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Harvey Weinstein: More women accuse Hollywood producer of rape

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Composite imageImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption Lysette Anthony said she had reported the alleged rape to police

Two more women have accused Harvey Weinstein of raping them as the top Hollywood producer finds himself increasingly shunned by his peers.

British actress Lysette Anthony says he attacked her at her London home in the late 1980s while another, unidentified woman says she was raped in 1992.

The organisation behind the Oscars has voted to expel Weinstein and his own brother called him “sick and depraved”.

Weinstein, 65, insists sexual relations he had were consensual.

Police in London and New York are investigating various allegations against Weinstein.

More than two dozen women – among them actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan – have made accusations against him including rape and sexual assault.

Weinstein has been a huge figure in the film world, where his productions received more than 300 Oscar nominations and won 81.

‘Pathetic, revolting’

Lysette Anthony told The Sunday Times she had reported an attack by Weinstein to the London Metropolitan Police.

The actress, who stars in the British TV soap Hollyoaks, said she had met the producer when she starred in 1982 sci-fi film Krull and the alleged assault had come a few years later.

It was a “pathetic, revolting” attack, she said, that had left her “disgusted and embarrassed”.

The Metropolitan Police said it was passed an allegation of sexual assault, without giving details.

Separately an unidentified woman told the Mail On Sunday newspaper she had been raped by Weinstein in 1992 when she was working at his film company offices in West London.

‘End of an era’

On Saturday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said its board had “voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority” to expel Weinstein.

Board members include Hollywood figures such as Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg.

The “era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over”, the Academy said.

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Media captionFilm Critic Jason Solomons says Harvey Weinstein “came for me and shook me” after a bad review

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter magazine, Bob Weinstein said he had had no idea of “the type of predator” his brother was.

He refused to comment on reports that he and the board of Weinstein Company had been aware of Weinstein’s settlements with women during recent contract negotiations, saying only that the board “did not know the extent of my brother’s actions”.

The New York Police Department is looking into an allegation against Weinstein dating from 2004 and is reviewing whether there are any additional complaints.

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Media captionOn some red carpets, Harvey Weinstein is not a welcome subject

The last time Harvey Weinstein was seen in public, outside his daughter’s home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, he told reporters: “Guys, I’m not doing OK but I’m trying. I got to get help. You know what, we all make mistakes.”

Weinstein’s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister said earlier this week: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein.”

“Mr Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual,” her statement added.

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Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS

North Korea crisis: Tillerson says diplomacy will continue

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A South Korean marine on exercises on South Korea's Baengnyeong Island, 7 SeptemberImage copyright Reuters
Image caption South Korean forces have been holding exercises along the border with the North

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has insisted President Donald Trump wants to resolve the confrontation with North Korea through diplomacy.

It will continue until “the first bomb drops”, he told CNN.

Sanctions and diplomacy, he said, had brought unprecedented international unity against North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.

Last month, Mr Trump told Mr Tillerson not to waste time seeking talks with Kim Jong-un.

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Rex Tillerson said Mr Trump wanted the issue “solved diplomatically”

In Sunday’s interview, Mr Tillerson again refused to comment on whether he had referred to Mr Trump as a moron.

“I’m not going to deal with that petty stuff,” he replied, saying he would not dignify the question with an answer.

In recent months, North Korea has defied international opinion by conducting its sixth nuclear test and launching two missiles over Japan.

Analysts say the secretive communist state it is clearly set on developing a nuclear-capable missile, able to threaten the continental US, despite UN sanctions.

Lines of communication

At the end of last month, Mr Tillerson disclosed that the US was in “direct contact” with the North and looking at the possibility of talks.

After months of heated rhetoric, it came as a surprise to some that the two countries had lines of communication.

However, the next day Mr Trump tweeted Mr Tillerson to say: “Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!”

Mr Tillerson has not denied calling Mr Trump a moron after a July meeting at the Pentagon.

The president responded by challenging the secretary of state to an IQ test but a spokeswoman said later it had been a joke.

Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS

Harvey Weinstein: Woody Allen ‘sad’ for producer over sexual assault allegations

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Director Woody Allen and producer Harvey Weinstein arrive on the red carpet at the Los Angeles Premiere of 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' in 2008Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Woody Allen has worked with Harvey Weinstein, pictured together in 2008, on many films

Woody Allen has said he is “sad” for Harvey Weinstein as the producer faces numerous allegations of sexual assault.

The filmmaker said he had heard rumours but not “these horror stories” after a number of women came forward to accuse Weinstein of assault.

Weinstein was voted off the board behind the Oscars on Saturday as a result of the allegations.

Allen faced his own sex claims; accused of molesting his adopted daughter – a claim he has always strongly denied.

Weinstein has been credited with reviving Allen’s career after Allen was accused of abusing Dylan Farrow, his daughter with actress Mia Farrow.

The allegation emerged in the early 1990s following Allen’s separation from Farrow.

The actress left Allen after discovering he was having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.

But despite working with Weinstein on a number of films – including the Oscar-winning Mighty Aphrodite – Allen said he had never heard any of allegations of rape and sexual assault.

“No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness,” Allen told the BBC. “And they wouldn’t, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie.

“But you do hear a million fanciful rumours all the time. And some turn out to be true and some – many – are just stories about this actress, or that actor.”

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Media captionOn some red carpets, Harvey Weinstein is not a welcome subject

“The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved,” he added. “Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up.

“There’s no winners in that, it’s just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that.”

Allen said he hoped the revelations, which emerged after an investigation by the New York Times, would lead to “some amelioration”, but said: “You also don’t want it to lead to a witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself. That’s not right either.

“But sure, you hope that something like this could be transformed into a benefit for people rather than just a sad or tragic situation.”

Among those who investigated Weinstein were Allen’s own son, Ronan Farrow, who spoke to 13 women who said the producer had sexually harassed or assaulted them.

Weinstein, 65, insists any sexual contacts he had were consensual. His spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister said earlier this week: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein.”

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California wildfires: Death toll rises as blazes continue

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Media captionIt’s the most lethal outbreak of wildfires in California’s history

Forty people have died and hundreds are still missing in California after six days of wildfires that have devastated swathes of countryside and destroyed thousands of homes.

California’s governor said it was “one of the greatest tragedies” the state had ever faced.

More than 10,000 firefighters are battling 16 remaining blazes.

Winds of up to 70 km/h (45mph) brought them to new towns, forcing many more people to evacuate.

One of the worst-affected areas is the city of Santa Rosa, in the Sonoma wine region, where 3,000 people were evacuated on Saturday.

“The devastation is just unbelievable,” Governor Jerry Brown said on a visit to the city.

“It is a horror that no one could have imagined.”

It is the most lethal outbreak of wildfires in the state’s history. More than 100,000 people have been displaced. and whole neighbourhoods have been reduced to ash.

Firefighters had made some headway on Friday, clearing dry vegetation and other combustible fuel around populated areas on the fires’ southern flank.

But the return of strong winds combined with high temperatures and dry air spread the fires further.

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Media captionOfficers braved the fires rampaging across the state’s famous wine country

The huge fires have sent smoke and ash over San Francisco, about 50 miles away, and over some towns and cities even further south.

At least 13 Napa Valley wineries have been destroyed, a trade group said, and the owner of a winery in Santa Rosa told the BBC that the fires had destroyed millions of dollars worth of wine.

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Media captionWatch: Why the California wildfires are deadly

Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS

Howzat! US-style

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Washington Tigers CCImage copyright Ali Jee

One of the world’s most popular sports is barely known in the US. But, driven by a new generation of immigrants, could cricket finally take off?

It is a hot, sunny day in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Young men play basketball in the park. Barbecue smoke hangs in the hazy, late-summer air.

A cyclist rides past with the Stars and Stripes on his trailer. And then, through the trees, comes a most un-American sound.

“Howzat!”

Image caption Rikin Parikh, 22 Yards captain, with Imran Awan

Imran Awan was 17 when he moved from Pakistan to the US in 1997. He didn’t think Americans played cricket but he brought his equipment, just in case.

He soon needed it.

A day after arriving, Imran played his first game on American soil, for a family friend’s team. Within two years he was picked for the US national side.

Imran represented his new country in matches around the world – from Abu Dhabi to Nepal – and, aged 38, still plays locally. On this hot day in Hyattsville, he’s captain of the Washington Tigers.

The Tigers are in the final of the Washington Cricket League Twenty 20 tournament, premier division. With the first and second division finals also taking place, it’s a big day.

Banners hang from the bleachers. Supporters gather in the shade. Two commentators sit behind a camera, broadcasting the games live across the internet.

Imran is a bowler and his side is batting, so he stands on the sideline, waiting for his chance. In his youth, he bowled at 90 miles per hour. Has he still got it?

“I try,” he says, smiling. “I try.”


Teams that play Test (top-level) cricket

England; Australia; South Africa; West Indies; New Zealand; India; Pakistan; Sri Lanka; Zimbabwe; Bangladesh; Afghanistan*; Ireland*

(Recently admitted, yet to play a Test)


The Washington Cricket League is thriving. There are 42 teams in total, and new applicants are turned away each year because of a lack of pitches.

Another local league, the Washington Metropolitan Cricket Board, has 18 clubs. For an area with barely any “real” pitches, it’s astonishing.

Most grounds are hired from schools or counties. Today’s game is played on a matting wicket: when the game finishes, the matting is pulled up, and the field reverts to more “American” sports.

Anand Patel is a 31-year-old engineering professor at Cecil College in Maryland. He moved from Gujarat in India to study at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2007.

He started playing for his college side – “the cricket team was actually one of the reasons I picked the school,” he says – and now plays for 22 Yards, Washington Tigers’ opponents in the final.

“When I arrived, it was hard to get cricket equipment,” he says. “We were buying online, importing from India, or going to New York where they might have a vendor.

“Now, just in the state of Maryland you have at least five or six vendors.”

Image copyright Ali Jee

The increase in cricket’s popularity has followed a rise in immigration from the sub-continent.

In 2000, the Indian immigrant population in the US was just over one million, according to the Migration Policy Institute. By 2015, it was 2.4 million.

That sub-continental influence is clear in the Washington Cricket League. Ram Ragoo, 73 and from Trinidad, has been involved since the league began in the 1960s.

Back then – aside from the embassy teams – “most of the league was West Indian”, he says. Among them was Keith Mitchell, who studied in Washington and is now the prime minister of Grenada.

“Keith was the president of the league in 1981,” says Ram, smiling. “Really nice guy. But Reagan sent him to Grenada after the overthrow (in 1983).”

Ram, who brims with Caribbean charisma, says the league reflects the changing face of immigration.

“The Indians came in, Pakistanis came in, the Sri Lankans started coming in, and the West Indians started to go out,” he says.

“The young West Indians didn’t want to play cricket. They got 400 or 500 dollars to go and play a soccer game.”

In the premier division final, most players have a sub-continental background, but other cricket-playing nations are represented.

Derick Narine, the Tigers’ left-handed opener, is from Guyana, as is teammate Christopher Vantull. For 22 Yards, Johan de Wet is a South African who moved to the US this summer to be with his wife.

“I arrived just before the 4 July weekend,” he says. “That weekend there was a big Twenty 20 tournament, I saw 22 Yards had organised it, so I gave the guys a call.

“I played my first game probably within two weeks.”

What did the wife make of it?

“She is Indian so she gets it,” says Johan, laughing.

In a further example of cricket’s global reach, WCL side Vikings recently renamed itself. It is now the Afghan Cricket Club of USA.

  • 6,000 teams

  • 450 leagues

  • 44 states

Press Association

While the Washington Cricket League is certainly cosmopolitan, one thing is missing: Americans from non-cricket backgrounds.

“When we were in school, once in a while you would get an American guy showing up for practice,” says Anand Patel.

“But it’s hard to get used to cricket. For them to learn how to bowl or bat is difficult, even if they’ve played baseball. In baseball you don’t bounce the ball – here you bounce the ball.”

Ram Ragoo agrees. “I only know one or two born Americans who play the game,” he says.

“The ICC (International Cricket Council) is trying to create (university) scholarships to get American kids involved.”

For now, though, American cricket remains an immigrant-driven sport. As the big-hitting Narine scores another six, bhangra blasts out across this small corner of Maryland.

Image caption Ram Ragoo and Anand Patel

Helped by Narine’s 71 in 39 balls, the Tigers are impressive, reaching 163-8 in their 20 overs. In reply, 22 Yards start well – nine runs from the first five deliveries – before a certain 38-year-old gets involved.

Imran Awan – the Tigers captain who moved to America aged 17 – dismissed Shahid Hanif for 8. He takes another wicket in his next over and 22 Yards end up 80 all out.

Imran, certainly, has still got it.

The Tigers take the title, the trophy is lifted, and another cricket memory is made in this most unlikely place. It won’t be the last.

Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS

Not just A-listers

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Media captionOn some red carpets, Harvey Weinstein is not a welcome subject

The casting couch may seem like a relic of the golden age of Hollywood – but women here say sexual harassment is rife and that exploitation is a price you pay for being part of the industry.

News that at least 30 women have accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting them – four alleging rape – has been met with sadness and outrage in Tinseltown.

But no one seems that surprised and many expect other powerful men will be exposed.

“I think everyone is shocked – not surprised,” says actress Rita Moreno at a Women in TV gala in Beverly Hills. Ms Moreno, now 85, urged women to tell their stories. She says she was aggressively pursued by the head of a studio when she was 19.

“It was frightening and scary.”

Mr Weinstein’s Oscar for Shakespeare in Love has been tarnished by reports of lewd abuses of his immense power. But women in Hollywood say sexual harassment is common – for actresses and for women behind the scenes on film and TV sets.

We interviewed dozens of people who work in front of and behind Hollywood’s cameras.

Almost every person reported experiencing sexism – though no one reported behaviour as severe as the allegations against Weinstein.

But a culture of pervasive sexism emerged. Some are stories of producers soliciting casual sex in exchange for jobs. Most stories involved daily ridicule and disrespect.

“The casting couch is still a major issue in Hollywood many women are being victimised and are being asked for sexual favours in order to get a job, to keep a job or to be promoted,” says attorney Gloria Allred who represents women making complaints against Weinstein.

Ms Allred says she has women calling her with stories about other powerful Hollywood players.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Rita Moreno, in 2016 and 1952

The organisation Women in Film has been inundated with calls after they set up a hotline for victims to report abuse this week.

Women in Film’s president Cathy Schulman says the revelations this week about Weinstein may be a tipping point – a chance to reform by employing more women in positions of power.

“It’s a sad situation but we have to turn that into action. What angers me is women believing that they don’t have the power to make change,” says Schulman.

“What I get angry about is a system that lets them believe that they deserve to be treated this way.”

Many men and women in the industry agree that more women in power would help stop the cliché of powerful Hollywood executives abusing young women.

Weinstein denies raping anyone and has apologised for hurting colleagues in the past. But his company has fired him and his wife has left him. Two weeks ago he was arguably the most powerful producer in Hollywood. Today, he’s reportedly seeking therapy in Arizona.

While many of the women who say Weinstein harassed them are A-list actors like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, others had their lives and Hollywood careers shattered before they began.

It’s worrying for the newest recruits in the business.

At the Acting Corps in Los Angeles, Hollywood hopefuls warmed up with word games and improvisational exercises before their big scene.

These aspiring actors have yet to catch their big break, but many of them said they fear propositions from powerful people.


More on Weinstein story

Image copyright Getty Images

Several male actors have also said they’ve been groped and hassled by powerful men in Hollywood. The abuses, they say, are about power, not gender.

For years, there have been rumours about A-list actors and producers abusing children and young men in Hollywood.

Stacey Morphis came to LA from England. She left a girl band after being harassed by a colleague.

“I feel like in music or movies it’s all about who you know and what you’re willing to do,” she said before her acting class. “I feel like that’s the way it is and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Auditions have become a little scarier for Fia Mann since news of Weinstein broke. She said auditions were already scary enough and that it’s common for actors to be riddled with self-doubt and insecurities.

“Before you even step into the room – am I the right look? Are they going to like me because of this? I don’t have that. But what if they ask me to do that? I can’t do that. OK, maybe I shouldn’t go.

“It sounds crazy but that’s literally the conversation that goes on in your head.”

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The allegations have brought a darker side to auditions, says Fia Mann

But many people interviewed about sexism in Hollywood and Weinstein still do not want to be identified. There is still a fear about speaking out and upsetting someone who might be the ticket to your next job.

A woman in the costume department said when she was bent down on her knees fixing a male actor’s belt, a fellow crew member took her picture and circulated it on set. She demanded he delete it but doesn’t know if he did.

Female cinematographers are daily asked how they manage to carry such a heavy camera. “That’s a man’s job,” is a common jibe.

Filmmaker Rachel Elder says a lighthearted Facebook group for mothers that she belongs to has transformed into a support group for sexual assault victims. She wrote about how she was sexually assaulted by her first boss in LA when she was 21.

“I’m very overwhelmed. In the last 72 hours I’m reading about all my friends writing about how they were raped and assaulted,” she said.

“So many people are sharing really graphic stories that they’ve never told anyone before. You have to read it. You want to make people feel heard. It’s really hard.”

If more women talk about their experiences, will it really bring about change in a male-dominated industry?

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption A lot of people in Hollywood say they are not surprised

Christy Lamb is a co-founder of Moms in Film. She’s worked as a producer for 13 years and also as an actress and in the art department.

“It’s such a boys’ club,” she says, while on her (6pm) lunch break. “We are usually 10% of the people working on projects.”

Many say Weinstein’s career is over. But Hollywood is a forgiving place and they love a comeback story. The town has forgiven men after rape before.

Ms Lamb is confident that the culture has changed and that Weinstein will not be welcomed back.

“A year ago when Trump offended all women with ‘Grab them by the pussy’ we weirdly didn’t get to execute much power,” she says.

Trump was elected, after all, with 46% of women’s support.

“But in this situation we can fire him [Weinstein] and we can be sure he doesn’t work again.”

Ms Moreno – who has won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony award – says she’s confident that this kind of publicity means young hopefuls in Hollywood won’t go through what she did nearly seven decades ago.

“Who knows? Predators are predators,” she said. “It’s certainly going to make them very careful, I think.”

Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS

Africa’s top shots: 29 September – 5 October 2017

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A selection of the best photos from across Africa and of Africans elsewhere this week.

Maitre Gims pulls the beard of his wax look alike at the Musee Grevin wax museum in Paris, France - Monday 2 October 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption Maitre Gims, a rapper born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, poses next to a wax sculpture of himself as its unveiling in France’s capital, Paris, on Monday.
Moroccan military planes release trails of white smoke Casablanca, Morocco - Saturday 30 September 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption Moroccan military planes release trails of white smoke in Casablanca to mark the 60th anniversary of the national airline Royal Air Maroc on Saturday…
A girl reaches up towards military paragliders in Casablanca, Morocco - Saturday 30 September 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption Moroccan military paragliders also took part in the display watched by crowds on the seafront.
Women attend the Frelimo congress in Maputo, Mozambique - Sunday 1 October 2017Image copyright EPA
Image caption The next day, creative tailoring is on display at the ruling Frelimo party congress in Mozambique. The material is emblazoned with the face of Filipe Nyusi, Mozambique’s president and Frelimo leader.
Angolan model Maria Borges taking part in a L'Oreal fashion show in Paris, France - Sunday 1 October 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption On the same day, Angolan model Maria Borges takes part in a fashion show on a catwalk set up on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris.
Moroccan actress Nadia Kounda kisses her award for her award for best actress, El-Gouna, Egypt - Friday 29 September 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption Moroccan actress Nadia Kounda kisses the award for her role in the film Volubilis at a film festival in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El-Gouna on Friday.
People taking part in the Irreecha festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia - Sunday 1 October 2017Image copyright Reuters
Image caption A couple sprinkle themselves with water on Sunday during celebrations for Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival of the Oromo people in the Ethiopian town of Bishoftu…
Men march at the Irreecha festival in Ethiopia - Sunday 1 October 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption The annual event marks the end of the rainy season. Last year, a deadly stampede at the festival sparked anti-government unrest.
A man catapults a stone in Kisumu, Kenya - Monday 2 October 2017Image copyright Reuters
Image caption The next day, a Kenyan opposition protester, demanding the sacking of electoral officials ahead of the re-run of the presidential poll, throws stones at riot policemen in Kisumu.
A man taking a selfie in Nairobi, Kenya - Wednesday 4 October 2017Image copyright AFP
Image caption In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday, a resident takes a selfie overlooking the Kibera slum.
People carrying crates of beer away from a truck, near Johannesburg, South Africa - Friday 29 September 2017Image copyright Reuters
Image caption People help themselves to beer from a truck that crashed on a motorway outside South Africa’s city of Johannesburg on Friday.
Canoeists on Emmarencia Dam in central Johannesburg, South Africa - Tuesday 3 October 2017Image copyright EPA
Image caption Four days later, canoeists train in the early morning fog on the Emmarencia Dam in central Johannesburg.
Migrants on a wood boat in the Mediterranean - Saturday 30 September 2017Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Migrants on a wooden boat await rescue from a German vessel some 50 nautical miles (90 nautical kilometres) north of the Tunisian-Libyan land border on Saturday.
Chess players in Khartoum, Sudan - Friday 29 September 2017Image copyright Reuters
Image caption And competitors search for checkmate during the Sudan National Chess Championship in preparation for the Olympics in the capital, Khartoum, on Friday.

Images courtesy of AFP, EPA and Reuters

Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

Somalia: At least 20 dead in Mogadishu blast

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Media captionThe aftermath of the explosion in Mogadishu

A massive bomb attack in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu has killed at least 20 people, police say.

Many others were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel.

Images from the scene show the area has been completely devastated. Police say the death toll may rise.

It is not clear who staged the attack. Mogadishu is a regular target for the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group, which is battling the government.

Police captain Mohamed Hussein told Reuters news agency: “It was a truck bomb. There are casualties but we do not know the exact amount as the scene is still burning.”

Witnesses told the BBC they believed dozens of people were dead.

Image copyright EPA
Image caption There are fears people are trapped under the rubble

A BBC Somali reporter at the scene said the Safari Hotel had collapsed, with people thought to be trapped under the rubble.

Mogadishu resident Muhidin Ali told news agency AFP it was “the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area”.

Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.

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