Shabaab boss probably died in Somalia strike

Nairobi - The death of the leader of Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels in a US air strike is a "very strong probability" but still unconfirmed, security sources told AFP on Wednesday.

"There is a very strong probability that he is dead... this requires verification on the ground, which is not simple," said a western security source, who asked not be identified. The comment was echoed by a senior Somali security official.

Ebola poses threat to humanity - US

Dakar - Ebola represents a threat to all humanity and an outbreak of the virus in five West African countries will likely spread to more, American officials warned on Wednesday.

"This is not an African disease. This is a virus that is a threat to all humanity," Gayle Smith, special assistant to President Barack Obama and senior director at the National Security Council, told reporters during a telephone briefing.

About half of the 3 000 people sickened have died in the current Ebola outbreak, which has hit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.

Nigeria's Bama still under state control

Maiduguri - The Nigerian town of Bama remains under government control after an assault by Boko Haram, the Borno state government and local vigilante groups said on Wednesday, contradicting reports that the Islamist group had seized much of it.

The attack on Bama began on Monday, and on Tuesday residents and several security sources, including a soldier on the ground, said the insurgents had overrun much of it.

Nigeria's military has remained silent since the attack began. A defence spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. There was no immediate comment from Boko Haram, which never communicates with the press beyond releasing videos of its leader, Abubakar Shekau.

Pansy Tlakula resigns

                                                                                                  Pansy Tlakula

Johannesburg - IEC chairperson Pansy Tlakula has resigned, she announced on Tuesday.

"I have decided to resign from the Electoral Commission [IEC] and have submitted my letter of resignation to President Zuma," she said in a statement.

"I leave the IEC with a heavy heart and wish to thank the President, the National Assembly and the people of South Africa for affording me the opportunity to serve in one of the most important institutions promoting democracy."

APC Urges Jonathan To Hand Over Sheriff, Ihejirika To ICC

Following a series of allegations by the Australian negotiator Stephen Davis directed at ex Borno governor Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, the opposition party make calls for the independent trial.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) September 2 demanded the country President Goodluck Jonathan to hand over the said officials to the International Criminal Court as the foreign expert keeps insisting that they are involved in sponsoring Boko Haram terrorist group.

According to Premium Times, speaking at the press conference in Abuja, the party chairman John Oyegun said: