Sierra Leoneans voted Saturday in a mostly peaceful general election following a late start in some polling stations, as the opposition denounced alleged irregularities.President Julius Maada Bio is seeking a second term amid a crippling cost-of-living crisis that sparked deadly riots last year.Twelve men and one woman are vying for the top job and incumbent …

Sierra Leone votes amid crippling economic crisisSat, 24 Jun 2023 15:54:12 GMT Read More »

Artillery fire, air strikes and gun battles rocked Sudan’s capital on Saturday, witnesses told AFP, as the UN urged a stop to “wanton killings” that have left decomposing bodies in Darfur.While fighting rages, relief efforts have stalled after more than two months of fighting between rival generals.Houses in Khartoum shook from the fighting that continued …

Air strikes, artillery, killings in Sudan as aid stallsSat, 24 Jun 2023 14:25:31 GMT Read More »

The hajj pilgrimage has given Sudanese faithful Kamal Kabashi a brief respite from his country’s bloody conflict. Having safely arrived in Islam’s holiest city, he was praying for peace.Only weeks ago his home in North Darfur state, in Sudan’s west, was hit by shelling as a power struggle between rival generals spiralled into an all-out …

Sudanese hajj pilgrims pray for ‘God’s intervention’ to end warSat, 24 Jun 2023 10:07:22 GMT Read More »

Sierra Leoneans will vote Saturday in fiercely contested presidential and parliamentary elections, amid international calls for peace and a cost-of-living crisis that helped spark deadly riots last year.The West African country, which never fully recovered economically from a 1991-2002 civil war and the Ebola epidemic a decade later, was further pummelled by the Covid pandemic …

Sierra Leoneans head to the polls amid cost-of-living crisisSat, 24 Jun 2023 04:25:00 GMT Read More »

Around 40 people are missing after a migrant boat capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa, the UN said on Friday.The shipwreck took place on Thursday and at least one newborn baby is among those missing, said UNHCR representative to Italy Chiara Cardoletti.The vessel left from Sfax in Tunisia and was carrying 46 migrants from …

Around 40 missing in Italy migrant boat shipwreck: UNFri, 23 Jun 2023 22:18:53 GMT Read More »

Malian voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution in a referendum, marking a key step in the ruling junta’s declared plans to restore civilian rule, provisional results showed Friday.The military has made the draft constitution a cornerstone for the rebuilding of Mali, which is facing the spread of jihadism and a deep, multi-faceted crisis.Ninety-seven percent …

Malians approved constitutional changes, says election bodyFri, 23 Jun 2023 19:11:37 GMT Read More »

Activists on Friday criticised Madrid and Rabat for failing to act faster to help migrants trying to reach Spain by boat, after at least two people died this week.Spanish campaign group Caminando Fronteras, which takes calls from migrants or their loved ones about boats in distress, says 37 people are missing after their vessel sank …

Spain, Morocco, under fire over migrant sea rescuesFri, 23 Jun 2023 18:10:29 GMT Read More »

A global climate summit wrapped up Friday with leaders agreeing that the international financial system was woefully inadequate in an era of global warming, after taking a number of small steps to helping debt-burdened developing nations.While host country France pitched the conference as a consensus-building exercise, leaders were under pressure to produce clear outcomes from the …

Big ideas, small steps at climate finance summitFri, 23 Jun 2023 17:21:24 GMT Read More »

Desperately needed relief supplies are being confiscated by the warring parties in Sudan as fighting spreads to areas previously untouched by the 10-week-old conflict between top generals, aid agencies said on Friday.Demonstrations in support of the regular army were held Friday in greater Khartoum and in White Nile state to its south as civilians gave …

Aid situation worsens as Sudan fighting spreadsFri, 23 Jun 2023 16:41:29 GMT Read More »