Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue donned Pele's bright-yellow Brazil jersey on Friday night to honour the first anniversary of the soccer legend's death. The 98-foot (30 metre) statue was illuminated with an image of the national jersey, including the famed number 10 and Pele's signature. The Brazilian king of soccer won a re...

 The UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) officially handed over to the national authorities one of its last camps in a large city in the north of the country, Timbuktu, before the end of its final withdrawal, ORTM public television indicated. The MINUSMA sites of Gao and Timbuktu were the last camps not to have been handed over because it was planned...

 Flash floods killed at least twenty one people in the small town of Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province, South African officials said Saturday. "As of Friday, 29 December 2023, a total of 21 bodies have been recovered," said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. The floods hit the town on Christmas Day, destroying about 1,400 homes, ...

 In 2006, a small but supportive publisher helped Zimbabwean author Valerie Tagwira make the transition from doctor to published author, picking up her first novel, The Uncertainty of Hope. Then based in the United Kingdom, Tagwira had sent out her manuscript to UK and Australian publishers and received 13 rejections. Two years after it was pu...

 Storm clouds are finally gathering over Zimbabwe's biggest animal reserve, but it has come too late for more than 110 elephants that have died in a searing, extended drought. There is little that Simba Marozva and other rangers at the Hwange National Park can do except cut the tusks off the rotting corpses before poachers find them. With the ...

 Weeks after a deadly drone attack on November 30 killed five civilians in the town of Wegel Tena in Ethiopia's Amhara region about 570km (350 miles) north of the capital, Addis Ababa, a witness is still reeling from the trauma. "It's extremely difficult to even describe the scene of the aftermath," said Gebeyehu, who requested use of his firs...

 Chinenye Ikechukwu's Decembers are usually dotted with concerts, parties, and restaurant and beach outings with friends. But this year, the 27-year-old resident of Yaba in Lagos has stayed mostly at home due to the economic downturn plaguing Africa's largest economy. The rising cost of living and soaring inflation, which stands at 28 percent,...

 On a weekday this December, the fabrics section at Accra's frenzied Makola market was unusually quiet for the festive end-of-year period. Female traders with big woven hats sat in front of their stalls chatting and tiredly swatting away flies. Behind them, colourful African wax textiles were stacked in rows from ground to ceiling, waiting to ...

 Athletic Bilbao's in-form striker, Inaki Williams, is preparing to take part in the AFCON with his national team, Ghana. Williams, who has 8 goals and 3 assists to his name with the Basque club, is aware that his absence will be felt, but he has every confidence in his team-mates to stay on course. "It may be difficult for the team to count o...

 AFCON 2023 is just a few days away. A competition that brings together the best African nations in Côte d'Ivoire. For this 34th edition, Burkina Faso could pull out all the stops. Having finished fourth at the last edition, the Etalons have a strong case for claiming the title in Côte d'Ivoire. What if the AFCON 2023 was for Burkina Faso? In ...

 Kenyan police are investigating allegations of killings by guards at a US company Del Monte plantation in the center of the country after four bodies were found in a river, a county official said on Thursday. According to the Kenyan media Citizen TV, two bodies were found on Sunday, and two others the next day, in the Thika River, near this p...

 The Zambian authorities announced on Thursday that they were stepping up their health campaign to combat cholera, a disease that has been on the rise since October and has already claimed the lives of nearly a hundred people in the southern African country this year. The Minister of Health, Sylvia Masebo, called for more drastic hygiene measu...

 Morocco's climate has proved perfect for avocado growers, with the fruit's widespread popularity and ability to command high market prices seeing exports increase year on year. The country has become a significant player in the global avocado market since their introduction. Mohamed Lakchouch owns an avocado farm of some 10 hectares in Larach...

 As the rest of the world gears up for the beginning of a new year, many Nigerians have continued to demand that a national investigation be launched into the rise in counterfeit goods in the market by relevant agencies. Many have gone online to call on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) to investigate and call for a...

 A sweeping victory for incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi in the December 20-21 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo seemed assured on Thursday evening, as partial results became increasingly consistent, officially giving him 76% of the vote. Of the 12.5 million votes counted by the electoral commission (Céni), 60-year-old Félix Ts...

 In their quest for a 6th AFCON 2023 title, Cameroon, with Rigobert Song as coach and Samuel Eto'o at the helm of FECAFOOT, are dreaming of triumphing on the roof of Africa. Sport News Africa gives you its predictions for the Indomitable Lions' future triumph in Côte d'Ivoire on the evening of February 11, 2024. Because Song will apply the the...

 Mbongeni Ngema, author of the musical "Sarafina" about student revolts in apartheid-era Soweto, died Wednesday in a road accident at the age of 68, his family announced. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the brutal death of our beloved brother, father, husband, and compatriot, Mbongeni Ngema," the family announced in a statement, say...

 At least 40 people were killed when a tanker truck exploded after crashing in central Liberia, the police said on Tuesday. The tanker carrying gasoline crashed and fell into a ditch along a road in Totota, in Bong County, with police saying at least 30 more people were injured in the explosion as locals gathered at the scene. "There were lots...

 Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo resigned on Tuesday amidst suspicions surrounding a business deal with a Chinese businessman, according to statements from the presidency of the southern African nation. Having taken office in September 2021, Mr. Kakubo declared his decision to step down in a letter, citing malicious allegations linked ...

 Three "terrorists" were shot dead on Wednesday during an operation carried out by National Guard (gendarmerie) officers and military personnel in a mountainous area in west-central Tunisia, the Interior Ministry said. They were killed during an ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the mountainous area of Kasserine, a town close to the border w...