Last of DRC plotters acquitted in SA court

                         A supporter wrapped in a DRC flag stands outside the court in Pretoria, South Africa.

Pretoria - The last of a group of Congolese nationals accused of plotting to assassinate Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila were acquitted in a South African court, a defence lawyer and media reported on Saturday.

Charges against 15 of the 20 men were dropped in November on the recommendation of the prosecution, over two years after their arrests.

This week the final four men behind bars were freed, with the fifth one, Etienne Kabila, the alleged ringleader of the plot and self-professed half-brother of Kabila, having been previously released on bail.

Birthday wishes starting rolling in for world's oldest leader Mugabe

Harare - The T-shirts have been printed and the congratulatory messages for President Robert Mugabe, who turns 91 on Saturday, are already rolling in.

But no-one wishing the longtime Zimbabwean leader a happy birthday will be able to entirely forget the awkward moment when he fell less than a month ago, a Sapa correspondent reported.

Mugabe's party - a lavish spread on the golf course of the swanky Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls - will not be held until 28 February .

Madonna is throwing the Oscars bash of the year and she's not even going!

Los Angeles - Madonna will miss her own post-Oscars party.
The Living for Love hitmaker is reportedly likely to ditch her own annual post-Academy Award show celebration - thrown alongside her manager Guy Oseary - in favour of rehearsing for the BRIT Awards 2015, which take place in London next Wednesday.

Nigerian forces retake Baga from Boko Haram

Nigerian forces backed by air strikes seized the north-eastern border town of Baga from Islamist group Boko Haram on Saturday, the military said, a significant victory in an offensive against an insurgency affecting four African states.

"We have secured Baga. We are now in full control. There are only mopping up exercises left to do," Defence spokesperson Major-General Chris Olukolade said by telephone.

In a statement minutes earlier Olukolade said that "a large number of terrorists had drowned in Lake Chad" as troops advanced on Baga.

My first… with Helen Paul

                                                                                              Helen Paul

When was the first time you ever performed in public as a comedienne?

That was when I was in primary four. We had a match-past and I discovered that the other houses in school had finer costumes, so I went to forcefully take the outfit of the queen of another house. People were laughing at my action. While some parents found it funny, others were angry about my action.