Algerians in the fire-ravaged northeast were Thursday counting the cost of the blazes that killed 34 people, destroyed homes and reduced vast forest areas to scorched wastelands.The wildfires raged for days, mainly through the mountain forests of the Kabylia region on the Mediterranean coast, fanned by winds during blistering summer heat.”Many people are traumatised. Our …

Algeria counts costs after deadly wildfiresThu, 27 Jul 2023 20:48:33 GMT Read More »

Coup leaders in Niger who say they have overthrown the elected government won broad army support and called for calm on Thursday, after young demonstrators ransacked the ruling party headquarters.The latest target of a coup in Africa’s turbulent Sahel region, President Mohamed Bazoum has been confined at his residence since Wednesday by his own presidential …

Niger coup leaders win army backing and call for calmThu, 27 Jul 2023 19:59:23 GMT Read More »

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday offered free grain to six African countries as he launched a summit with leaders from the continent days after withdrawing from the Ukraine grain export deal.The two-day summit in Putin’s native Saint Petersburg is being scrutinised as a test of his support in Africa, where he retains backing despite …

Putin promises free grain at Africa summitThu, 27 Jul 2023 18:14:06 GMT Read More »

More than 900 migrants have drowned off Tunisia’s coast so far this year as they tried to reach Europe by boat, the North African country’s government said Thursday.In a warning of further tragedy, the United Nations said it was deeply concerned for the safety of hundreds of migrants stranded in Tunisia following their removal to …

Tunisia says 900 migrants drowned off its coast this yearThu, 27 Jul 2023 16:34:22 GMT Read More »

Niger’s armed forces chief on Thursday declared his support for troops who said they had overthrown the government, despite a defiant stand by the country’s elected president and an outcry from the world community.The latest target of a coup in the turbulent Sahel, President Mohamed Bazoum has been confined at his residence since Wednesday by …

Niger military chief backs coup leaders, but president defiantThu, 27 Jul 2023 16:14:33 GMT Read More »

The United Nations said Thursday it was deeply concerned for the safety of hundreds of migrants stranded in Tunisia following their removal to remote parts of the North African country. The UN said an “unfolding tragedy” was taking place with migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers surviving in dire conditions near the frontiers with Libya and Algeria, while …

UN warns of ‘unfolding tragedy’ as migrants dumped by Tunisia bordersThu, 27 Jul 2023 15:34:58 GMT Read More »

Rockets pummelled the Sudanese capital on Thursday, witnesses said, as paramilitaries attacked a key air force base north of Khartoum and claimed to have killed and wounded “dozens” of soldiers.Residents reported “heavy artillery shelling” and fighter jets overhead the northwest of the city, while drones belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked the Wadi …

Rockets hit Khartoum, air force base attackedThu, 27 Jul 2023 14:49:18 GMT Read More »

British professor Jim Skea told AFP on Thursday he will bring “a judicious blend of realism and optimism” to his leadership of the UN’s climate expert panel, including a firm belief that humanity is not powerless to confront global warming. Skea takes charge of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a crucial decade which …

Humanity ‘has agency over future’: new head of UN climate panelThu, 27 Jul 2023 13:49:32 GMT Read More »

Almost 800 irregular migrants drowned off Tunisia in the first half of this year as they tried to reach Europe by boat, a National Guard spokesman told AFP Thursday.”789 bodies of migrants were recovered from the sea, including 102 Tunisians, the others foreigners and unidentified people,” said Houcem Eddine Jebabli, adding that more than 34,000 …

Almost 800 migrants drowned off Tunisia in six months: National GuardThu, 27 Jul 2023 11:08:23 GMT Read More »