Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for August 12th-13th

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are elections in Zimbabwe and Mali, the airport fire in Nairobi, news from the Pan African Conference on Interreligious Freedoms, the mosque shooting in Nigeria, women's rights in the Great Lakes, and terrorism in Somalia.

Mugabe Rails Against Defeated Rivals in Zimbabwe Elections
President Robert G. Mugabe said Monday that his party would not yield after its victory in disputed elections and proclaimed that he had disposed of his main political rivals, with whom he had governed in a tense coalition government, "like garbage." In his first public speech since the July 31 election, Mr. Mugabe spoke at the annual Heroes' Day gathering at a national shrine in Harare, the capital, that honors guerrillas killed in the war against white-minority rule in Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was known before 1980. Speaking in the local Shona language, Mr. Mugabe called on his main challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, the departing prime minister, to accept defeat, then dismissed him and his followers in scathing language.
To read more, please visit the New York Times here.

US warns Zimbabwe against Iran Uranium deal
The United States has warned Zimbabwe against selling uranium that could be used in a nuclear weapons programme to Iran, a newzimbabwe.com report says. The US said such a deal would violate international law and lead to severe penalties. "UN Security Council Resolution 1737 prohibits the sale or transfer of uranium to Iran, except for low-enriched uranium when it is incorporated into assembled nuclear fuel elements for light-water reactors," a US State Department official said.
To read more, please visit News24 here.

Independent observers praise Mali election
Malians on Monday awaited the outcome of a presidential election run-off they hope will usher in a new dawn of stability following a military coup which upended one of the region's most stable democracies. An electorate of almost seven million had been asked Sunday to choose between former premier Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse to lead Mali's recovery, following last year's coup that ignited an Islamist insurgency and a French-led military intervention. The election, the first since 2007, was crucial for unlocking more than $4 billion in aid promised after international donors halted contributions in the wake of the coup.
To read more, please visit France24 here.

Kenya: Illegal Gold Exports Linked to JKIA Blaze
An illegal gold trade involving billions of shillings between businessmen in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and South Africa has been linked to last week's fire at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Documents in possession of the Star, including a report prepared by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) prior to the fire incident, point to a major collusion between immigration officials, custom officials and police at JKIA in the illegal gold trade and money laundering.
To read more, please visit AllAfrica here.

Pan African Conference Calls for Interreligious Freedom, Tolerance
The first Pan African Conference on Interreligious Freedoms has ended in Cameroon with participants from 80 countries from Africa and beyond.  Participants pledged to work together for the service of peace in the name of God. Conference participants say development across Africa has been greatly slowed by interreligious conflicts.  The case of Nigeria was cited as one of the worst, with tens of thousands of lives lost in fighting between Muslim and Christian communities, and thousands more killed by the Islamist militant-sect Boko Haram.
To read more, please visit Voice of America here.

Nigeria Konduga Mosque Shooting: At Least 44 Dead In Attack By Suspected Islamic Militants
Suspected Islamic militants wearing army fatigues gunned down 44 people praying at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, while another 12 civilians died in an apparently simultaneous attack, security agents said Monday.Sunday's attacks were the latest in a slew of violence blamed on religious extremists in this West African oil producer, where the radical Boko Haram group, which wants to oust the government and impose Islamic law, poses the greatest security threat in years.
To read more, please visit the Huffington Post here.

Laisser la RDC sans TPI «serait une discrimination à l'égard de la femme congolaise»
Dans une déclaration, cinquante-deux personnalités féminines tirent la sonnette d'alarme concernant la condition des femmes dans la région des Grands Lacs et plaident pour l'ouverture d'un Tribunal pénal international pour la République démocratique du Congo. Les signataires estiment que l'ouverture d'un TPI est l'une des clés pour mettre fin à l'impunité et pacifier la région.
To read more, please visit RFI here.

UK aid supplies lost to Somali militants
Humanitarian aid supplies worth £480,000 - funded by UK taxpayers - were seized by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia, it has emerged. Supplies were in warehouses captured in a raid by al-Shabab in November 2011, the Department for International Development's (DfID) accounts reveal.
To read more, please visit BBC News here.