SOUTHERN AFRICA: Human-caused climate change worsened recent torrential rains and floods that devastated parts of the region, killing more than 100 people and displacing hundreds of thousands, researchers said today.

A study by the World Weather Attribution of the recent heavy rainfall that caused severe flooding in parts of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe showed that those countries had experienced a year’s worth of rain in a period of 10 days.

It caused damage to housing and infrastructure estimated to run to millions of US dollars.

SOUTH AFRICA: A collision involving a minibus taxi and a lorry killed at least 11 people today, just over a week after a similar road crash left 14 schoolchildren dead.

The latest accident happened near Durban in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where transport department official Siboniso Duma said: “Witnesses have alleged that the truck driver made a U-turn, resulting in a head-on collision.”

NIGER: There were loud explosions and heavy gunfire early today near the main airport in the capital Niamey, residents said, raising fears of an attack by armed groups.

Videos apparently from the scene showed loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport, a key hub for Niger’s military.

COLOMBIA: A small plane has crashed in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in north-east Colombia, killing all 15 people on board including Congressman Diogenes Quintero, who was a renowned human rights campaigner.

Officials did not give a cause for the crash but promised an investigation.