Transition of power near in S. Africa

JOHANNESBURG— South Africa’s deputy president was seen as consolidating his control of the government Sunday, promising to conclude a power transition in which he would succeed President Jacob Zuma, who faces widespread calls to resign because of corruption allegations.

Standing on the balcony of Cape Town’s pillared City Hall, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered what amounted to a state of the nation address of the kind that Mr. Zuma was unable to give as scheduled last week because of the leadership crisis in South Africa, which has one of the continent’s biggest economies.

Mr. Ramaphosa, Mr. Zuma’s expected successor, set out a policy agenda for the year in his nationally televised speech, which marked the beginning of commemorations of the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth on July 18, 1918. Then he referred to the topic that people really wanted to hear about — his confidential negotiations in recent days with Mr. Zuma over the president’s exit after a scandal-marred tenure.

The ruling ANC party’s national executive committee will discuss Mr. Zuma’s fate at a meeting Monday “and because our people want this matter to be finalized, the national executive committee will be doing precisely that,” Mr. Ramaphosa said.

Jammu base stormed

SRINAGAR, India — A brazen weekend attack by heavily armed militants who stormed an Indian Army base in the Jammu region killed at least five soldiers and a civilian, army officials said on Sunday.

It was one of the deadliest attacks on the army in recent years, and Indian officials quickly blamed a Pakistan-based militant group.

The target of the attack early Saturday was the sprawling base of the army’s 36th Brigade, which houses more than 3,500 troops, including those of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.

Indian officials said the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad was behind the attack. The group has carried out similar attacks in the Indian-administrated portion of Kashmir.

Also in the world ...

Oxfam, one of the world’s most prominent relief agencies, could lose its funding from the British government over reports that its workers exploited survivors of a massive earthquake in Haiti, and possibly other disasters, for sex. ... Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Cairo on Sunday, beginning a swing through the Middle East.