Health officials in Nigeria say that all children under five have been taken to hospital for check-ups in areas of the northern state of Zamfara where more than 160 people died from lead poisoning this year.
Most of the victims were children. The health commissioner for the state also said the government would begin removing the top soil on Monday which was
contaminate
d when locals dug illegally for gold. He said the operation was expected to last a month.
Just days before the Football World Cup begins in South Africa, 15 people have been treated in hospital after being hurt at a friendly match between two of the
tournament
teams Nigeria and North Korea. Several fans were
knocked down
and fell out of the rush of people. The second crush took place when the gates were reopened. The stadium isn’t a World Cup
venue
. Piers Edwards reports from Johannesburg.
The most seriously injured as fans forced their way into the stadium in Tembisa Township in northeast Johannesburg was a policeman who were
squash
ed between a gate and fence by the stampeding fans. Police spokesperson Eugene Opperman said the incident won’t affect the World Cup with this game effectively organized by the two teams here
rather than
FIFA, as it won’t happen during the World Cup finals.
World News from the BBC.
Sudan has reacted angrily to a decision by Uganda not to invite the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to an African Union conference in Kampala next month. Mr al-Bashir is wanted by the international criminal court for alleged war crimes, and Uganda as party to the treaty that established the international court