An Egyptian man who took selfies while piloting a small boat across the Channel with dozens of migrants on board was jailed on Friday, the UK’s interior ministry said.The government, under fire for new laws which rights groups insist violate international refugee conventions, welcomed the conviction.Reda Hamoud Abdurabou, 25, was sentenced to three years and …

Egyptian man jailed for steering small boat across ChannelFri, 01 Sep 2023 18:17:00 GMT Read More »

Nigeria’s Burna Boy has become the first international Afrobeats artist to secure a number one album in Britain with “I Told Them…”, the UK’s Official Charts Company said on Friday.The Nigerian-born global star, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, shot straight to top spot in the British charts with his fifth full-length release.He had …

Burna Boy breaks UK record by topping albums chartFri, 01 Sep 2023 17:03:06 GMT Read More »

Gabon’s new strongman General Brice Oligui Nguema on Friday stepped up contacts with national groups and foreign interests two days after heading a coup that ended 55 years of rule by the Bongo family.Pursuing an initiative to speak to Gabon’s “vital forces” following the takeover, Oligui met members of civil society a day after a …

Gabon’s strongman meets key groups after coupFri, 01 Sep 2023 16:50:54 GMT Read More »

The death toll from a fire that engulfed a Johannesburg building rose to 76, authorities said on Friday as relatives of the victims waited outside a mortuary to identify their loved ones. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said two people died in hospital a day after flames ripped through the five-storey building forcing South Africa to confront …

Joburg fire toll rises as S.Africa debates ‘hijacked’ buildingsFri, 01 Sep 2023 15:56:50 GMT Read More »

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said on Friday that he had changed his mind about players based in Saudi Arabia as he picked five, including Sadio Mane, for a friendly with Algeria. Cisse said he had previously ruled out calling up players in the Saudi league, because of his doubts over the quality of the competition. “The situation …

Senegal coach relents and picks Mane and other Saudi starsFri, 01 Sep 2023 15:54:45 GMT Read More »

Children in Africa are exceptionally vulnerable to climate change but are “woefully” ignored by those responsible for funding the fight against the crisis, the United Nations said Friday.Africa — a continent of 1.2 billion people — is home to some of the countries least responsible for carbon emissions but is hit disproportionately hard by droughts, …

African children ‘least able to cope’ with climate risks: UNFri, 01 Sep 2023 14:44:37 GMT Read More »

Morocco has begun investigating the death of a French-Moroccan after he and another Moroccan tourist on jet skis were shot dead by Algerian coastguards, media reports said on Friday.There has still been no official comment from either Algiers or Rabat about Tuesday’s incident at a time of increased tensions between the two North African countries.The …

Morocco begins probe after Algeria jet ski killingsFri, 01 Sep 2023 14:37:53 GMT Read More »

Niger braced Friday for a weekend of planned anti-French rallies as tensions mount between the country’s new military rulers and its traditional ally.A coalition of civil society groups opposed to the presence of French forces in Niger has called a three-day sit-in, starting Friday.The protest, organised by the M62 grouping, is set to take place …

Niger set for rallies to demand French troops leaveFri, 01 Sep 2023 14:32:00 GMT Read More »

Kenya next week hosts a flagship climate conference designed to showcase Africa as a potential powerhouse for green energy, in the first of a flurry of big meetings ahead of crunch UN talks. With the world far adrift of its goal of slashing carbon emissions and communities battered by extreme weather events, the November climate summit …

African climate summit seeks to showcase green power potentialFri, 01 Sep 2023 12:13:36 GMT Read More »

Search dogs looked for bodies on Friday in a Johannesburg building that went up in flames killing dozens and forcing South Africa to confront an illegal housing “crisis”.At least 74 people including 12 children died as fire ripped through the five-storey building in the early hours on Thursday.Authorities asked relatives to go to a morgue …

Deadly blaze in Joburg prompts debate over ‘hijacked’ buildingsFri, 01 Sep 2023 10:39:19 GMT Read More »