AFP Africa

In southern Morocco, women are the guardians of the age-old craft of carpet weaving, an intricate art form that often leaves them with meagre earnings.Women like Ijja Benchri, who creates carpets on a wooden weaving loom outside her small home in the village of Taznakht, follows traditions going back many generations.”I started when I was …

Morocco’s women rug weavers battle to save age-old craftWed, 18 Dec 2024 01:37:38 GMT Read More »

Sudanese doctor Mohamed Moussa has grown so accustomed to the constant sound of gunfire and shelling near his hospital that it no longer startles him. Instead, he simply continues attending to his patients.”The bombing has numbed us,” the 30-year-old general practitioner told AFP by phone from Al-Nao hospital, one of the last functioning medical facilities …

Sudan’s doctors bear brunt of war as healthcare falls apartWed, 18 Dec 2024 01:35:39 GMT Read More »

Authorities announced a nighttime curfew Tuesday to curb looting after a devastating cyclone hit the French overseas territory of Mayotte, with the country’s prime minister warning the death toll could rise.According to the latest toll from the interior ministry, 22 people are confirmed to have been killed and 1,373 injured by Cyclone Chido when it …

France imposes curfew for cyclone-hit Mayotte as toll risesTue, 17 Dec 2024 20:58:15 GMT Read More »

Saim Ayub hit a superb 109 and Salman Agha starred with bat and ball as Pakistan beat South Africa by three wickets in the first one-day international at Boland Park on Tuesday.The left-handed Ayub and Salman (82 not out) shared a fifth wicket partnership of 141, rescuing Pakistan from 60 for four.Salman, who earlier had …

Saim Ayub, Salman Agha steer Pakistan to victory in first ODITue, 17 Dec 2024 20:52:57 GMT Read More »

The toll from the devastating cyclone that ripped through the French overseas territory of Mayotte risks rising, the prime minister said Tuesday, as the authorities announced a nighttime curfew to thwart looting.According to the latest toll, 21 people are confirmed to have been killed by Cyclone Chido when it barrelled into the archipelago at the …

France warns Mayotte cyclone toll to rise as curfew imposedTue, 17 Dec 2024 18:59:00 GMT Read More »

The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead.Before the storm hit, around a third of the island’s population was living in iron-sheeted huts that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone.By the …

How ramshackle housing made Mayotte vulnerable to cyclone assaultTue, 17 Dec 2024 15:05:14 GMT Read More »

Residents of the Comoros are desperate for news of loved ones in neighbouring Mayotte, where Cyclone Chido is feared to have killed hundreds and much of the population is Comoran.Chido spared the Comoros but devastated the French territory of Mayotte just 70 kilometres (43 miles) away, an Indian Ocean magnet for migrants from impoverished Comoros …

Comorans fear for loved ones on cyclone-ravaged MayotteTue, 17 Dec 2024 13:02:04 GMT Read More »

Ethiopia will partially open its banking sector to foreign banks following a vote by lawmakers on Tuesday, according to local media group FanaBC.Since taking power in 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been a vocal supporter of opening up the heavily state-controlled economy to competition and foreign investment.But internal conflicts — including a devastating civil …

Ethiopia opens banking sector to foreign investmentTue, 17 Dec 2024 11:21:13 GMT Read More »

In a library in Somaliland, Hafsa Omer presses play on a small cassette player. The sound of a Somali lute interwoven with a woman’s soft singing fills the room.Tapping her keyboard, Omer bobs with the rhythm of the pentatonic melody typical in the northern region of the Horn of Africa.Since 2021, the 21-year-old has been …

Re-discovered tapes bear witness to Somaliland identityTue, 17 Dec 2024 07:22:30 GMT Read More »

Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman was named 2024 African men’s player of the year at a ceremony in Marrakesh on Monday, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda picked up the women’s award. Lookman succeeds compatriot Victor Osimhen, who last year became the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.The 27-year-old owes his achievement to consistently excellent performances both …

Lookman and Banda crowned African players of the yearMon, 16 Dec 2024 21:05:42 GMT Read More »