A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea on Saturday, US seismologists said, but there was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage. The quake struck at 9:23pm local time (1123 GMT) at a depth of 67 kilometres (41 miles), about 175 kilometres from the New Britain town of Rabaul, the US Geological Survey said.

Zambia’s main opposition party filed a motion in parliament to impeach President Edgar Lungu, saying he violated the constitution. His spokesman called the motion “defective” and said it will fail. The proposal ratchets up tension in the southern African nation, where the political atmosphere has been volatile since United Party for National Development leader Hakainde Hichilema lost a disputed 2016 election to Lungu.

A Cypriot investor signed a $4.2 billion deal on Thursday to develop a platinum mine and refinery in Zimbabwe, an investment that President Emmerson Mnangagwa said showed the country was “open for business”.

Signing the agreement with Cyprus-based Karo Resources, Mines Minister Winston Chitando said work would start in July, with the first output of platinum group metals expected in 2020, aiming to reach 1.4 million ounces annually within three years.

Located in the Mhondoro-Ngezi platinum belt, west of Harare, where Impala Platinum Holdings has operations, the project will include a coal mine and power station to produce electricity for the smelter, and should employ 15,000 people when fully implemented, according to Karo head Loucas Pourolis.

Parliament on Friday ratified an agreement between the governments of Ghana and the United States of America (USA) on defence cooperation, the status of the US forces, access to and use of agreed facilities and areas in Ghana. The ratification followed the adoption of the report of the joint Committee on Defence and Interior and the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, which had recommended, by a majority decision, the ratification of the agreement.

Edgar Lungu- President of Zambia

Zambia’s main opposition party filed a motion on Thursday seeking the impeachment of President Edgar Lungu, accusing him of constitutional breaches, the presidency said on Friday.

The motion by the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) got signatures from a third of the members of parliament in the 166-member house. It would need the backing of two-thirds of the lawmakers to succeed.

“This is just a continuation of the UPND’s failed court challenge of President Edgar Lungu’s election victory,” presidential spokesman Amos Chanda told Reuters. “It is not going anywhere.

Forty-four African countries have signed an agreement establishing a free trade area seen as vital to the continent's economic development, the head of the African Union said Wednesday. The creation of a free trade area -- billed as the world's largest in terms of participating countries -- comes after two years of negotiations, and is one of the AU's flagship projects for greater African integration.