News Digest: Nigeria politician claims rivals 'froze his bank account';'Footballer struck dead by lightning' in Kenya

News Digest: Nigeria politician claims rivals 'froze his bank account';'Footballer struck dead by lightning' in Kenya

1. Nigeria politician claims rivals 'froze his bank account'

An opposition candidate in Nigeria's upcoming elections has accused the government of freezing his bank account, claims that anti-corruption bodies deny.

Peter Obi, the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alleged over the weekend that all transactions on personal and business accounts belonging him, his wife and family were being blocked.

The statement, issued on his behalf by a PDP spokesperson, claimed the freeze was the work of "agencies of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration".

That claim has been dismissed as false by two anti-graft bodies, reports Nigeria's Premium Times, who denied any suggestion of involvement. They are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

2. 'Footballer struck dead by lightning' in Kenya

Kenyan media are reporting the death of a footballer who they say was struck dead by lightning as his team celebrated scoring a goal.

Twenty-year-old Allan Mbote reportedly died on the pitch on Sunday in Busia County, western Kenya, while six of his Red Sharks teammates were rushed to a local hospital needing treatment for their injuries.

Local police chief Mary Kiarie is quoted by the Daily Nation newspaper as saying three of the players are recovering in hospital and three others have already been treated and discharged.

Upcoming fixtures in the Nangina Ward Soccer tournament will go ahead as scheduled, the Daily Nation quotes its organisers as saying, with the final due on 24 December.

3. Armed group seizes Libya oilfield

Officials in Libya have confirmed that an armed group has seized control of one of the country's largest oilfields.

Local gunmen were reported to have stormed the facilities at El Sharara, in the southern region of Fezzan, on Saturday.

The militiamen recently threatened to occupy the site if the authorities didn't provide more development funds for their impoverished area.

The Libyan National Oil Corporation said the oilfield's seizure would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of barrels of production every day. It demanded that the occupation end immediately.

4. Netflix reveals first African original series

Netflix is to launch its first African original series in 2019.

Queen Sono is "a drama about a secret agent who fights crime while dealing with crises in her personal life," according to entertainment news site Variety.

The star of the series, South African actor Pearl Thusi, says it's "going to change the game for every artist on this continent".

Queen Sono is the brainchild of director Kagiso Lediga and executive producer Tamsin Andersson, who previously worked together on romantic comedy Catching Feelings.

Netflix plans to invest more of its $8bn (£6.3bn) original production budget on African content.

In September, the global video streaming service bought the rights to Lionheart - its first original Nigerian film.

5. France yellow vest protests: Macron promises wage rise

France's President Emmanuel Macron has promised a minimum wage rise and tax concessions in response to weeks of violent protests.

France has seen four weekends of violent protests against fuel tax rises, living costs and other issues.

Speaking in a televised address, Mr Macron condemned the violence but said the protesters' anger was "deep, and in many ways legitimate".

The minimum wage would increase by €100 per month from 2019, he said.

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