AFP Africa

US director Wes Anderson brought his latest A-list cast led by Benicio del Toro to the Cannes film festival on Sunday, ramping up the star power as the competition reaches the halfway mark.Anderson’s typically whimsical “The Phoenician Scheme”, which also finds roles for Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Winslet’s daughter, Mia Threapleton, is in …

Wes Anderson and his A-list cast dazzle at CannesSun, 18 May 2025 20:20:51 GMT Read More »

Martha Karua, a lawyer and presidential candidate in Kenya, said Sunday she had been expelled from Tanzania, where she had been due to attend the trial of a prominent opposition figure facing treason charges.Karua, a former justice minister who has been vocal about “democratic backsliding” in East Africa, said her deportation was a sign that …

Kenyan presidential candidate and lawyer deported from TanzaniaSun, 18 May 2025 18:16:57 GMT Read More »

A control tower breakdown forced the cancellation of about 130 flights at Paris Orly airport Sunday, leaving thousands of passengers to scramble for alternative routes, officials said.A spokesman for Aeroports de Paris, which operates the French capital’s second busiest airport, said about 40 percent of the day’s departures and arrivals had been called off.France’s DGAC …

Control tower breakdown brings flight chaos to Paris airportSun, 18 May 2025 18:08:47 GMT Read More »

Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, a presidential candidate who also represents opposition figures on trial in neighbouring countries, was arrested in Tanzania on Sunday, a spokesperson told AFP. Karua has been representing Tanzanian opposition leader Tindu Lissu, who is on trial for treason and faces a possible death penalty.Lissu is due in court on Monday. The trial comes …

Kenyan politician, lawyer for Tanzania opposition leader arrestedSun, 18 May 2025 09:50:43 GMT Read More »

Since the inhabitants of Jemna in southern Tunisia wrested control of their 100-year-old palm grove from the state during the 2011 Revolution, residents say their lives have radically improved.The desert town — where the palms produce some of the North African country’s finest dates — ejected businessmen tied to the old regime when the uprising …

Tunisian ‘revolution oasis’ palm grove thrives on self-ruleSun, 18 May 2025 03:52:05 GMT Read More »

It has taken nearly 80 years, but a Nigerian movie will finally be screened in a hallowed official slot at the Cannes film festival Sunday.After decades of being written off for its cheap and cheerful crowd-pleasers, Nollywood — the frenetic film industry based in Lagos which churns out up to five films a day — …

Nigeria’s Nollywood finally makes it into Cannes arthouse film foldSat, 17 May 2025 09:54:47 GMT Read More »

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup has blamed an “unauthorized modification” for causing its chatbot Grok to generate misleading and unsolicited posts referencing “white genocide” in South Africa.The chatbot, developed by Musk’s company xAI, ignited controversy this week by answering multiple user prompts with right-wing propaganda about the purported oppression of white South Africans.”How many times …

Musk’s xAI blames ‘unauthorized’ tweak for ‘white genocide’ postsSat, 17 May 2025 01:41:40 GMT Read More »

Chad’s former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra was arrested early Friday accused of inciting hatred in connection with deadly clashes in the southwest, the public prosecutor said.Masra, who served as premier from January to May last year, faced off against President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in presidential elections a year ago.One of Deby’s …

Chad’s ex-prime minister arrested for ‘inciting hatred’Fri, 16 May 2025 19:41:21 GMT Read More »

The leader of Ivory Coast’s main opposition party on Friday called for an “inclusive, transparent and credible” presidential election, although he is barred from standing due to a dispute over his nationality.The west African country must show that it has reached “a sufficient level of political maturity to stop excluding presidential candidates”, Tidjane Thiam said …

Ivory Coast opposition leader calls for ‘credible’ voteFri, 16 May 2025 16:21:39 GMT Read More »

Twin jihadist attacks across Lake Chad killed at least 22 people in Nigeria, sources told AFP Friday, with Boko Haram killing more than a dozen civilians and Islamic State West Africa Province raiding a military base.The attacks come as Nigeria’s embattled northeast — facing an insurgency that since 2009 has killed 40,000 and displaced two …

Jihadists kill troops, fishermen in northern NigeriaFri, 16 May 2025 15:21:35 GMT Read More »