Vast crowds of robed Muslim faithful walked solemn circles around the Kaaba, the black cube at Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Sunday to begin the biggest hajj pilgrimage in several years, in the heat of the Saudi summer.Islam’s holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshippers from 160 countries during the annual rites …

Massive crowds circle Kaaba as hajj begins in Saudi heatSun, 25 Jun 2023 14:23:09 GMT Read More »

The amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism draws its name from the Zulu word for dung beetle — a diligent species that fulfils a crucial role.The tiny South African non-profit specialises in delving into political corruption — “digging dung and fertilizing democracy,” its editor-in-chief, Sam Sole, said with a chuckle in a recent interview with AFP.Sole, …

Investigative outlet sets key test for media freedom in S.AfricaSun, 25 Jun 2023 09:27:56 GMT Read More »

Vote counting began in Sierra Leone on Saturday following a mostly peaceful general election despite 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 …

Sierra Leone votes amid cost-of-living crisis, delaysSat, 24 Jun 2023 18:47:49 GMT Read More »

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 »