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Pope and Justin Welby to visit South Sudan amid tensions over LGBTQ+ rightsHead of Anglican church in South Sudan said archbishop of Canterbury was 'failing to defend biblical truth'Pope Francis and the archbishop of Canterbury will begin a historic joint visit to South Sudan on Friday against the backdrop of potential tensions over LGBTQ+ rights.The leaders of the global Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, whose numbers are growing in sub-Saharan Africa in contrast to the west, will be joined on their "pilgrimage of peace" by the leader of the Church of Scotland. Continue reading...
Weather tracker: Cheneso restrengthens to bring flooding to MadagascarTropical storm upgraded to cyclone status, hitting Indian Ocean island with 75mph winds and intense rainfallMadagascar continued to be hit by intense rainfall this week, resulting in serious flooding and several landslides. Severe Tropical Storm Cheneso made landfall in the north-east last week, and had weakened as it pushed south-west across the island. But after reaching the warm waters of the Mozambique channel on Monday, Cheneso restrengthened, achieving tropical cyclone status by Wednesday with sustained wind speeds of 75mph, equivalent to a category 1 hurricane.Unusually, the system remained near-stationary for almost four days, stalling just off the west coast of Madagascar and bringing more than 100mm of rain each day to some coastal areas. Cheneso's lack of movement resulted in weakening of the system on Thursday, as upwelling of cooler water beneath the storm reduced the energy available to the cyclone, and sustained winds decreased to about 55mph. The storm has now started to accelerate to the south, and begun the process of curving out towards the southern Indian Ocean. Cheneso may briefly restrengthen during this period, before becoming extratropical by Monday. Continue reading...
Archaeologist hails possibly oldest mummy yet found in EgyptThe 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft near the Step Pyramid at SaqqaraEgyptologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital, Cairo, containing what may be the oldest and most complete mummy yet to be discovered in the country, the excavation team leader has said.The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a recently uncovered group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, told reporters. Continue reading...
Africa has become 'less safe, secure and democratic' in past decade, report findsProgress in key areas has stalled because of Covid, conflict and the climate crisis, but peaceful nations are performing betterAfrica is less safe, secure and democratic than a decade ago, with insecurity holding back progress in health, education and economic opportunities, according to an assessment of the continent.The Ibrahim index of African governance, which examines how well governments have delivered on policies and services, including security, health, education, rights and democratic participation, said Covid had contributed to the stalling of progress over the past three years. Continue reading...
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