I Coast ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo acquitted of crimes against humanity
Abidjan - An Ivory Coast jury on Tuesday acquitted former first lady Simone Gbagbo of crimes against humanity during the 2010-11 post-election crisis in a stunning verdict after the prosecution had sought to jail her for life.
"A majority of the jury declared Simone Gbagbo not guilty of the crimes of which she has been accused, pronounced her acquittal and ordered that she be immediately freed if she is not being held for other reasons," said the head of the country's top criminal court, judge Kouadjo Boiqui.
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Doctor who
stopped to help crash victims 'hit by truck'
Harare - An off-duty doctor who stopped to help victims of a serious road accident in Zimbabwe was hit by a lorry and both his legs were broken, a press report says.
The doctor, named by the official Herald newspaper as Samuel Mvurume, is being treated in hospital in Harare.
Crowds had gathered in the aftermath of an accident involving a minibus near Chinhoyi in northern Zimbabwe at the weekend. The bus hit a tree and 23 people were injured, the paper said.
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Self-proclaimed
pastor gets 15 years for raping girl, 8
Bulawayo – A self-proclaimed pastor has reportedly been sentenced to 15 years behind bars after being found guilty of raping an 8-year-old congregant in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
According to the state-owned Chronicle newspaper, Clayton Nkala, 26, pleaded not guilty to the charge, but overwhelming evidence before the court led to his conviction.
Magistrate Chrispen Mberewere sentenced Nkala to 15 years in jail, but suspended 5 years of the the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
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'I left my
licence at home': Police drag 'naked' stripper from stage
Harare - A stripper dragged from the stage mid-performance in Zimbabwe's eastern city of Mutare has told a court that she left her licence at home, it's been reported.
The 22-year-old woman was naked apart from a necklace when police burst into a nightclub in Chikanga township earlier this month and arrested her, the Manica Post reported recently.
Priscilla Mutandabare was convicted of public indecency in court.
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Ruby rush
brings gangland turf war to Mozambique
Montepuez - The stakes are high in Montepuez where the discovery of rubies has led to violence among miners that has turned the northern town into what some describe as Mozambique's own version of the Wild West.
Discovery of the red gemstone in 2009 sparked a "ruby rush", with thousands of miners arriving to seek their fortune, but often finding only grim conditions, conflict and danger.
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Over 60 000 S
Sudanese enter Sudan in three months: UN
Khartoum - More than 60 000 South Sudanese have entered Sudan in the first three months of 2017, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday, fleeing famine and war in the world's youngest nation.
South Sudan, formed after splitting from the north in 2011, has declared a famine in parts of the country where 100 000 people are said to be facing starvation.
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