Sierra Leone’s battle to keep pregnant girls in schoolWed, 21 Jun 2023 06:16:02 GMT

Hawa used to relish competing with her cousin for top marks in school until, eight months ago, she fell pregnant.”We studied hard together,” the slight 18-year-old told AFP. “I was one of the top girls in the class.”In Sierra Leone, where pregnant girls have been allowed in classrooms since a ban was lifted in 2020, …

Sierra Leone’s battle to keep pregnant girls in schoolWed, 21 Jun 2023 06:16:02 GMT Read More »

Somalis search for love online, but don’t call it datingWed, 21 Jun 2023 06:07:59 GMT

The makers of Guurdoon, the first app for singles in Somalia, are hoping to help their fellow citizens find love in a nation with no shortage of challenges.Just don’t call it a dating app.Guurdoon (“seeking marriage” in English) was launched in October last year by the Guryosamo family development centre, whose chairman Ahmed Abshir Geedi sees the …

Somalis search for love online, but don’t call it datingWed, 21 Jun 2023 06:07:59 GMT Read More »

New generation of Moroccan filmmakers shines at CannesWed, 21 Jun 2023 01:49:40 GMT

A new, young generation of Moroccan filmmakers last month stepped into the limelight to make its debut at France’s Cannes Film Festival — snatching three prestigious awards.”The Moroccan films screened at Cannes represent some of the best in the history of cinema in Morocco,” said film critic Bilal Marmid, who covered the two-week festival on …

New generation of Moroccan filmmakers shines at CannesWed, 21 Jun 2023 01:49:40 GMT Read More »

UN urges Sudan neighbours to keep borders open as exodus tops 500,000Tue, 20 Jun 2023 22:42:50 GMT

The head of the UN’s refugee agency on Tuesday urged Sudan’s neighbours to keep their borders open despite security worries as the number of people fleeing the conflict topped 500,000, while those internally displaced climbed to two million.Filippo Grandi warned in an interview with AFP that the two-month-old war threatened to spread insecurity in the …

UN urges Sudan neighbours to keep borders open as exodus tops 500,000Tue, 20 Jun 2023 22:42:50 GMT Read More »

Pharrell brings gospel party to Paris with fashion debutTue, 20 Jun 2023 21:34:53 GMT

Musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams took over the oldest bridge in Paris, packed it with celebs and turned it into a pumping gospel nightclub as he made his historic debut for Louis Vuitton on Tuesday. Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay Z, LeBron James and Zendaya were among the many stars lined up along the Pont Neuf in central Paris, which …

Pharrell brings gospel party to Paris with fashion debutTue, 20 Jun 2023 21:34:53 GMT Read More »

Trial of Guinea ex-dictator Camara to resume Wednesday: lawyersTue, 20 Jun 2023 20:47:12 GMT

The trial of Guinea’s former dictator Moussa Dadis Camara for a 2009 massacre will resume on Wednesday after lawyers ended a boycott over pay that caused a three-week suspension, attorneys said.Camara and 10 other ex-military and government officials stand accused over the killing of 156 people and the rape of least 109 women by pro-junta …

Trial of Guinea ex-dictator Camara to resume Wednesday: lawyersTue, 20 Jun 2023 20:47:12 GMT Read More »

Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies litter Darfur streetsTue, 20 Jun 2023 19:49:53 GMT

More than 2.5 million people have been uprooted by Sudan’s conflict, the UN said Tuesday, but in the western Darfur region the bodies of those who couldn’t escape lie face down in the dirt.A three-day ceasefire due to end Wednesday at dawn brought a brief respite to the capital Khartoum, gripped by the war that …

Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies litter Darfur streetsTue, 20 Jun 2023 19:49:53 GMT Read More »

Nearly 40 countries at UN back LGBTQ familiesTue, 20 Jun 2023 19:11:06 GMT

Nearly 40 countries at the United Nations backed LGBTQ families on Tuesday, at a time when some Muslim and African nations are contesting sexual orientation and gender identity language in UN forums.”Families play a fundamental role in society. Supporting families is an important element in promoting and protecting human rights,” 37 countries said in a …

Nearly 40 countries at UN back LGBTQ familiesTue, 20 Jun 2023 19:11:06 GMT Read More »

Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies line Darfur streetsTue, 20 Jun 2023 17:35:15 GMT

Bodies have lined the streets in Sudan’s western Darfur region as the UN said Tuesday that more than two months of fighting have forced over 2.5 million people from their homes.A three-day ceasefire due to end Wednesday at dawn brought a brief respite to the capital Khartoum, gripped by the war that erupted on April …

Sudan war uproots 2.5 million, UN says, as bodies line Darfur streetsTue, 20 Jun 2023 17:35:15 GMT Read More »

From women to LGBTQ members, Catholic Church ponders inclusionTue, 20 Jun 2023 16:25:19 GMT

From welcoming LGBTQ Catholics to better representation of women, the Vatican published on Tuesday a reflection on the top social issues facing the Catholic Church as part of a global study on its future.The 50-page document is intended as food for thought for the “Synod on Synodality”, a gathering of bishops and lay people from …

From women to LGBTQ members, Catholic Church ponders inclusionTue, 20 Jun 2023 16:25:19 GMT Read More »