Nigeria Boko Haram: Search stepped up for 110 kidnapped schoolgirls

Sandals lay strewn in the yard of Dapchi's school after the attack

Nigeria has deployed extra troops and planes to search for 110 schoolgirls believed to have been abducted by Boko Haram militants last week.


The girls went missing after jihadists stormed their school in the town of Dapchi in the north-eastern Yobe state on 19 February.
President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a "national disaster" and apologised to the girls' families.
The attack has revived memories of the Chibok schoolgirl abduction in 2014.

Distraught relatives are demanding answers from the Nigerian authorities

Anger has been growing among the girls' parents amid reports that soldiers had been withdrawn from key checkpoints in Dapchi last month.

• Why January is Boko Haram's deadliest month
• Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group?

Dapchi, which is about 275km (170 miles) north-west of Chibok, came under attack last Monday, causing students and teachers from the Government Girls Science and Technical College to flee into the surrounding bush.
Residents say that Nigeria's security forces, backed by military jets, later repelled the attack.
Authorities initially denied the students had been kidnapped, saying they were hiding from their attackers   READ MORE

Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group?

Abubakar Shekau (centre) pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but it later disowned him

Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram - which has caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a wave of bombings, assassinations and abductions - is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.


Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.
This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.
Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, regardless of whether the president is Muslim or not - and it has extended its military campaign by targeting neighbouring states. READ MORE

BREAKING NEWS, South Africa: the economic challenge

South Africa: the economic challenge

Mr Ramaphosa faces many economic challenges 

South Africa's new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will have a daunting in-tray, including a formidable economic agenda to tackle.

Growth under Jacob Zuma's leadership has been weak and unemployment is painfully high.
It is one of the most unequal countries on the planet - the legacy of apartheid is still evident.
And businesses face many barriers that make it harder to contribute to addressing these problems.
Here are some figures to set out the challenge. READ MORE

BREAKING NEWS, Director promises justice for victims

Oxfam sex scandal: Director promises justice for victims

Oxfam sex scandal: Director promises justice for victims

Oxfam says it will set up a commission to investigate past and present allegations of exploitation by staff.

Oxfam International's executive director Winnie Byanyima said it would "do justice" and "atone for the past".
She invited victims to come forward "for justice to be done" for them, saying she was "here for all the women who have been abused".
The British charity has faced ,  READ MORE

BREAKING NEWS , FLORIDA SHOOTING

Florida shooting: FBI and teachers warned about Nikolas Cruz

The FBI has launched a review over its handling of a warning about the teenager accused of carrying out Wednesday's school shooting in Florida.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, has appeared in court charged with premeditated murder. With 17 people killed, this is the deadliest US school shooting since 2012.
Mr Cruz reportedly commented on a YouTube post last year that he would be a "professional school shooter".
The FBI admitted that a user had alerted authorities to the post.  READ MORE

 APPLY FOR AMERICAN VISA HERE

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dies aged 65

 

Morgan Tsvangirai took part in a long political battle against Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died in South Africa, a senior official in his MDC party has said.

Mr Tsvangirai, 65, a former prime minister, had reportedly been suffering from colon cancer.
"He died this evening. The family communicated this to me," MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri told Reuters.
Mr Tsvangirai's career was marked by a long political struggle against former President Robert Mugabe.
He had been beaten and imprisoned numerous times. Read more here



 Apply for American visa here

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma resigns

 South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma has resigned his office with immediate effect.

He made the announcement in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening.
Earlier, Mr Zuma's governing ANC party told him to resign or face a vote of no confidence in parliament on Thursday.
The 75-year-old has been under increasing pressure to give way to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC's new leader.
Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, faces numerous allegations of corruption.
His resignation came at the end of a long speech in which he said he disagreed with the way the ANC had acted towards him. Read more here


Apply for USA visa here