WARPLANES struck overnight at an airbase that was recently recaptured by Libya's internationally recognised government from eastern forces with help from Turkey, a military source with the eastern forces and a resident nearby said. The strikes were carried out by "unknown aircraft", the military source with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said. A resident at the nearby town of Zintan said explosions were heard from the direction of the base. Watiya's recapture in May by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli marked the start of a sudden collapse of the LNA's 14-month assault…

THE  number of people killed in protests in Ethiopia following the slaying of a popular singer has jumped to 156 from the initial tally of 80, a senior regional security official has revealed. The protests were sparked by the assassination of musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa on Monday night and spread from Addis Ababa to the surrounding Oromia region. Jibril Mohammed, head of the Oromia Security and Peace Bureau, said the 156 are those who died just in the Oromia region, which was the worst hit by the protests. He said more deaths might be reported due to the number of injuries…

STAFF REPORTER PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has led South Africans in paying tribute to veteran playwright and theatre icon Welcome Msomi, who has passed on. Msomi (76), whose legendary work in theatre spans more than four decades, was the brains behind many productions. One of his well known works was  “Umabatha”, an adaption of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which was staged in South Africa during apartheid and attracted multiracial crowds. Msomi died on the same day as Mary Twala, one of the queens of South African theatre and mother of TV personality and mega influencer Somizi Mhlongo. Ramaphosa said South Africa’s creative…

Condolences have continued to pour in for South African superstar and mega influencer Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung whose mom - Mary Twala - has passed on. Friends and supporters of Somizi took to social media to express support for Somizi and to pay tribute to his mom, who was a veteran actress and winner of many awards. Somizi took to social media to announce the passing of her mom with six powerful words. “My tree has fallen... lala Ma,” wrote Somizi. Twala, 80, was widely respected as a star film and stage actress. Somizi's announcement elicited an instant outpouring of condolences from…

AYENAT MERSIE  and  KUMERRA GEMECHU IMPRISONED as a teenager for his political activism, singer Haacaaluu Hundeessaa grew into one of Ethiopia's biggest stars and his songs became anthems for the young protesters who brought down one of Africa's most repressive regimes. Haacaaluu sang in the Oromo language of Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, but his lyrics - about yearning for freedom and exhorting Ethiopians to solve their own problems - touched a chord more broadly. His first album was released in 2009, after he had served five years in prison, where he wrote most of his songs, according to a profile…