People donned Santa caps on beaches, ski slopes and streets around the globe on Monday to celebrate Christmas, with Israel’s war on Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casting a shadow over one of the world’s favourite holidays.Red and white Santa outfits appeared on surfers from Australia to Florida, on bicyclists in the smog-filled streets …

World celebrates Christmas in shadow of warMon, 25 Dec 2023 09:12:35 GMT Read More »

Pope Francis has kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel’s war on Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world’s favourite holidays.Having said earlier in the day that he was thinking of people “who are suffering from war — we are thinking of Palestine, …

Pope kicks off Christmas celebrations in shadow of warMon, 25 Dec 2023 02:34:19 GMT Read More »

Stand-up comedy is taking Senegal by storm, with a crew of young comics gaining recognition well beyond the West African country’s borders.  Shows with names like “Dakar fait sa comedy” (“Dakar does comedy”), “Fest’ rire” (“Laugh Fest”), “Afrique du rire” (“African Laugh”) are springing up across the capital Dakar.Some comedians already enjoy millions of followers …

As Senegal catches comedy bug, young stand-ups seek wider appealSun, 24 Dec 2023 07:12:40 GMT Read More »

Dressed all in white, a man pretends to aim a slingshot towards another who, running away, tries to dodge the imaginary rock flung towards him. “Hassituha” (You Felt It), a mostly silent play from eastern Libya, symbolises both the country’s divisions between west and east, and the rebirth of Libya’s National Theatre Festival, which staged a …

Libya’s theatre stages comeback after country’s years of turmoilSun, 24 Dec 2023 03:25:06 GMT Read More »

Western embassies in Democratic Republic of Congo urged restraint on Saturday after leading opposition members called this week’s election a “sham”, some calling for it to be annulled.Five opposition leaders called in a joint statement for a protest march next Wednesday.One election officer meanwhile said late voting in a few places in the country’s far …

Calls for restraint in DR Congo after tense voteSat, 23 Dec 2023 23:47:10 GMT Read More »

Sitting outside her makeshift shelter in eastern Chad, Sudanese refugee Mariam Adam Yaya warmed up tea on some firewood in a bid to quell the pangs of hunger.The 34-year-old from the Masalit ethnic group crossed the border on foot after a four-day trek with no provisions and her eight-year-old son clinging to her back.She said …

In Chad camps, survivors recount Sudan war horrorsSat, 23 Dec 2023 16:26:23 GMT Read More »

Victor Osimhen has signed a contract extension with Napoli until 2026, the Serie A champions announced on Saturday.”Victor and Napoli together until 2026,” said Napoli on social media, alongside a picture of the Nigerian international striker signing the new deal alongside club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.Napoli have not revealed any details of the new contract …

Napoli forward Victor Osimhen extends contract till 2026Sat, 23 Dec 2023 14:08:38 GMT Read More »

Exiled Senegalese opposition figure Karim Wade, an ex-minister and the son of former head of state Abdoulaye Wade, Saturday said he had filed papers to contest presidential elections in February.Wade’s Democratic Party had designated him as its candidate but doubts had remained due to his sentencing to a jail term for corruption in 2015, three …

Exiled Senegal opposition figure Karim Wade vies for top jobSat, 23 Dec 2023 11:55:50 GMT Read More »

The UN Security Council expressed “alarm” at growing violence in war-torn Sudan on Friday, a day after it reported that seven million people have been displaced by the conflict.In a joint statement, the Council “strongly condemned” attacks on civilians and the spread of the conflict “into areas hosting large populations of internally displaced persons, refugees, …

UN Security Council voices ‘alarm’ at spreading violence in SudanSat, 23 Dec 2023 03:41:25 GMT Read More »

Ivorian-French banker Tidjane Thiam was Friday elected leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, a victory which puts him in position to contest the next presidential election in 2025.Thiam, a former boss of banking giant Credit Suisse, won very comfortably with 96.5 percent of the vote against 3.2 percent for his rival …

Banker Thiam elected leader of Ivory Coast oppositionSat, 23 Dec 2023 02:42:40 GMT Read More »