Mali's former coup chief takes power after military arrests president

Bamako: Mali's interim vice president, Colonel Assimi Goita, said on Tuesday that he had seized power after the transitional president and prime minister failed to consult him about the formation of a new government.

He said elections would be held next year as planned. President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were arrested and taken to a military base outside the capital on Monday evening, prompting swift condemnation from international powers, some of which called it an "attempted coup".