 19 hostages -- five Germans, five Italians, a Romanian and eight Egyptian drivers and tour guides -- were flown Monday into Cairo aboard an Egyptian military plane and taken for medical checks, state television said.

Ghana Today There are over 7,600 Commonwealth citizens in the UK's armed forces Commonwealth soldiers who are discharged from the British army are ending up homeless and unable to work or claim benefits, a charity has said. Veterans Aid, which helps homeless servicemen, says dealing with the problem is taking up 20% of its time. Home Office rules state they have to serve a minimum of four years before they earn the right to stay in the UK.

WOW.gm Police last Friday arrested at least 24 beggars, who were found loitering and begging in Banjul, confirmed reports reveal. The beggars, who are believed to be Gambians and Senegalese,were arrested during a raiding exercise by the police in different parts of Banjul. Confirming the story, the Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Police Force, ASP Sulayman Secka said the police arrested 24 beggars of which 17 of them are Gambians, while 7 of them are Senegalese. The police spokesperson added that the beggars are charged with the offence of common nuisance and obstruction on public highway, contrary to the Road and Highway Act. “We didn’t arrest those in the mosques but those who loiter around. As a beggar you don’t expect to be loitering everywhere, disturbing people even at their working places. That would not be tolerated,” he added.

Freedom Newspaper The High court in Banjul, is hearing one of the biggest civil cases, ever brought against the country’s top business Executives namely: Amadou Samba, Muhammed Bazzi, Salifu A Jallow, Baba K Jobe, Philip Thompsett and the jailed Jarra West former MP Baba K Jobe. Total Fina Elf Gambia Limited is suing the above mentioned defendants for damages amounting to $778,948.15. The sum in question represents a debt owed to the plaintiff by Amadou Samba and co. Total Fina ELF Gambia, is also claiming loss of earnings and interest, as a result of the defendants failure to pay the debt they owed to the oil company. The defendants have woefully failed to honour their promise to settle the said debt, which is now a subject of litigtion.

Champion Newspapers Former Presidential Adviser on Conflict Resolutions in Africa, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, has said that General Muhammadu Buhari’s coup of 1983 that toppled the Shagari administration was actually a plot by some northern elements to stop former Vice President Alex Ekwueme from succeeding Shagari by the time his tenure would have elapsed in 1987. Uwechue, who stated this in a lecture at the Igbo Students Renaissance Day organised by the Confederation of Igbo Students (CIS) in Enugu, said the masterminds of the coup had considered as unacceptable the prospect of an Igboman taking over the leadership of the country not very long after the civil war and thus chose to stop it from becoming a reality.

Daily Nation About 2,000 men armed with assorted weapons attacked villages in Eldoret during the post-election violence, the High Court sitting in Nakuru was told on Monday. Witness Daniel Mwangi Ng’ang’a, who lived at Kiambaa village, said there was fear and tension among residents in the area before the violence erupted.

This Day The non-payment of 775,760 depositors of failed banks by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) about six years after the banks went under will soon be a subject of investigation by the Senate following a litany of petitions forwarded to it by depositors. So far, only 225,000 depositors, (representing 15 per cent of the 1,000,760 depositors of the failed banks prior to the recapitalisation of banks), have been settled since the affected banks went under. The total amount due for payment to depositors was put at N22 billion by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, in an interview with Senate correspondents in Abuja at the weekend. According to her, “The pre-consolidated failed banks and the number of customers were 1,000,760 and total amount, in terms of money, is N22 billion; and, out of that N22 billion, only 225,000 customers have been paid.

Sowetan Metro Police have arrested a suspected hijack kingpin in Soweto at the weekend, who has been linked to 19 hijackings and armed robberies. Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said on Monday that two other men were also arrested while four stolen vehicles and two shotguns were recovered. Metro policemen received a call that a white Hilux was being hijacked in Diepkloof, Soweto on Saturday night. The police followed up and found the vehicle abandoned — and then received another call of a green Audi being hijacked.

Gems come in all sizes, colors and shapes, but they have one thing in common: they shine and sparkle as they catch the light, dazzling the beholder. But, this is not how they start out. Gem stones are forged deep inside the earth and, in the rough, appear unremarkable to the untrained eye. But people in the know can spot a rough diamond, for example, and foresee its travels from the mine shaft, the river bed or gravel pit to, eventually, the jeweler's display case. VOA's Sonja Pace narrates this story of the birth of a gem stone and the beginnings of its journey.

REPORT : The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has asked the court's judges to charge Sudan's leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide in Darfur and to issue a warrant against him. But obstacles are many.

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Polio is a disease that could be extinguished entirely through vaccinations but yet it still kills thousands each year. The situation in Nigeria is by far the worst. It has the highest number of polio cases in the world. And as Yvonne Ndege reports from Kanu State fear and superstitution form part of the problem.

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champion-newspapers.com Supreme yesterday warned all the parties in the petition brought by former Head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, challenging the Court of Appeal’s decision that upheld the election of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, not to bring any motion that would stop definite hearing of the appeal on October 23. The seven-man panel of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria [CJN], Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, fixed the date after disposing all pending motions before the court which included motion for extension of time as earlier prayed by Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC].

Freedom Newspaper Torture is either physical or psychological-both are too bad for decency! In The Gambia of today, we have the NIA that tortures by using both methods without being accountable to any one other than Yahya Jammeh. When someone is caught within the NIA drag net the agency first uses hearsay talk to instill fear in that person's mind. Then use close friends, family members and other talkers to send a signal that, you the person in question are not in the books of Jemus Junkung Jammeh, therefore have to be extremely careful.

ghanaian-chronicle.com Volta Region branch of the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAf) has embarked on an intensive educational programme dubbed, “We know politics,” which is aimed at encouraging women to actively participate in politics, by expressing their views on issues that affect their lives. The programme, which also seeks to educate women on their rights, as well as civic responsibilities, created the opportunity for them to say what they would expect an incoming government to do for them. Speaking at a recent educational programme for women, at the Akatsi market in the Akatsi District, they accused the District Assembly of neglecting them.

The Inquirer Criminal Court “B” Judge Karboi Nuta has sharply lashed out at journalists for misinforming the public regarding ongoing records of the trial of the case involving Senator Roland Kaine and others which has subsequently been suspended by the Justice in Chambers. Presiding over the hearing of a ‘motion to bail’ for the defendant of said case during its 39th jury sitting yesterday, the Assigned Circuit judge, Nuta, stated, “The court has the authority to act in correcting erroneous publication and exercise that authority because such erroneous publication has the propensity to create undue and unwarranted negative concept of the court and the justice system.” 

Ghana Today  Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – Ghana is mourning the sudden death of Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, in a South African hospital. Many people from the political divide –President John Agyekum Kufuor, Vice President Aliu Mahama, former President Jerry Rawlings, former vice president and flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Evans Atta Mills, flag bearers and top executives political parties have expressed shock at passing of Mr Baah-Wiredu.

The Zimbabwe Independent ZIMBABWE Tourism Authority (ZTA) boss Karikoga Kaseke faces eviction from a house he was leasing in the capital after a Harare civil court ordered him to vacate the premises. Magistrate Never Katiyo recently ruled that Kaseke must leave the house in Sentosa, Mabelreign, in Harare even though his appeal to the High Court against a ruling of the Rent Board ordering him to vacate the property was still pending. According to court records seen by the Zimbabwe Independent this week, Kaseke was renting the house from Zulekha Kara and was given three-months notice on October 26 2007 to vacate the premises. The notice commenced on November 1 2007. "Despite being given the notice the respondent (Kaseke) failed to vacate the premises and thereafter I approached the Rent Board to obtain a certificate of ejectment," Kara said in his application seeking an order to compel the ZTA boss to leave his house.

New Era Chaos erupted at the monthly City Council meeting on Wednesday evening, when the chairperson of the management committee, Elaine Trepper, shouted at the mayor after she was called to order. “You have given the opposition a chance, are you one of them,” a very furious Trepper remarked in reference to the mayor Mathew Shikongo. Shikongo prompted Trepper’s reaction when he attempted to stop her from responding to remarks by the United Democratic Front councillor, Werner Claasen. Initially, Trepper criticised some opposition councillors whom she said take credit when council has done something positive but distance themselves when things go wrong. Trepper said some of them even run to the media to disclose every detail. Claasen stood up and said that he would not hide saying he was the one who went to the media.

The Citizen Newspaper Do you want an 'original' national school examination certificate without having to sweat for it in an exam room? It's possible, The Citizen can reveal today. The brains behind this racket, which enables people who may have failed their examinations or who never even made it beyond primary school to acquire Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates, are doing lucrative business in Dar es Salaam. The well-established syndicate selling original and fake academic certificates rakes in millions of shillings every month.

The Uganda Observer    As the Amama Mbabazi-NSSF land deal continues to dominate public debate, observers are surprised that President Museveni is reluctant to defend his man against angry NRM party members. The few times Museveni has spoken on this saga, he has been careful not to appear to be backing Mbabazi, his long time confidant. This has given the vocal group of top NRM leaders who want Mbabazi to resign a green light to pursue their party’s secretary general who is also Minister of Security. Mbabazi’s crime is selling his more than 100 acres of land at Temangalo in Wakiso district to NSSF at Shs 24m per acre which is considered exorbitant. Mbabazi and his business partner Amos Nzeyi together sold to NSSF more than 400 acres. Mbabazi is accused of peddling influence to secure the deal, and selling land encumbered by squatters, part of which is wetland, among other accusations.

The News Online Senator Roland Kaine …But Prosecution Excepts The Resident Judge of the Criminal Court “B” Koboi Nuta has granted a motion to admit detained Senator Roland Kaine to bail. The senator was indicted in connection with the murder of 14 men who had gone to under brush a farm believed to be owned by Mr. Charles Bennie in Kolleh Town, Timor District, Margibi County.

Mmegi Online Former Botswana National Front (BNF) executive secretary James Mathokgwane is now a free man after his conviction and 10-year prison sentence for rape was overturned by the High Court in Lobatse yesterday.       Mathokgwane was in the second month of his sentence after being convicted by Broadhust Principal Magistrate Nehemiah Mugoni of raping a nine year-old girl at Old Naledi on March 30, 2006. Mathokgwane appealed to the High Court. In his appeal, he said the trial magistrate court had made numerous mis -directions on matters of fact and law. It was submitted that the magistrate did not analyse the evidence in an objective fashion.

As court fixes October 23 for hearing, judgement M ay the Almighty God gives you the wisdom to see justice and the courage to apply it when you see it." This was the prayer Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) made yesterday for justices of the Supreme Court ahead of October 23, 208, a date fixed for definite hearing and possibly judgement on the two appeals brought by him and his Action Congress counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, against the election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The prayer is came at a time the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, yesterday warned seriously that he would no longer tolerate any further delay in the hearing and determination of the twin appeals brought by Buhari and Atiku against the judgement of the presidential election petitions tribunal which affirmed the election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the April 21, 2007 presidential poll... more

The Financial Gazette RETAIL shops in Zimbabwe have run dry as supermarkets are increasingly finding it difficult to stock up due to the escalating production constraints in the country’s manufacturing sector. Most supermarkets surveyed by The Financial Gazette this week were completely empty, with refrigerators, that normally hum when packed with perishables or drinks, also empty and silent. Some supermarkets in Harare’s central business district were only operating their butchery departments, but there were very few buyers because of the exhorbitant prices. A manger at a TM supermarket outlet said the industry had been affected by a combination of non-viable prices and the general unavailability of goods on the market.

Daily News South Africa's powerful Cosatu trade union, which wants the government to tilt away from pro-business policies, called on new President Kgalema Motlanthe on Friday to eradicate poverty and create jobs. Motlanthe pledged after being sworn in on Thursday to keep to the policies of predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who presided over South Africa's longest period of economic growth before the ruling African National Congress forced him to resign.

ethiomedia.com again, the twin spectres of drought and starvation stalk the land of Ethiopia. UN sources suggest that four million Ethiopians now need what they call "emergency assistance," while another eight million need what is more vaguely described as "food relief." Already, thousands of people are dying. The first to expire are the very young and the very old. In some areas of the country, people are dying of starvation and malnutrition while their goats and sheep get fat eating crops that will not be harvested until late September.

Ethiopian Review NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — After nearly 20 years of violent chaos, Islamic extremism and failed peace talks, impoverished Somalia might seem to have hit rock-bottom. But things are getting worse. The crisis is exceeding even the direst scenarios laid out nearly two years ago, when troops from neighboring Ethiopia arrived to oust a radical Islamic militia and support the Western-backed government.

CAIRO: The 19 Egyptians and tourists who have been kidnapped near the Sudanese border are safe and in good health, according to a source at the tour operator of the trip, but a release date is unknown. Fatma Hussain from Aegyptus Intertravel told Daily News Egypt Thursday that the hostages were “fine.” Aegyptus Intertravel is the tour operator responsible for the safari during which the kidnapping occurred and whose owner, Ibrahim Abdel Rahim, was also abducted,

Polity Two vital government functions, health and crime, came under new political management on Thursday as newly-elected President Kgalema Motlanthe announced his cabinet. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who drew much fire over her promotion of vegetable remedies for HIV/AIDS, was removed as health minister. Charles Nqakula, who failed to make a significant dent in crime levels during his tenure as safety and security minister, was given the defence portfolio.

The Punch A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Superintendent of Minna Prison to produce in court on October 27, this year, Alhaji Bello Masaba, the man with 86 wives who is challenging the power of the Bida Emirate Council to pass a sentence on him.

Discussions on the composition of a unity government for Zimbabwe are in the hands of mediators, after political leaders failed to reach agreement during initial talks. The power-sharing deal calls for long-time President Robert Mugabe to share power with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and its leader Morgan Tsvangirai. VOA's Chris Simkins looks at the challenges in forming a new government and efforts to get international aid to people who are starving.

Unexpected snowfall in South Africa has brought smiles to many who have seen such weather before

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main opposition group, has started their first day of a unilateral ceasfire they say could break if the military targets its camp bases. Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege reports from Lagos where she holds an exclusive interview with one of their spokesmen.

President Thabo Mbeki bowed to heavy pressure from his own party to resign Saturday, tossed to the sidelines of the economic powerhouse he built up as punishment for allegedly abusing his power in trying to quash a popular rival.

President Robert Mugabe has ended nearly three decades of rule in Zimbabwe by signing an historic power-sharing deal with rival Morgan Tsvangirai. Sky's Emma Hurd reports.

Zimbabweans are hoping the power sharing deal will lead to a more stable political system. Violence in the wake of the country's elections left scores of people dead, injured and homeless. Haru Mutasa reports from a town just outside the captial Harare.

Angola's economy is booming as the country exports nearly all of its oil reserves to countries like China. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports from Luanda, the Angolan capital, on how the state has become Africa's biggest oil producer.

Kenya's Kibera shanty town is aiming to put an end to the days of letting waste go to waste. The recycling venture has already brought positive changes to the lives of many residents. From the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Yvonnne Ndege explains.

A surprising election campaign has been organized in Stone Town and with the aim to put Obama in the White House. Why is Obama of any relevance to the people of Zanzibar and why is this team so willing to support his campaign ?

Citizens of Madagascar refer to their nation as the "land of the ancestors". In many ways, theirs is a typical tribal society, and like many such societies they revere their ancestors. But there's one big difference -- the Malagasy dote on their dead relatives to such a degree, that their remains are actually dug up. Part 1 Part2

Bush charcoal is devastating Kenya's forests. CNN's David McKenzie investigates.

Rebel groups, unpaid mercenaries, road bandits, local militias, unruly military, and on top of that tumultuous neighbors.

A shelter set up by funding from New Zealand for girls in desperate need in the West African country of Mali.

The kingdom of Swaziland, home to some of the poorest people in Africa, has held extravagant and expensive celebrations for the king and for the country - both are marking their fortieth year. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Swaziland where the events $10m price tag has angered many people.

NEWS: Angola's opposition party Unita is fighting an uphill battle against the incumbent party in Friday's elections. FRANCE 24's Alex Duval Smith and Stefan Carstens report on their valiant effort to stay afloat against overwhelming odds.

Rwanda is on the road to recovery, with annual economic growth more than six per cent... and women who survived the genocide are driving this boom. Part 1 Part 2