US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice will be nominated to succeed outgoing secretary of state Colin Powell, it emerged today.

COLIN Powell announced his decision to step down as US Secretary of State yesterday, marking the end of a period in office dogged by in-fighting.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, known as the odd man out in the Bush cabinet, has resigned, US TV networks have reported.

PROMISING to tackle his country’s poverty and corruption, President Olusegun Obasanjo took the oath of office for a second term as Nigeria’s leader yesterday — a landmark for civilian-run democracy in Africa’s most populous nation.