Category Archives: Africa

Mauritian PM asks for independent review of Chagos Island deal with UK

Posted on by

Recently elected PM Navin Ramgoolam tells parliament contents of negotiations ‘unknown’ to new government

The Mauritian prime minister has asked for an independent review of the Chagos Islands deal with the UK, according to parliamentary records.

According to the Mauritian parliament Hansard record, the new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, said during a session on Friday: “I wish to inform the house that I have asked for an independent review of the confidential draft agreement agreed so far.”

Continue reading...

At least 27 people dead and 100 missing after boat capsizes in Nigeria

Posted on by

About 200 passengers, mostly women, were on vessel that sunk in Niger River

At least 27 people have died and more than 100 are missing after a boat capsized in northern Nigeria, authorities have said.

About 200 passengers were on the boat that was going from the state of Kogi to neighbouring state of Niger when it capsized on the Niger River, the Niger state emergency management agency spokesperson, Ibrahim Audu, told the Associated Press.

Continue reading...

Mysterious mass elephant die-off ‘probably caused by toxic water’

Posted on by

Satellite data analysis suggests climate-induced algal blooms could be behind hundreds of deaths in Botswana that sparked flurry of theories in 2020

More than 350 elephants that died in mysterious circumstances probably drank toxic water, according to a new paper that warns of an “alarming trend” in climate-induced poisoning.

The deaths in Botswana’s Okavango delta were described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”. Elephants of all ages were seen walking in circles before collapsing and dying. Carcasses were first spotted in north-eastern Botswana in May and June 2020, with many theories circulating about the cause of death, including cyanide poisoning or an unknown disease.

Continue reading...

Footprints in Kenya ‘show distant relatives of modern humans coexisted’

Posted on by

Researchers say fossilised marks were apparently made in same place within days of each other about 1.5m years ago

About 1.5m years ago a big-toothed cousin of prehistoric humans walked quickly along a lakeside in Kenya, footprints marking the muddy ground. But they were not our only distant relative on the scene: treading the same ground was the early human Homo erectus.

Researchers say an analysis of fossilised footprints discovered in deposits of the Turkana Basin, northern Kenya, suggest the marks were made by two different species on the human family tree who were in the same place within hours or days of each other.

Continue reading...

Military vehicle mows down woman as post-election protests roil Mozambique

Posted on by

Woman sustains head injuries in incident in capital and police kill two protesters in northern city

A military vehicle mowed down a woman in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, as protests have gripped the southern African country weeks after an election that the opposition said was rigged.

Videos of the incident on Wednesday that have been widely shared on social media showed an armoured vehicle speeding down a busy street into a makeshift wooden barricade attended by protesters and then driving over the woman.

Continue reading...

British mother of Egyptian political prisoner to press Lammy to take action

Posted on by

Laila Soueif is to meet the foreign secretary, who in opposition called for the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah

The British-born mother of an Egyptian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 58 days is preparing to meet the foreign secretary, David Lammy, to urge him to secure her son’s release.

Laila Soueif’s son Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British and Egyptian dual citizen who wrote eloquently about the Arab spring and its aftermath, was jailed for five years for “spreading false news”. He was due to be released in September, but has not been freed.

Continue reading...

Namibia goes to polls amid anger at high unemployment rate

Posted on by

Swapo party could lose its majority for the first time since independence in 1990, if youth voter turnout is high

Namibians are going to the polls with the longtime ruling party’s parliamentary majority under threat if dissatisfied young people turn out in big numbers amid a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment globally.

The Swapo party could also be forced to contest a second round in the presidential election for the first time since the sparsely populated southern African country became independent from South Africa in 1990.

Continue reading...

Catholic priest accused of sexual assault fathered children of victims, court hears

Posted on by

Revelation emerges at hearing for Anthony Odiong, 55, charged with several counts and held in Texas on $5.5m bail

A Roman Catholic priest with links to Texas and Louisiana who is facing criminal charges for allegedly abusing his position of authority within the church to pursue sex with vulnerable women fathered at least two children with victims of his behavior, authorities have alleged.

The stunning information about Anthony Odiong surfaced at a bail hearing on Tuesday in Waco, Texas, where prosecutors have charged him with several counts of sexually assaulting women to whom he ministered.

Continue reading...

Four bodies recovered from Red Sea day after tourist boat capsizes

Posted on by

Five more rescued and seven still missing from the Sea Story, which was carrying 30 tourists and 14 crew

Egyptian naval forces recovered four bodies and rescued five more people from the Red Sea a day after a large tourist boat sank in rough waters, officials have said. Seven people are still missing.

The Red Sea governor, Amr Hanafi, said the yacht, called Sea Story, had been struck by high waves on Monday and sank in less than 7 minutes.

Continue reading...

Thirty-five million Africans driven from homes by war and climate disasters – report

Posted on by

Data shows a threefold increase in internal displacement across the African continent since 2009, with flooding and drought posing a growing threat

Wars and climate disasters have driven a threefold increase in the number of internally displaced people in Africa over the past 15 years, according to new data.

There are now 35 million people internally displaced on the continent, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), compared with 11.6 million in 2009, when African governments signed a landmark deal legally binding them to tackle the causes of displacement.

Continue reading...

Two Britons among 16 missing after tourist boat capsizes in Red Sea

Posted on by

Sea Story was on diving trip with 31 tourists and 14 crew when it sent distress signal

Two Britons are reported to be among 16 people missing after a tourist boat on a diving trip capsized in the Red Sea.

The Sea Story was carrying 30 tourists from several countries and 14 crew when it sent a distress signal at 5.30am local time (0330 GMT), according to Egypt’s Red Sea governorate.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: Swaths of Canada braced for heavy snow

Posted on by

Temperatures unlikely to exceed -20C in parts of Canada, while a red weather warning has been issued for Sri Lanka

An area of low pressure moving along the US-Canada border brought heavy snowfall to parts of western Canada at the weekend. A weather warning has been issued for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan for 150-250mm (6-10in) of snow.

As the weather system moves, it is expected to bring further snow to eastern parts of the country early this week. Pressure building after the snowfall is expected trap cold air from the north, triggering severe frost.

Continue reading...

Islamic State is primed to be thorn in the side of incoming Trump administration

Posted on by

The terrorist group has been looking to be active this holiday season, with online chatter about attacks increasing

Amid a presidential campaign with foreign policy discussions more focused on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, the Islamic State stayed under the radar while calling on supporters and operatives to attack Americans on election day.

The FBI thwarted a serious plot in Oklahoma City only weeks before the vote, prompting a similar public reaction to news involving the terror group that has become customary of late: is the Islamic State a renewed threat?

Continue reading...

As Band Aid marks 40th anniversary critics take aim at Africa stereotypes

Posted on by

Latest version of Do They Know It’s Christmas fundraiser reignites debate about ‘problematic’ lyrics and imagery

Forty years ago this week, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.

Do They Know It’s Christmas, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s festive charity behemoth, would go on to raise almost £150m for famine relief and development in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. To mark the anniversary, on Monday a new version of the single – its fifth – will be released under the name Band Aid 40.

Continue reading...

Hungary invites Netanyahu to visit as world leaders split over ICC arrest warrant

Posted on by

Viktor Orbán says he will not enforce ICC decision that requires court members to detain Israeli PM if he enters their country

Hungary’s illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said he will invite his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to visit in defiance of an international criminal court arrest warrant, as world leaders split over the ICC’s momentous decision.

The world’s highest criminal court issued warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and the Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, commonly known as Mohammed Deif, who is believed to be dead, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Continue reading...

US moves to list giraffes under Endangered Species Act for first time

Posted on by

Climate crisis, habitat loss and poaching have reduced its numbers – but will Trump put the kibosh on protections?

They are the tallest animal to roam the Earth and have become an icon of children’s books, toys and awed wildlife documentaries. But giraffes are in decline, which has prompted the US government to list them as endangered for the first time.

Giraffes will be listed under the US Endangered Species Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed in a move that will cover five subspecies of the animal. The agency hopes the listing will crack down on the poaching of giraffes, as the US is a leading destination of rugs, pillowcases, boots, furniture and even Bible covers made from giraffe body parts.

Continue reading...

Malian singer Rokia Traoré to be extradited from Italy to Belgium

Posted on by

Italy’s highest court rejects musician’s appeal after she was arrested in Rome in June over child custody dispute

Malian musician Rokia Traoré, who was arrested in Rome last June over an international child custody dispute, will be handed over to Belgium in the coming days after Italy’s highest court rejected her appeal, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

Traoré, 50, a former goodwill ambassador for the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR, was arrested on 20 June at Rome’s Fiumicino airport under a European arrest warrant.

Continue reading...

World’s conflict zones increased by two-thirds in past three years, report reveals

Posted on by

Wars have spread and intensified, with far-reaching impacts on global economic growth and food security, according to latest Conflict Intensity Index

The proportion of the world engulfed by conflict has grown 65% – equivalent to nearly double the size of India – over the past three years, according to a new report.

Ukraine, Myanmar, the Middle East and a “conflict corridor” around Africa’s Sahel region have seen wars and unrest spread and intensify since 2021, according to the latest Conflict Intensity Index (CII), published by risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.

Continue reading...

Author Kamel Daoud sued over claim he used life of wife’s patient in novel

Posted on by

Woman says French-Algerian writer’s prize-winning Houris uses her story as she told it to therapist Aicha Dehdouh

Two complaints have been filed in Algeria against the French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud, the winner of France’s most prestigious literary award, and his wife, a therapist, alleging that they used a patient’s life story as the basis for his prize-winning novel.

The writer, the first Algerian novelist to be awarded the Prix Goncourt, won this year’s prize for his novel Houris, a fictional account of a young woman who lost her voice when an Islamist cut her throat during the country’s brutal 1992-2002 civil war.

Continue reading...

Extremist Timbuktu Islamic police chief sentenced to 10 years in jail by ICC

Posted on by

Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud had been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity

The international criminal court has sentenced an al-Qaida-linked extremist leader to 10 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out when he headed the Islamic police in Timbuktu in Mali, west Africa.

Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was convicted in June of torture, religious persecution and other inhumane acts. Judges found he was a “key figure” in a reign of terror after Islamic extremist rebels overran the ancient desert city in 2012.

Continue reading...