Africa (except North Africa)

CAPE TOWN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The South African parliament issued a statement Saturday on the success of the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, hailing the outcomes of this "historic" summit as a "testament" to the visionary leadership and unwavering commitment of the BRICS nations.

"The 15th BRICS Summit outcomes encapsulate a robust spirit of international collaboration, underscoring multilateralism, peaceful conflict resolution, and the pursuit of sustainable development," said the statement.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader on Sunday alleged “blatant and gigantic fraud” in the country’s election after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner and international observers reported an atmosphere of intimidation against voters.

The returns from the latest troubled vote in the southern African nation were announced Saturday night, two days earlier than expected. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s Citizens Coalition for Change party said it would challenge the results as “hastily assembled without proper verification.”

NAIROBI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Kenya's transport minister apologised on Saturday after a widespread electricity blackout the previous night left passengers at the main airport in Nairobi grappling in darkness.

Power went off in many parts of the country at 9.45 p.m. (1845 GMT) on Friday, the electricity distribution company Kenya Power (KPLC.NR) said in a statement, attributing the loss to "a system disturbance".

ABUJA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Friday said it is working toward an amicable solution to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, said during a press conference in the Nigerian capital of Abuja that the regional bloc would maintain its interest in the economic prosperity and social welfare of the citizens of the landlocked West African country.

NAIROBI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Some 14 km from Garissa town, located in northeastern Kenya, sits one of the country's hidden gems in the energy sector.

Known as the Garissa Solar Power Plant, the 55 megawatts (MW) facility is the "largest grid-connected solar power plant in east and central Africa," according to Kenya's Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC).

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A crush of people at a stadium in Madagascar left at least 12 dead and 85 injured as sports fans attended the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games, authorities said Saturday.

The stampede at the Mahamasina Stadium in Antananarivo, the capital of the East African island nation, happened Friday as people gathered at an entrance for the official opening of the regional multi-sports event.

ABUJA, Aug 25 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Rescue crews were searching for survivors after a building collapse in Nigeria’s capital left two people dead while many others are feared trapped, emergency officials said.

The two-story building in the densely populated Garki district of the capital Abuja collapsed during a downpour late Wednesday, witnesses said. It served both as a shopping center and a residential block and some of those trapped were believed to be shoppers.

KAMPALA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has banned the importation of used clothing into the east African country, saying it stifles the development of local textile industries and that the clothes belonged to dead Westerners.

Like most African countries, Uganda has traditionally imported large quantities of used clothing, which some consumers prefer because it is low-cost.

But local manufacturers complain the dumping of second-hand apparel swamps the market, undermining Uganda's ability to climb the value chain of the cotton and textile industry.

HARARE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Early parliamentary results in Zimbabwe showed the ruling party and the main opposition neck and neck on Friday, after an election in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF party was widely expected to maintain its 43-year grip on power.

Presidential results have yet to be announced after Wednesday's vote, which was extended into Thursday in some neighbourhoods due to late printing of ballot papers.

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has called for concrete action to address the widening global North-South divide in a bid to create a just international economic order.

A statement issued late Thursday by the Directorate of Presidential Communications said President Hassan made the appeal during the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue, held on the sidelines of the Aug. 22-24 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.