AFP Africa

Heavy flooding hit Mauritius on Monday as a tropical cyclone closed in on the Indian Ocean island nation after battering the French overseas territory of Reunion.Images posted on local media showed numerous cars in the capital Port Louis submerged under a brown deluge of floodwater or piled up on the street, as torrential rains lashed …

Floods hit Mauritius as tropical cyclone approachesMon, 15 Jan 2024 15:35:05 GMT Read More »

Sweaty and out of breath, B-boy Alpha comes down grinning from the stage where he has just won Nigeria’s national breakdance championship and secured a trip to Paris for the Olympics this summer.”This is the dream of every athlete,” said the 29-year-old men’s winner from Lagos, real name Salaam Idris.Breakdancing, or breaking, is making its …

Nigerian breakdancers battle to bring ‘groove’ to OlympicsMon, 15 Jan 2024 13:09:35 GMT Read More »

Kneeling as she gazes out to sea draped in white cloth and strings of pearls, Simenou Dangnitche has just completed the final stage of her annual ritual.Every January for the past 15 years, the 48-year-old local has joined hundreds taking part in Benin’s famed Voodoo festival.Participants gather at the “Door of No Return”, an arch …

Benin Voodoo festival rebrands to draw touristsMon, 15 Jan 2024 11:43:50 GMT Read More »

Comorans voted in a presidential election Sunday, with incumbent Azali Assoumani saying he was confident of victory and the opposition claiming electoral fraud. Several opposition figures on the Indian Ocean archipelago had urged voters to boycott the poll, in which five candidates are standing against 65-year-old Assoumani for the top job.”There is confidence that I will …

Comoros votes as controversial president predicts first round winMon, 15 Jan 2024 09:25:00 GMT Read More »

Hundreds of thousands of people on France’s Indian Ocean island of Reunion hunkered down in their homes under a strict lockdown on Monday as a devastating storm that has already left one dead started to rip through the territory.Cyclone Belal hit Reunion, one of France’s overseas territories that span the globe from the Caribbean to …

One dead as French Indian Ocean island hit by major stormMon, 15 Jan 2024 08:53:24 GMT Read More »

On Dakar’s long Hann Bay beach, a lone figure with a shovel and wheelbarrow tirelessly picks up mounds of rubbish in such quantities that the task takes on an almost mythological air.The smell is acrid. A few metres from the man, a pipe carries a black mixture of household and factory wastewater into the Atlantic.Once …

Senegal’s Hann Bay, a paradise turned sewer, awaits clean upMon, 15 Jan 2024 06:43:58 GMT Read More »

Hundreds of thousands of people on France’s Reunion Island were confined to their homes Monday, as authorities issued the highest alert for a potentially devastating storm.Cyclone Belal was expected to barrel directly into the French Indian Ocean island on Monday, as it moved in from the northwest packing “extreme winds”, according to the Meteo-France forecast.”The …

Reunion Island on highest alert as major storm hitsMon, 15 Jan 2024 04:02:30 GMT Read More »

Mohamed Salah saved Egypt from an embarrassing defeat in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, while Nigeria were held by Equatorial Guinea despite Victor Osimhen getting on the scoresheet.Ghana were also in action in Abidjan and suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Cape Verde as three nations with 14 AFCON …

Salah rescues Egypt as Nigeria draw and Ghana lose at Cup of NationsMon, 15 Jan 2024 01:08:26 GMT Read More »

Substitute Garry Rodrigues pounced in injury time to give Cape Verde a shock 2-1 win over four-time former champions Ghana in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.The Black Stars looked set to come away with a draw after Alexander Djiku headed home to cancel out a Jamiro Monteiro goal for …

Cape Verde strike late to claim Ghana scalp at Cup of NationsSun, 14 Jan 2024 22:12:38 GMT Read More »

Residents on France’s Reunion Island were confined to their homes early Monday, as the authorities issued the highest alert for what they said could become a devastating tropical storm.The Violet-Level alert, which comes into force at 6:00 am (0200 GMT) means all people on the island, including the emergency services, should observe a strick lockdown.”All …

Reunion Island on highest alert as major storm hitsSun, 14 Jan 2024 21:43:58 GMT Read More »