AFP Africa

At least 17 young children were killed in a fire that ripped through their primary school dormitory in central Kenya overnight, with initial reports Friday indicating it was overcrowded.The blaze in Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county broke out at around midnight, police said, engulfing rooms where more than 150 children were sleeping.Police said the …

Kenya school dorm fire kills at least 17 childrenFri, 06 Sep 2024 12:41:11 GMT Read More »

Flagrant rights violations by Sudan’s warring parties require the deployment of an “independent and impartial force” to protect millions of civilians driven from their homes, UN experts said Friday.An independent fact-finding mission said it had uncovered “harrowing” violations by both sides, “which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity”.The conflict erupted in April …

‘Impartial force’ must be deployed to war-torn Sudan: UN expertsFri, 06 Sep 2024 10:25:19 GMT Read More »

The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures on record, beating 2023’s high and making this year likely Earth’s hottest ever recorded, the EU’s climate monitor said Friday.The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service followed a season of heatwaves around the world that scientists said were intensified by human-driven climate change.Extreme weather struck …

June-August 2024 were hottest ever recorded: EU monitorFri, 06 Sep 2024 09:29:44 GMT Read More »

China’s years of splashing cash on big-ticket infrastructure projects in Africa may be over, analysts say, with Beijing seeking to shield itself from risky, indebted partners on the continent as it grapples with a slowing economy at home.Beijing for years dished out billions in loans for trains, roads and bridges in Africa that saddled participating …

China pushes smaller, smarter loans to Africa to shield from risksFri, 06 Sep 2024 05:09:02 GMT Read More »

Business was slower than usual in Guinea’s capital Conakry on Thursday as an opposition call to protest gathered little momentum three years after the military seized power in a coup.The opposition in the West African nation had called for a peaceful protest to denounce the junta’s crackdown on dissent and to demand a return to …

Slowdown in Guinean capital on three-year coup anniversaryThu, 05 Sep 2024 18:11:39 GMT Read More »

Outrage and sorrow greeted the death on Thursday of Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who succumbed to severe burns after being doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend at her home in Kenya.It was the latest horrific act of gender-based violence in the East African country, where activists have warned of a rising …

Outrage and sorrow at death of Ugandan athlete CheptegeiThu, 05 Sep 2024 18:05:32 GMT Read More »

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of an mpox outbreak, on Thursday received its first vaccines — almost half of 200,000 doses donated by the European Union and due to arrive by the end of the week to fight its spread.The DRC has recorded more than 19,000 mpox cases and over 650 deaths, according …

Mpox epicentre DRC receives first vaccines to contain outbreakThu, 05 Sep 2024 15:52:12 GMT Read More »

Women’s groups in Kenya are calling for long overdue action to tackle rampant gender-based violence in the East African country after the death of another athlete at the hands of her partner.Rebecca Cheptegei lost her fight for life in the early hours of Thursday, four days after her boyfriend poured petrol over her and set …

Kenyan women’s groups demand action on femicide after athlete’s deathThu, 05 Sep 2024 15:07:52 GMT Read More »

Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday more than $50 billion in financing for Africa over the next three years, promising to deepen cooperation in infrastructure and trade with the continent as he addressed Beijing’s biggest summit since the Covid pandemic.More than 50 African leaders and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are attending the China-Africa forum, …

China’s Xi promises $50 billion for Africa over next three yearsThu, 05 Sep 2024 14:43:25 GMT Read More »

Guinea’s capital Conakry ground to a halt Thursday as a protest movement which left one dead a day earlier marked three years since the military seized power in a coup.The opposition in the West African nation has called for a peaceful protest to denounce the junta’s crackdown on dissent and to demand a return to …

Guinea capital at standstill on three-year coup anniversaryThu, 05 Sep 2024 12:51:13 GMT Read More »