A former Texas billionaire has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for swindling thousands of investors. The financier, Allen Stanford, had been found guilty in March of defrauding investors from more than 100 countries of $7bn. From Washington, Jonny Dymond.

"I did not run a Ponzi scheme." Allen Stanford told the court. "I did not defraud anyone." But the judge did not agree. The prosecution had asked for a 230-year sentence. In the end, it got just under half that, but Mr Stanford can now expect to die in prison. He was convicted in early March on 13 counts of wire and mail fraud, obstruction and money laundering. His knighthood has already been stripped from him. His victims have little hope of recovering their money.

President Obama has announced a new US strategy for sub-Saharan Africa, seeking to boost trade while strengthening democratic institutions. Kim Ghattas reports.

The White House said the strategy would focus on strengthening democratic institutions, encourage economic growth and trade. It'll also prioritise peace and security, and promote development. The administration is reaching out to African entrepreneurs through exchange programmes. It will try to match American and African companies for business opportunities, and it's already heavily involved in issues like South Sudan and the capture of the Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. But beyond that, the plan is short on detail for now. And although the announcement indicates a renewed focus on Africa, it's unclear how the strategy differs from what the administration has been doing so far.