Kidnappers have abducted over 100 people in two new attacks in northwest Nigeria weeks after more than 250 school pupils were seized in the same state, residents and officials told AFP on Monday.They blamed gangs of criminals known locally as bandits for the abductions in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state over the weekend, which pile …

Over 100 kidnapped in two new attacks in NigeriaMon, 18 Mar 2024 16:52:10 GMT Read More »

Painting a building in Senegal’s rapidly changing capital Dakar, Ismaila Ba is one of many workers to feel excluded from the West African country’s transformation under President Macky Sall.”I earn 6,000 CFA francs a day (around $10),” said Ba, who pays 80,000 francs a month for two rooms for himself, his wife and two daughters in …

Cracks undermine Sall’s bid to transform SenegalMon, 18 Mar 2024 09:45:25 GMT Read More »

Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. But other powerful heat-trapping emissions — of methane — will be in the crosshairs at a global forum in Geneva this week. Methane — which is potent but relatively short-lived — is a key target for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate …

Methane: a powerful gas heating the planetMon, 18 Mar 2024 06:20:50 GMT Read More »

Sisal ropes, salt crystals, volcanic rocks and aged brass: award-winning Kenyan designer Ami Doshi Shah has always chosen unlikely materials to make sophisticated jewellery that redefines value in a carat-obsessed industry.”As a child, I was always finding beauty in unusual things like stones and fossils,” Shah, 44, told AFP in an interview at her rooftop studio …

Ropes, brass, salt, stone: Reinventing jewellery in KenyaMon, 18 Mar 2024 04:14:56 GMT Read More »

The European Union and Egypt on Sunday signed a 7.4-billion-euro financial package to support the indebted north African country, boost energy sales to Europe and stem irregular migrant flows.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was joined in Cairo by the leaders of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy for the signing ceremony with Egyptian …

EU and Egypt sign 7.4 bn euro deal focussed on energy, migrationSun, 17 Mar 2024 16:14:28 GMT Read More »

The EU chief and five European leaders visited cash-strapped Egypt on Sunday to announce a 7.4-billion-euro financial package focussed on boosting energy trade and stemming irregular migrant flows to the 27-member bloc.The deal will include billions in credit over coming years for highly indebted Egypt, and stepping up energy sales that could help Europe “move …

EU, Egypt agree 7.4 bn euro deal focussed on energy, migrationSun, 17 Mar 2024 13:48:19 GMT Read More »

Clashes have broken out between government forces and M23 rebels leaving eight UN peacekeepers injured after a brief lull in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said.One of the peacekeepers was “gravely wounded” in the attack on Saturday at Sake, said UN mission head Bintou Keita.The strategic town lies 20 kilometres …

UN troops wounded as fighting flares in DR CongoSun, 17 Mar 2024 11:31:55 GMT Read More »

Outside a hospital in rural Zimbabwe, scores of people wait patiently under trees or inside small tents for news of their loved ones. Vendors sell snacks, fruits and drinks to drivers queuing at the gates of what has become an unlikely sought-after healthcare destination in the impoverished southern African country. Zimbabwe’s public health system has all but …

Rural clinic offers respite for priced out Zimbabwean patientsSun, 17 Mar 2024 06:34:01 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s charismatic opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his coalition’s presidential candidate flew to the south of the country Saturday, pressing on with their election campaign less than two weeks before the vote.  Former prime minister Amadou Ba, the presidential camp’s candidate in the election, meanwhile denounced Sonko’s “slanderous” attack on him the previous evening.Sonko and his …

Senegal’s Sonko takes election campaign to the southSun, 17 Mar 2024 01:43:56 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s anti-establishment figureheads have emerged stronger from a three-year struggle against President Macky Sall’s government and the courts after their release from prison ahead of this month’s election, analysts say.Firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his number two, presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, can now harness new momentum for the March 24 vote after weeks …

Senegal opposition stronger after vote turmoil: expertsSat, 16 Mar 2024 11:34:53 GMT Read More »