Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | The soldier clutched his book with both hands. He shouted his name, rank and Nigerian Army number to no-one in particular. He stood up straight and ended every reply with a bark of “sah” (sir). But his eyes were fixed to a slowly cranking ceiling …

Beijing, China | AFP |  The world’s largest radio telescope began operating in southwestern China Sunday, a project which Beijing says will help humanity search for alien life. The Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), nestled between hills in the mountainous region of Guizhou, began working around noon, the official …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  Authorities have arrested a Turkish-born man suspected of shooting five people dead, including a teenaged cancer survivor, at a shopping mall in the US state of Washington. Police named the suspect as Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old resident of the nearby town of Oak …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Vanishing message service Snapchat announced Saturday it will launch a line of video-catching sunglasses, a spin on Glass eyewear abandoned by Google more than a year ago. The California-based company, which also announced it is changing its name to Snap Inc., said in …

  New Delhi, India | AFP | The less-than-supersonic sale of French Rafale fighter jets to India has highlighted the obstacles facing foreign arms firms seeking to do business with the world’s biggest weapons importer. India has signed a series of key defence deals under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The New York Times endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Saturday, saying her intelligence, record of public service and other strengths qualify her for the White House. In an editorial, the influential Times as expected threw its weight behind Clinton and dismissed Donald Trump …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The world’s biggest conference on the international wildlife trade got underway Saturday in Johannesburg, but African countries lashed out at Western charities for “dictating” how they should protect their elephants. Over the next 12 days thousands of conservationists and top government officials will thrash …

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP |  Denis Onyango’s South African club Mamelodi Sundowns reached the CAF Champions League final on Saturday — five months after being eliminated from the competition. The Pretoria side popularly known as the ‘Brazilians’ defeated ZESCO United of Zambia 2-0 at home to qualify 3-2 on …

The Uganda Rugby Cranes defied the odds on Saturday when they pipped Namibia 38-19 to win the Rugby Afrique 7s tournament in Kenya. So miraculous is the feat owing to the fact that coach Tolbert Onyango is the muscle behind the success after he invested personal finances to ensure the …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  Morocco on Friday made an official request to return to the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest at its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member. “The Kingdom of Morocco has officially submitted a request to accede to the …