Thirty-seven people were trampled to death in a stadium in the Republic of Congo’s capital Brazzaville, officials said Tuesday, in one of the deeply poor country’s worst tragedies in years.The youngsters had responded to a call to join the army in the central African nation, and had been directed to sign up at Brazzaville’s Michel …

Stampede kills 37 during Congo army recruitment driveTue, 21 Nov 2023 17:50:10 GMT Read More »

The BRICS group of nations Tuesday called for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza during an extraordinary summit where chair South Africa accused Israel of war crimes and “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.Pretoria hosted a virtual meeting of BRICS — a group of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and …

BRICS urges immediate Gaza truce, South Africa slams Israeli ‘genocide’Tue, 21 Nov 2023 16:13:41 GMT Read More »

Former South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp a decade ago, is unlikely to be released immediately if he is granted parole on Friday, the victim’s family lawyer said.The country’s parole board on Monday said it would be “considering the profile of Oscar Pistorius on Friday, 24 …

S.Africa’s Pistorius release might take time even if parole granted: lawyersTue, 21 Nov 2023 15:40:35 GMT Read More »

The leaders of the BRICS group of nations called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday, during an extraordinary summit where chair South Africa accused Israel of war crimes and “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.Pretoria hosted a virtual meeting of BRICS — a group of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China …

BRICS leaders urge immediate ceasefire in Gaza as S.Africa decries ‘genocide’Tue, 21 Nov 2023 15:33:40 GMT Read More »

Guinea’s junta has ordered a probe into toppled president Alpha Conde — the country’s first democratically elected leader — for treason, following ongoing investigations into alleged killings, torture, kidnapping and rape.Conde, who was ousted in a September 2021 coup after more than a decade in power, has been living in exile in Turkey.He is already …

Guinea junta orders probe into ex-president Conde for treasonTue, 21 Nov 2023 11:22:16 GMT Read More »

Political veteran Joseph Boakai was on Monday declared the winner of Liberia’s presidential election, beating incumbent George Weah, electoral authorities said after completing the ballot count.Boakai won with 50.64 percent of the vote, against 49.36 percent of the vote for former international football star Weah, National Electoral Commission (NEC) president Davidetta Browne Lansanah told reporters.Boakai …

Boakai declared winner of Liberia presidential electionTue, 21 Nov 2023 04:27:04 GMT Read More »

Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. But other powerful heat-trapping emissions — of methane — are also likely to be in the crosshairs of negotiators at the crucial COP28 meeting in Dubai next week. Methane — which is potent but relatively short-lived — is a key target for countries wanting to …

COP28 turns attention to potent methane emissionsTue, 21 Nov 2023 04:02:34 GMT Read More »

The presence of United Nations peacekeepers, whose shortcomings can frustrate local populations, is not a “magic wand” for conflict zones, said their leader Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who supports an expanded tool kit to protect civilians in increasingly complex territory.From Lebanon to the Democratic Republican of Congo (DRC), from South Sudan to the Western Sahara, some 90,000 …

UN peacekeepers no ‘magic wand’ for crises, their chief saysTue, 21 Nov 2023 01:43:47 GMT Read More »

Former South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 10 years ago, will be set a possible parole date Friday after his application is reviewed. The parole board said in a statement Monday it “will be considering the profile of Oscar Pistorius on Friday, 24 November 2023”. It will “decide whether the …

S.Africa’s Pistorius parole application under considerationMon, 20 Nov 2023 19:59:32 GMT Read More »

These days, when a Senegalese fisherman climbs into a canoe, it’s likely to be the last time — either he is leaving his life behind in hope of a new one in Europe, or failing in the attempt.Small-scale fishing has long been a mainstay of Senegal’s economy and its communities along the Atlantic coast, but …

Lure of migration snares Senegal’s fishermenMon, 20 Nov 2023 09:36:49 GMT Read More »