Category Archives: Africa

Kenya gas explosion kills at least three and injures hundreds

Posted on by

More than 280 taken to hospital after truck blast on gas storage site that had unsuccessfully applied for permit to operate

A lorry loaded with liquid petroleum gas cylinders exploded and set off a late-night inferno that burned homes and warehouses in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, killing at least three people and injuring more than 280. The death toll is expected to increase.

At least 24 people were critically injured, the Kenya Red Cross said, after a huge fireball erupted from the gas depot. Some gas cylinders were thrown hundreds of metres, sparking several separate fires.

Continue reading...

Three girls die after FGM rituals in Sierra Leone

Posted on by

Children’s parents and those who performed the procedure are in police custody, according to local reports

Police in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).

Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports.

Continue reading...

UK manufacturers hit by Red Sea disruption and rising shipping costs

Posted on by

Supply chain difficulties have led to job losses and cuts in purchasing and stocks, S&P Global poll shows

Britain’s factories have been hit by disruption caused by Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea that led to shipping delays and contributed to rising costs, as the boss of Adidas warned about “exploding” global freight rates.

UK manufacturers have experienced growing supply chain difficulties, as the Red Sea crisis led to the rerouting of deliveries of raw materials, components and other goods away from the Suez Canal, a survey has shown.

Continue reading...

Number of people arriving by boat in Canaries from west Africa jumps 1,000%

Posted on by

Atlantic route to chain of islands is deadliest migration passage to Spain with 6,007 people dying last year

The number of people from west Africa who braved the sea in boats to reach Spain’s Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000% in January from a year before, according to data released by the country’s interior ministry.

A total of 7,270 people reached the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean between 1 January and 31 January, a nearly 13-fold increase from 566 people in the same month in 2023, the ministry said on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Refugee files complaint to UN against Spain over 2014 border deaths

Posted on by

Country accused of violating torture convention in hope of finding justice decade after incident in which at least 15 people died

A 25-year-old from Cameroon has filed a complaint to the UN against Spain, accusing the country of multiple violations of the convention against torture in hope of seeking justice after an incident in 2014 during which at least 15 people died while trying to enter Spanish territory from Morocco.

“A decade has passed and still not a single person has been held accountable for the death and injury of so many,” said the man, who asked to be identified by the pseudonym Ludovic.

Continue reading...

Ethiopia hails return of its first plane, stolen by Mussolini in 1930s

Posted on by

Red two-seater named after Emperor Haile Selassie’s daughter abandoned in 1936 after Italy invaded country

Almost nine decades after it was stolen by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, the Italian government has officially returned Ethiopia’s first plane.

The official handover of the aircraft, named Tsehay in honour of the princess daughter of Emperor Haile Selassie, was celebrated on Tuesday by the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.

Continue reading...

South Sudan flooding hampers efforts to contain hepatitis E outbreak

Posted on by

MSF begins vaccine drive against incurable disease, which is spread via dirty water and kills thousands of pregnant women

A push to tackle an outbreak of hepatitis E in South Sudan is being hampered by flooding that has isolated populations and turned villages into islands.

A pioneering vaccination drive has begun to protect people against a spate of cases but the true scale of the disease outbreak is unknown.

Continue reading...

Somalia to launch its first current affairs TV show led by women

Posted on by

New show will follow Question Time format answering audience questions on taboo subjects from periods to women in politics

Somalia’s only all-female media team, Bilan, is launching the country’s first TV current affairs show to be hosted by a woman.

The debate show, which plans to address some taboo subjects, will also be the first programme on Somali television to have a panel of at least 50% women, and the first to broach contentious topics, such as a critical shortage of female teachers and the challenges faced by women trying to get into politics, as well as environmental issues.

Continue reading...

African Union Commission calls for ‘paradigm shift’ at Italy-Africa summit

Posted on by

Moussa Faki welcomes Giorgia Meloni’s plan to strengthen relations but says ‘we are not beggars’

The chair of the African Union Commission has said “we are not beggars” as the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, outlined a plan aimed at helping African countries to prosper in return for curbing illegal immigration.

Speaking at the much anticipated Italy-Africa summit in Rome, Moussa Faki welcomed Italy’s overtures for a mutually beneficial strengthening of relations with the African continent, but said: “We cannot be satisfied with mere promises that can’t be kept.”

Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen says Africa and Europe’s ‘interests are aligned more than ever before’ – as it happened

Posted on by

European Commission president says this is ‘moment of intense cooperation’ at Italy-Africa summit as Meloni announces plans. This live blog is now closed

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, said at the Italy-Africa summit today that partnership is based on liberty and consensus, with no side imposing anything.

Africa engages in partnership based on mutual advantages, he added.

Continue reading...

Meloni to unveil plan to expand Italian influence in Africa

Posted on by

Scheme to help African economies aimed at curbing illegal migration from continent

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is poised to announce her grand plan for Italy in Africa as she strives to position her country at the forefront of European cooperation on the African continent in return for curbing illegal migration.

The so-called Mattei plan, named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of the oil company Eni, will be presented in Rome on Monday to a host of leaders from Africa and Europe, including the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.

Continue reading...

Charity with Prince Harry as director investigating rape and torture claims

Posted on by

African Parks examines alleged atrocities against Indigenous people by its Congo Republic guards after ‘decade of alerts’ from Survival International

A wildlife charity that has the Duke of Sussex as a board member is investigating allegations of rape and torture by its guards in the Republic of the Congo.

African Parks, which manages 22 national parks and protected areas across 12 countries, said the investigation was its “highest priority” and encouraged anyone with knowledge of any abuse to contact it.

Continue reading...

Thousands march against femicide in Kenya after rise in killings

Posted on by

Reports of at least a dozen cases of femicide since start of year prompt protests across the country

Protests against femicide have taken place across Kenya after a rise in killings this month.

Reports of at least a dozen cases of femicide since the start of the year have prompted public outrage, debate and demonstrations across the country, including in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa.

Continue reading...

Kenya high court rules against plan to deploy hundreds of police to Haiti

Posted on by

Judge says UN-backed proposals to tackle gangs in Caribbean country contravene Kenya’s constitution

Kenya’s high court has ruled against a government plan to deploy hundreds of police to Haiti to lead a UN-backed multinational mission to fight escalating gang violence in the Caribbean country.

Enock Chacha Mwita, the judge who issued the ruling, said: “Any decision by any state organ or state officer to deploy police officers to Haiti … contravenes the constitution and the law and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and invalid.”

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: Tropical Cyclone Kirrily brings 170km/h gusts to Queensland

Posted on by

Cyclone downgraded after dense fog hits parts of the US and India while drought affects Philippines and southern Africa

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily made landfall on the coast of Queensland on Thursday night (local time). Kirrily originated as a tropical low over the Coral Sea, and gradually intensified over several days. The tropical cyclone then quickly intensified on Thursday, reaching a category 2 system by 10am AEST, and category 3 by 3pm, producing gusts of 170 km/h (105mph). As Kirrily moved inland five hours later, it left more than 34,000 homes and business without power in Townsville. However, the cyclone was quickly downgraded back to a category 1 by midnight.

Earlier in the week, dense fog developed from Montana all the way south to the Gulf of Mexico, reducing visibility on Tuesday to less than a quarter mile for many. The combination of last week’s arctic blast, followed by the introduction of warmer air from the south this week, allowed water vapour to condense closer to the surface, which is also known as advection fog. Dense fog reappeared on Thursday morning, affecting just under 99 million people from North Dakota across to central Pennsylvania, and as far south as New Orleans.

Continue reading...

ICJ to give interim ruling in Gaza genocide case against Israel

Posted on by

Judges in The Hague to decide on whether to order Israel to end its military campaign against Hamas

The international court of justice in The Hague is set to give a preliminary ruling on Friday in South Africa’s case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza, as the world watches to see whether the judges will order a ceasefire.

At a two-day hearing this month, South Africa asked the court to issue provisional measures requiring Israel to immediately end its military campaign in Gaza, which began after the 7 October attacks by Hamas.

Continue reading...

Friday briefing: Why Britain is returning plundered artefacts back to Ghana – sort of

Posted on by

In today’s newsletter: 32 pieces of Asante gold are to return home from the British Museum and V&A … but only on loan

• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition

Good morning.

More than 150 years after they were “stolen in violent circumstances” by British soldiers, two top UK museums are returning some of Ghana’s “crown jewels”.

Middle East | Israeli officials are bracing for an expected interim ruling from the international court of justice on South Africa’s allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions.

Immigration | The UK would break international law if it ignored emergency orders from the European court of human rights to stop asylum seekers being flown to Rwanda, the head of the court has said.

UK news | The mother of one of three Nottingham stabbing victims has said “true justice has not been served” after killer Valdo Calocane was sentenced to indefinite detention in a high-security hospital.

US news | Alabama has carried out the first execution of a death row inmate in the US using nitrogen gas, an untested procedure which the prisoner’s lawyers had argued amounted to a form of cruel and unusual punishment banned under the US constitution.

Politics | David Cameron breached “proper process” when he appointed Michelle Mone to the House of Lords in 2015, David Mundell, who was the Scotland secretary at the time, has said.

Continue reading...

Lions making fewer zebra kills due to ‘chain reaction’ involving invasive ants

Posted on by

Hunting by Kenyan lions impeded in ‘ecological chain reaction’ as big-headed ants fail to stop elephants stripping acacia trees – the cats’ ambush cover

When a lion decides to chase down a zebra it seems as though nothing can stop it. But now researchers have discovered these enormous predators are being thwarted by a tiny foe: ants.

Scientists have found the spread of big-headed ants in east Africa sets off a situation leading to lions making fewer zebra kills.

Continue reading...

South African charged with 76 murders after shock arson confession

Posted on by

Suspect had told inquiry into Johannesburg apartment fire that he started blaze last year to burn a body

A man who confessed to starting a deadly fire at an apartment building in one of South Africa’s worst disasters has been charged with 76 counts of murder and 86 counts of attempted murder.

The suspect was also charged with arson and was ordered to be kept in police custody until a bail hearing next month. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison. South Africa has no death penalty.

Continue reading...

British Museum and V&A to lend Ghana looted gold and silver

Posted on by

Objects to go on show at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi as part of Asante king’s silver jubilee celebrations

Gold and silver treasure looted from west Africa by the British army in colonial wars are to be lent to Ghana in a three-year deal, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have announced.

The precious regalia, which had belonged to the Asante royal court, is regarded as part of the “national soul” of Ghana. Under the deal, 17 objects from the V&A and 15 from the British Museum, will go on show later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region. Many of the items have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years.

Continue reading...