Christmas time is in the air. The lights in the streets and buildings around Nigeria's economic capital are testimony to this. Twinkling Christmas Light Displays could be admired under Falomo Bridge, where portraits of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are painted or outside the Church of the Assumption in Lagos. However, the festive s...

 Sofia Boutella says she was "terrified" to lead the ensemble cast of Zack Snyder's Netflix epic "Rebel Moon." "It was very intimidating to me. And this is the biggest movie I've ever been on. And just I, I think I but to be honest, I always start a movie thinking I'm not going to be able to do it. And I always end up finishing it and doing it...

 Morocco, where agriculture is a crucial sector, is heading for its sixth consecutive year of drought due to a drop in rainfall in recent months linked to climate change, Morocco's Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, said on Thursday. "We have entered a critical phase after five consecutive years of drought that our country has neve...

 Roma midfielder Houssem Aouar appeared at the Europa League pre-match press conference with his coach José Mourinho. AS Roma host Sheriff Tiraspol on Matchday 6 of the Europa League. "I'm ready for tomorrow. I hope to play because I haven't played much in the last few games. I know I have to do better to help the team and I hope I can. We alw...

 France has decided to close its embassy in Niger, where "it is no longer able to function normally or carry out its missions," according to diplomatic sources, definitively confirming a split between the two countries. This extremely rare measure comes after Niamey announced on December 12 the departure of all French soldiers deployed in Nige...

 Diplomats expelled, accusations of a "mafia state"... The Sudanese army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane is on fire with the United Arab Emirates, accused of supporting his rival in the war, General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo. It all began with incendiary statements by General Yasser Atta, the army's number two, accusing Abu Dhabi of being "a...

 As the sun sets on the narrow streets of Africa's largest informal settlement, children hurry to change from daily clothes into pointe shoes and other ballet gear. Fifteen-year-old Brenda Branice is among the dancers and can't hide her joy. It's time for the Christmas performance in Kibera, one of the busiest neighbourhoods of Kenya's capital...

 Tourism in Tunisia recorded a clear rebound in 2023 with 8.8 million visitors, up 49.3% in one year, and is well on the way to surpassing a record reached in 2019, before the Covid pandemic, a Tourism Ministry official told AFP on Thursday. "Our objective was to recover 80% of the tourist flows recorded in 2019", a record year which serves as...

 Angola announced Thursday that it's leaving the OPEC oil producers cartel, coming after it battled with the group over lower production quotas this year. Diamantino de Azevedo, the African nation's oil minister, said Angola "does not gain anything by remaining in the organization," according to state news agency Angop. The country joined OPEC...

 Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have declared the capture of a new town and military base in Gezira state, marking a significant advancement for the paramilitary group. In a recent announcement on social media platform X, the RSF claimed to have "liberated the second infantry division" of the Sudanese armed forces in al-Hasaheisa town. Thi...

 The goalkeeper and assistant coach of an Algerian L1 football team died on Wednesday evening in a bus accident in Tiaret (north-west), and ten other members of the team were injured, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) announced. "Goalkeeper Zakaria Bouziani and assistant coach Khaled Meftah of the Mouloudia d'El Bayadh team died and ten m...

 Russia was ready to supply more grain to Tunisia, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday during a visit to the North African country grappling with shortages fuelled by drought. At a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied in the capital Tunis, Lavrov said Russia's crop yields had been good "for the second or third year in a...

 Businesswoman Isabel Dos Santos lost a new court battle on Wednesday (Dec. 20) The Portugal news agency reported that a judge of the British Supreme Commercial Court court decided to freeze around $733 million controlled by Isabel dos Santos, in a case brought against the Unitel International Holdings (UIH). Dos Santos, who owns UIH, resigned...

 In the aftermath of a tragic explosion and deadly fire at the main fuel depot in Conakry, Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the leader of the military in power, declared a three-day national mourning period on Wednesday. The incident, occurring from Sunday night to Monday, left the capital's downtown area paralyzed. "Faced with this painful o...

 With little fanfare, Guinea Bissau is set to contest the 4th consecutive Africa Cup of Nations in its history. Since their first appearance in 2017, the Djurtus have made a habit of not missing out on African soccer's big event. Ahead of AFCON 2023, here's a reminder of what you need to know about the team. Guinea Bissau will be taking part i...

 More than 300 firefighters were battling a blaze on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa for a second day on Wednesday. Meanwhile residents were evacuated from at least one neighborhood overnight, emergency services said. Five firefighters were injured and two were taken to the hospital, the city's Emergency Services spokes...

 Afro-Colombian rhythms from the Pacific (western Colombia), Indigenous instruments from the Sierra Nevada (northern Colombia), rap, and vallenato (north-eastern Colombia) coming together in a single song, a cry against violence. A group of 40 Colombian musicians from regions most affected by the violence met in Bogota as part of the "Paz al O...

 Ethiopia and Egypt said the latest round of talks over a huge, highly contentious hydroelectric dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile's main tributary again ended with no deal. The countries blamed each other after three days of discussions in Addis Ababa concluded on Tuesday. Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said the talks wer...

 Polls opened in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid delays in some polling stations in the country. Hundreds of voters turned up early to cast their ballots but had to wait for over three hours for officials to start the election process. Nearly 44 million eligible voters have been registered to vote in this year's elections that are being ...

 In a bid to alleviate the financial strain associated with holiday travels, the Nigerian government has introduced measures to provide relief to its citizens during the festive season. The announcement, made on Wednesday, includes free train rides and a 50% reduction in public bus fares across the country. Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Mi...