Somalia says it has killed 300 Islamist militants

The authorities in Somalia say their troops have killed 300 al-Shabab militants in the south of the country.

They say the operation, in Hirshabelle province, was supported by air strikes involving international partners.

Al-Shabab Islamists have recently been losing control of swathes of territory in central and southern Somalia..

The group has been waging an insurgency against the central government for more than 15 years.

There’s been no comment from alShabab.

were not paid. The government is seeking to exchange the bonds for new ones with a 3.5% cut on the return of their investment including deferred date of payment due to the risk of default. The finance ministry also indicated that it was voluntary for them to accept. The minister was summoned to parliament to explain the reasons for not exempting the pensioner bondholders.

His ministry on Tuesday indicated that it had achieved 85% participation in the programme, though analysts are casting doubt on the percentage.

Israeli ex-spies hacked into phones in Kenya – report

Israeli hackers allegedly hacked into the private conversation of two aides to Kenya’s President William Ruto during last year’s election, a new investigation has claimed.

The investigation - carried out by a consortium of journalists and published in outlets including Israel’s Haaretz and The Guardian of the UK - claims that days before Kenya’s 2022 election, a hacker “gave a demonstration of his capabilities, showing how he could use hacking techniques to infiltrate the messages of political advisers”.

The undercover reporters, posing as potential clients, were given “a guided tour of the hacked Telegram and email accounts of five different targets in Kenya” including Dennis Itumbi, who was a political adviser for William Ruto, then vice president, and Davis Chirchir, the former chief of Staff.

The report identifies the alleged hackers as former Israeli special forces led by an operative called Tal Hanan. Mr Hanan is quoted as saying that he had led a team called “Team Jorge” to access Mr Chirchir and Mr Itumbi’s accounts as part of “an intelligence-gathering and disinformation campaign against Ruto’s campaign team”.

Mr Itumbi has since said via his Twitter account that he was aware of “increased activity” on his Telegram account towards the end of last year’s campaign and he stopped using his Telegram for any communication.

The investigation does not reveal who hired the hacking team. Neither the state nor the opposition has commented on the report.

The alleged attempt at interference did not prevent Mr Ruto from being declared president. Main opposition leader Raila Odinga challenged the results on grounds that the final results were manipulated in favour of Mr Ruto, but his petition was thrown out by the courts because of insufficient evidence.

Nigerian police promise presence at every poll site

Police officers trained in election security will be present at every voting centre in Nigeria, says the head of the force, who is promising to do what he can to ensure a “peaceful and secure atmosphere” next Saturday.

Inspector General Usman Alkali Baba also says the more than 310,000 police officers deployed will be supported by more than 90,000 additional security agents, and will be given air and marine assistance.

He also mentioned illegal arms trafficking, cyberbullying and kidnapping as issues that need to be tackled to ensure the election takes place safely.

Some 93.5 million people are registered to vote in the 25 February general election, according to the election commission.

South Africa’s deputy president resigns

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the resignation of his deputy, David Mabuza, thanking him for his “unwavering support” over the last five years.

Local reports say it comes as no surprise because Mr Mabuza had already announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down.

He will stay in the post until Mr Ramaphosa announces his successor, widely expected to be new ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

A cabinet reshuffle is expected next week once South Africa’s annual budget is announced.

The government is under pressure to prove it has the answers to the countries economic woes and rolling blackouts.

Pope Francis denies speculation he will step down

Pope Francis has dismissed speculation that he plans to follow the example of his predecessor, Benedict, by retiring.

The Pope - who is 86 and often uses a wheelchair - said he believed that the job was for life. He added that historical tradition was important, and stepping down was not on his agenda.

The remarks were made during a meeting earlier this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but have only just been made public.

The death of Benedict at the end of last year had led some observers to suggest that Pope Francis might now consider stepping down due to ill-health

Most baby milk health claims unproven - study

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study has found that companies are still making spurious claims about the nutritional value of baby formula despite rules designed to curb the way they are advertised.

Scientists from Imperial College London looked at how hundreds of breast milk substitutes were marketed in Nigeria and South Africa, as well as 13 other countries across the world.

They found that most products gave no scientific references for their health claims or made claims that are not supported by robust clinical evidence.

The researchers are calling for greater regulation and oversight.

The World Health Organization recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives.

Source: BBC