Israeli hiker finds 'second of kind' coin‏

An Israeli hiker Laurie Rimon, has found a Roman coin that is almost 2,000 years old and only the second of its kind found in the world, authorities say.
The coin, from 107 AD, bears the image of Emperor Augustus but was minted by Emperor Trajan.It was minted as part of a series of coins honoring Roman rulers.
Antiquities Authority official Donald T. Ariel said the coin may have paid part of the salary of a Roman soldier.
The only other example of such a coin is held in the British Museum.
The hiker, will be awarded a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship, Israel's antiquities authority says.
Ms Rimon, a member of the Kefar Blum kibbutz, was hiking with friends in the eastern Galilee when she discovered a shiny object in the grass.
Ms Rimon handed over the find, but said "it was not easy parting with the coin.

Auschwitz death camp survivor is now the world's oldest man

A survivor of the Auschwitz death camp is now the world's oldest man, the Guinness World Records organisation says.

Yisrael Kristal was born near Zarnow in Poland in 1903 and lived through two world wars before moving to the Israeli city of Haifa.

He was 112 years and 178 days old on 11 March, Guinness World Records says.

The previous oldest-recorded man, Yasutaro Koide of Japan, died in January aged 112 years and 312 days. 

As he received his Guinness World Records certificate, Mr Kristal said he did not know the "secret for long life" and that he believed everything was "determined from above".

Nou Camp capacity increase

Barcelona have unveiled plans to remodel their Nou Camp stadium with the capacity rising to 105,000 by the 2021-22 season.

A joint bid by Japanese architecture company Nikken Sekkei and a Catalan studio won the tender to remodel the home of the La Liga champions.

The Nou Camp has a capacity of 99,354 and is the biggest stadium in Europe. 

The redevelopment will also see the roof ring the entire stadium with all the seats being under cover. 

Work is scheduled to start in the 2017-18 season and will not prevent the club from hosting games.

British athlete switches allegiance to Ghana

British sprinter Sean Safo-Antwi has been cleared to compete for Ghana with immediate effect, British Athletics has announced, the Press Association (PA) news agency reports. 

The 25-year-old asked the world athletics governing body, IAAF, in January for permission to switch allegiance and Britain did not oppose the transfer request.

The athlete won the 60 metres at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix last month before finishing third at the British Championships.

However, he missed out on automatic GB team selection for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland.

Nigeria's Petroleum Minister to meet striking workers

Nigeria's Petroleum Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu says he will meet with trade union leaders to end a strike over the restructuring of the state oil company, Reuters news agency reports. 

Mr Kachikwu says he doesn't want the industry to shut down and " will resolve the issues very soon".   

About 7,000 refinery workers, petroleum tanker drivers and maintenance staff went on strike this morning to oppose the splitting of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC into seven different firms. 

"These changes have created real apprehension among our members," an official of the Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria said, Reuters reports. 

The government says the changes will ensure efficiency and bring the loss-making NNPC back to profit.

Deadly building collapse in Nigeria

The number of people killed when a five-storey building under construction in Nigeria's main city, Lagos, collapsed yesterday has risen to 30, emergency officials say. 

The building, located in the wealthy Lekki district, crumbled during heavy rainfall. 

Thirteen people have so far been rescued but it's thought others may still be trapped in the rubble. 

In a statement, the Lagos State government said work on the building had continued without a permit from the authorities, who had sealed off the site. 

They have ordered the managers of the project to report to police or face arrest. 

The building had been inhabited by construction workers and their families.

Cambridge University bows to pressure over Benin bronze

A statue of a cockerel which was one of the Benin Bronzes looted by British soldiers form Nigeria in the 19th Century has been removed from display at Cambridge University, following calls for it to be repatriated, the UK's Guardian newspaper reports. 

The future of the cockerel, known as the Okukor, will now be discussed by administrators at Jesus College, to decide the future of the statue, including possible repatriation to Africa.    

Nigeria has made repeated calls for the Benin Bronzes to be repatriated, describing them as part of its cultural heritage, the paper adds. 

Lengthy jail term for US missionary who abused Kenyan orphans

A former US missionary has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing children at an orphanage in Kenya.

Matthew Lane Durham, 21, had committed "heinous crimes on the most vulnerable victims", the US court said.

Durham targeted orphans while working as a volunteer at the Upendo Children's Home in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, between April and June 2014.

He is the latest charity worker in Kenya to be convicted of sex crimes.

Egypt student agrees to leave US after Trump comment

A student pilot from Egypt has agreed to leave the US after posting on Facebook that the world would thank him if he killed Donald Trump.

Emadeldin Elsayed, 23, was not charged with a crime but the US authorities sought to deport him, his attorney, Hani Bushra, said.

Immigration authorities said they would allow him to return home voluntarily as long as he departed by 5 July.

Mr Elsayed is being held in a jail in California after his visa was revoked.

Mr Bushra said on Monday that Mr Elsayed's detention was illegal.

Malawian welder builds home-made helicopter

Felix Kambwiri has spent the last four months constructing a helicopter out of scrap metal and fibreglass in his garage, 90km (55 miles) north of the capital Lilongwe, AFP news agency reports.

It hasn't taken off yet, but Felix is optimistic about it taking to the skies, despite its makeshift nature. 

"I would like just to fly for even five minutes to show that I am serious about this and that it is not a joke. This helicopter can fly," he told AFP. 

Felix hasn't yet demonstrated that the helicopter can get off the ground as test flights have been banned until the civil aviation authorities have completed safety checks. 

Felix's wife Anne told AFP:  "I was frightened when I heard my husband was developing a helicopter, because he'd never done it before... "but later I accepted it, because everything is possible through God." 

Switzerland agrees to return more Abacha money to Nigeria

Switzerland has agreed to return to Nigeria millions of dollars stolen by the former military ruler Sani Abacha, AFP news agency reports.

It says that Swiss authorities struck a deal with Nigeria to hand back $321m .

As part of the deal Nigeria has agreed that "the recovered assets would be put to uses for which they have been intended", according to a statement from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, quoted by AFP.  

The money will only be returned once its agreed exactly how this will be done.

Gen Abacha was in power from 1993 to 1998 and is thought to have stolen more than $2bn of public funds - some of it being deposited in Swiss bank accounts.

Switzerland has already returned more than $720m of the money.

Free bus tickets for Tanzania teachers

Teachers in a district of Tanzania's main city Dar es Salaam can now travel for free on buses to get to and from school, as part of a scheme which officials hope will be extended to the whole city. 

Around 3,000 teachers in  Kinondoni  district are expected to receive the bus passes by the end of the week. 

The passes can only be used at specific times in the morning and evening. 

Most teachers currently use buses called Daladalas to get to school paying approximately 18 US cents per trip.

The initiative was set up by the city authorities and the Dar es Salaam Commuter Bus Owners Association.

Stowaway 'applies for asylum' in Sweden

Ground crew staff at Stockholm's Arlanda airport have found a stowaway hidden in a cargo container on a flight from Ethiopia, police say, AFP news agency reports. 

The man has applied for asylum in Sweden, police added, AFP reports. 

There was no immediate confirmation of the man's nationality or age, but Swedish news agency TT reported he was 27 years old.

Dangote eyes rice production

Africa's richest man, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, says his firm plans to produce one million tonnes of rice within the next five years in the West African state, Reuters news agency reports. 

Nigeria so far imports 2.8 million tonnes of rice annually, most of which is smuggled into the country, he said during an economic summit in the main city, Lagos.

"Our projects are mainly import substitution," he said. "We are working to be self-sufficient."

Dangote's main interest is in cement, oil, food and sugar business.

The billionaire businessman also says he wants to buy phosphate from Morocco and potash from Congo-Brazzaville to feed a planned fertilizer plant.

Mr Dangote said his firm was close to signing a deal with a Moroccan firm to supply phosphate, without giving details, Reuters reports.

Dangote Group has raised a $3.3bn loan to develop a $9bn oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer. It has invested $3.5bn of its own equity.

Nigerian 'killed in Messi-Ronaldo row'

Police in India have charged a Nigerian man with murdering his friend after a heated argument over whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's best footballer, AFP news agency reports.

Michael Chukwuma, 21, stabbed Obina Durumchukwu, 34, on Sunday in the northern Mumbai suburb of Nallasopara following an argument over the two footballers, police Inspector Kiran Kabadi is quoted as saying.

They had apparently got together on Saturday night to celebrate Mr Durumchukwu's birthday on Sunday, but the following morning an argument over football turned to tragedy.  

"The two Nigerian youngsters were discussing football players. One is a fan of [Barcelona's] Messi and the other was for [Real Madrid's] Ronaldo. During the conversation a quarrel has taken place," the inspector is quoted as saying.

"The deceased threw a glass into the face of the accused person. The glass broke and caused small injuries. After that the accused took the broken glass and assaulted the deceased person who died due to heavy bleeding," he added, AFP reports. 

African peackeepers implicated in UN sex abuse claims

Allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers have increased, according to a new UN report. 

There were 69 claims last year, compared with 52 in 2014. 

They're alleged to involve military personnel, international police, other staff and volunteers at 10 missions. 

And they're mostly from African countries, namely Cameroon, Congo, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Rwanda, Ghana, Madagascar and Senegal. 

Almost a third of the claims in 2015 were made in the Central African Republic. 

The report calls for on-site courts martial and a DNA database of all peacekeepers.

Zimbabwe 'to take control of country's diamond mines'

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has accused the country's diamond miners of robbing the country of its wealth and has therefore announced that the state would take control of all diamond operations, Reuters news agency is reporting.

The government had already ordered all mining to stop at the Marange diamond fields over licensing issues, Reuters adds.

"Companies that have been mining diamonds have robbed us of our wealth. That is why we have now said the state must have a monopoly," Mr Mugabe said in a television interview quoted by Reuters.

Zimbabwe is one of the world's top diamond producers and the stones are an important source of foreign exchange for the country.

Italian hostages freed in Libya

Two Italians taken hostage in Libya in July have been freed, say the authorities.

The pair are still in Sabratha in north-west Libya for questioning, in what the head of Sabratha Millitary Council, Taher el Gharaballi described as an "investigation". 

They will be transferred to Tripoli after that.

They were part of a group of four Italian oil workers who were abducted by gunmen in July, near Libya’s border with Tunisia.    

Italy’s foreign ministry said yesterday that the two other hostages may have been killed during a raid by Libyan forces on a hideout used by militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS).   

Boko Haram 'cattle markets' shut down

Authorities in north-east Nigeria have taken over four cattle markets where stolen animals were being sold to finance the Islamist militants Boko Haram.

A management team has been set up to monitor cattle traders and butchers in an effort to clamp down on all illegal activities, Governor Kashim Shettima said in a statement.  

He said that insurgents have been using unscrupulous middlemen to sell stolen cattle.

Boko Haram has stolen thousands of cattle in Nigeria and nearby Cameroon.

Trade was suspended about two weeks ago at Gamboru cattle market - one of the biggest in Africa.

Cattle markets in Dusuman, Shuwari and Ngom have all also been suspended.

$20bn hoarded in Nigerian bank accounts

Nigeria's central bank says that some wealthy Nigerians are hoarding $20bn in their foreign exchange bank accounts.

The bank's governor Godwin Emefiele told lawmakers that the hoarding threatens the value of Nigeria's currency, the naira.

This warning comes as the government and the central bank try to maintain the currency's value at just under 200 naira to the dollar.

But its black market rate is much lower than that partly due to the scarcity of foreign exchange in the country.

Mr Emefiele also alleged that some individuals were damaging the value of the naira through currency speculation. 

Nigeria is heavily dependent on oil sales for government revenue and foreign exchange. 

The recent fall in the oil price has depleted the country's foreign exchange reserves.

Odion Ighalo up for London Premier League award

Nigerian and Watford striker Odion Ighalo has been nominated for the London Premier League Player of the Year Award to be presented tonight at a ceremony in London.

Ighalo has scored 14 goals in 28 premier league appearances this season.

Others up for the prize are:

• Willian Borges da Silva – Chelsea 
• Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspurs 
• Mesut Ozil – Arsenal 
• Dimitri Payet - West Ham. 

The London Manager of the Year, Football League Player of the Year, London Young Player of the Year (under 23), London Women’s Player of the Year, London Goalkeeper of the Year and London Community Project of the Year awards will also be given out.

Chelsea captain John Terry will get an award for Outstanding Contribution to London Football.

Egypt student faces deportation from US after Trump 'threat'

An Egyptian student is facing deportation from the US for posting on his Facebook page that he was willing to kill Republican politician Donald Trump - and the world would thank him, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Emadeldin Elsayed, 23, is not facing criminal charges over the message, but was arrested by immigration authorities last month and will now face a hearing to find out whether he will be deported. 

Mr. Elsayed said he wrote the message because he was angered by Mr Trump's comments about Muslims.

He said he immediately regretted it, and he never intended to harm anyone, AP adds. 

Nigeria Lagos market clashes

Police in Lagos have arrived in Lagos’ huge Mile 12 vegetable and fruit market to stop clashes between the Yoruba and Hausa communities in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Trouble began on Tuesday when unemployed youths, known as “area boys”, began to charge riders of motorcycle taxis a fee to pass by certain roads.

This inflamed tempers and led to clashes involving the bike riders.

Things took a turn for the worse the next day when a Yoruba man was killed in an accident by a Hausa man on a motorbike near the market.

This has led to clashes between the people from the Yoruba  community, who are from the south-west, and Hausa bike riders and business people, who originate from northern Nigeria.

There are are unconfirmed reports of deaths from the violence. One witness at the scene told me by phone that he had heard that seven people had died in the violence.

Mile 12 is a huge wholesale market and vendors come from all over West Africa to sell on fresh produce elsewhere.

Local media is reporting that arrests have been made.

Africa's richest man 'gets richer'

Africa's richest man, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, has risen up the annual Forbes list of world billionaires, with his fortune increasing to $15.4bn .
Mr Dankoto is ranked 51, compared with 67 in the 2015 list when the magazine put his fortune at $14.7bn.
He is the founder and chairman of Dangote Cement, Africa's largest cement producer.
The second-richest African is another Nigerian, Mike Adenua, who is worth $10bn, while South Africa's diamond mining magnate Nicky Oppenheimer is in third spot with $6.6bn, Forbes says.
The magazine puts Mr Adenua, who built his fortune in the oil and telecom industries, at 103 in the list of world billionaires and Mr Oppenheimer at number 174.
You can read the full Forbes list here.

Nigeria fuel shortages ground flights

Around 200 Arik Air passengers were stranded as domestic and international flights from Nigeria's biggest domestic airline were grounded earlier due to a lack of fuel.
An unknown number of flights were affected with passengers unusually stuck at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport  in the main city, Lagos,  for two to four hours.
The delays affected airports across Nigeria as domestic flights were halted.
Arik Management confirmed the limited supply of JET A1 aviation fuel across Nigeria in the past few days days has led to flight delays and cancellations.
Limited flights between Nigerian cities have resumed.

Nigeria police hunt for schoolgirls' kidnappers

Police in Nigeria are searching for gunmen who abducted three girls from a private boarding school in the south-western state of Lagos.
Several armed men entered Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary school in the outskirts of Lagos city on Monday night and abducted the girls - from local media reports it is not clear if they were in their hostel or in a nearby block studying at the time.
The search for the abductors is still on, Lagos police spokesperson Dolapo Badmus told the BBC's Umar Shehu Elleman.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and no ransom has been demanded.