Five South African military members died in a helicopter crash while on an anti-rhino poaching mission, the nation's state broadcaster said Sunday.
The crash happened Saturday evening at Kruger National Park, according to South African Broadcasting Corp.
The Kenyan Supreme Court plans to issue its verdict Saturday on a legal challenge to Uhuru Kenyatta's win in the presidential election.
Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's founding leader, won the presidential poll this month with 50.07% of the vote.
His main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, got 43.31% of the vote, and challenged the outcome in court, saying it was flawed and marred by technical problems.
FULL STORYFormer South African President Nelson Mandela is conscious after his admission to a hospital for a recurring lung infection, the president's office said Thursday.
Mandela, 94, was admitted to the hospital just before midnight Wednesday, his second hospitalization this month.
The anti-apartheid icon and nation's first black president has become increasingly frail over the years, and he has not appeared in public since 2010.
FULL STORYAfter more than four years of self-imposed exile, Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf landed in Karachi on Sunday despite threats of arrest and assassination.
Musharraf resigned as president of the south Asian nation five years ago, but he hopes to lead his party in May elections.
He has been living in London and Dubai, and risks possible arrest and the Pakistani Taliban have vowed to assassinate him if he returns to the nation.
FULL STORYNigerian author Chinua Achebe, acclaimed in part for his groundbreaking 1958 novel "Things Fall Apart," has died, his British publisher, Penguin Books, said Friday. He was 82.
An author of more than 20 books, his honors included the 2007 Man Booker International Prize for Fiction.
Achebe is a major part of African literature, and is popular all over the continent for his novels, especially "Anthills of the Savannah," which was itself shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987, and "Things Fall Apart."
Zimbabweans voted Saturday for a key referendum on a new constitution that limits presidential terms for the first time in the African nation.
Robert Mugabe, 89, has been in power for decades, first serving as prime minister in 1980 and taking over as president seven years later.
"This is a Zimbabwean document to replace a British one. That is why I voted for it," said Babra Mheno, 34, a university student, referring to the nation's former colonial rulers.
If approved, which is highly likely, the constitution will give more powers to the parliament and limit the president's. It also introduces a two-term limit of five years each for a president.
FULL STORYUhuru Kenyatta, indicted for alleged crimes against humanity and the son of the nation's founding father, was leading early Wednesday in Kenya's presidential election.
With a little more than 40% of the vote counted, Kenyatta was leading - 53% to 42% - over his main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, according to the election commission website
FULL STORYThrongs of Kenyans lined up nationwide Monday to choose a president in a tight, anxiously awaited general election, just hours after several people were killed in an attack on a police station in the country's second-largest city.
The victims of the attack at the police station in the port city of Mombasa included both civilians and police officers, said Prime Minister Raila Odinga. He did not have an exact death toll.
FULL STORYwo Kenyan presidential frontrunners will face off Monday, bringing back memories of a political dynasty that dates to the 1960s.
Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga are the sons of the nation's first president and vice president, respectively.
About five decades later, it is the sons' turn in the spotlight.
Russia's foreign minister said Saturday it was concerned by a Texas coroner's report declaring the death of an adopted boy from the nation as accidental.
The 3-year-old lived in Texas with his adoptive parents.
The announcement of the accidental death came after an autopsy was completed on the boy, Max Shatto.
The foreign ministry said it did not receive the information on cause of death from U.S. officials, but from the media.
[Updated 10:30 a.m. ET] Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at his South Africa home early Thursday.
Pistorius, nicknamed the "Blade Runner," made history when he became the first Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympics last year. Check our full story for the latest.
[Updated 8:03 a.m. ET] The suspect will appear in court Friday rather than today because the public prosecutor needs time to prepare the case, police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told CNN.
The state will oppose bail, police spokeswoman Denise Beukes told reporters.
[Posted 2:45 a.m.] A woman was found fatally shot in the upscale Pretoria home of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, police said Thursday.
The victim was model Reeva Steenkamp, according to Capacity Relations, the agency that represents her. Steenkamp was Pistorius' girlfriend.
Police said they have arrested a 26-year-old man – the same age as Pistorius – in connection with the shooting, and that he will appear in Pretoria magistrate court sometime Thursday.
Pistorius, nicknamed the "Blade Runner," made history when he became the first Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympics last year.
Police said Pistorius was cooperating with them.
FULL STORYEvery week, we bring you some of the most interesting stories from around Africa. Here are the five you need to know.
New smartphones for Africa
Africans in select cities will have more choices when it comes to smartphones.
In a move targeting the world's fastest-growing mobile market, Microsoft is teaming up with Chinese company Huawei to sell a Windows smartphone in seven countries.
FULL STORYTorrential rains sent rivers raging through towns in Mozambique, ripping up homes and killing at least 36 people over the past few days.
Tens of thousands fleeing affected areas remain stranded without food and water as fears of a humanitarian crisis grow.
FULL STORYGhanaians vote Friday in a general election that pits the incumbent against the son of a former president in one of Africa's most stable democracies.
The west African nation is hailed as a beacon of peace and democracy in a region beleaguered with coups, conflicts and civil wars.
Incumbent leader John Dramani Mahama, a former vice president who took over after his predecessor died this year, is one of eight contenders vying for the top position.
FULL STORYRescue crews searched for survivors Thursday after a South African military plane crashed in the mountains as it headed to an airport near the rural hometown of Nelson Mandela.
A military spokesman declined to comment on the plane's mission or the number of people aboard.
FULL STORYThe northeast Spanish region of Catalonia is voting for president and a regional parliament Sunday in elections considered a barometer of rising independence sentiment.
Independence is not on the ballot Sunday, but the incumbent Catalan president, Artur Mas, is expected to be re-elected and has vowed to hold a referendum on self-determination in his next term.
The Spanish government in Madrid vows to block any referendum, arguing that the constitution does not permit a region alone to decide its independence.
FULL STORY
Malawi is shelving its laws against homosexuality pending a vote on whether to repeal them, a rights group said, a bold move in a continent that mostly criminalizes such relationships.
The justice minister said the laws are suspended and police cannot arrest or prosecute homosexuals until parliament votes, Amnesty
International said in a statement Monday.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in the southern Africa nation and carry a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
Editor's Note: An Atlanta police department helicopter crashed late Saturday night on a city street just a few miles from downtown, killing both officers on board. See full story.
Here are the latest developments:
[Update 1:45 a.m.] The missing 9-year-old has been found and is in the hands of the police, authorities said today.
[Update 1: 30 a.m.] Atlanta Police Chief George Turner briefed reporters and offered the following details:
– Two Atlanta police officers who were in the chopper were killed.
– The helicopter unit was called in to assist with the search for a missing 9-year-old child.
– The chopper was flying low so that the officers were better able to see.
– There were no injuries on the ground.
– The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating.
[Update 1:01 a.m.] The crash has knocked out power to 1,300 Georgia Power customers, a spokesman for the electricity company said. "We believe the outage is because of the helicopter crash," said spokesman John Kraft. "I don't know specifics of what happened in that crash. We believe it is a result of the helicopter coming in contact with the lines at some point."
[Update 1 a.m.] The FAA says two people were on board the chopper when it crashed but the agency deferred questions about their conditions to the Atlanta police department.
[Update 12:26 a.m.]
Television footage from affiliates show a convoy of police cars at the site of the crash
[Updated 11:57 p.m.] Police spokesman Carlos Campos just sent out this e-mail, asking that media not report "unconfirmed" information about casualties:
One of our helicopters has crashed near MLK Jr and Hamilton E. Holmes around 10:30 p.m. Public Affairs personnel are on scene and gathering information. We ask you to respectfully refrain from releasing unconfirmed information. We understand you are needing information. You will get it. Just give us time to gather facts. We will announce a briefing location soon.
[Posted at 11:52 p.m.] A helicopter for the Atlanta Police Department crashed tonight in northwest Atlanta. Authorities are at the scene. More details soon.
[Updated 6:54 a.m. ET] A Halloween party erupted in gunfire that left several people wounded at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, campus officials said.
The shooting occurred during an argument between two men Wednesday night, according to Capt. David Carlisle of the university's department of public safety. Officials lifted a campus lockdown after a few hours. FULL POST
[Updated at 1:51 p.m. ET] A fuel tanker rammed into a bridge and exploded into a ball of fire Thursday, killing 22 people and sending flames sweeping over the Saudi Arabia capital, state television reported.
In addition to the fatalities, at least 111 others were wounded, according to the report.
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