Madagascar faces ‘catastrophic’ hunger after 3 cyclones
April 19, 2023 GMTMANANJARY, Madagascar (AP) — Battered by three intense cyclones in the space of a year, southeast Madagascar is experiencing the knock-on effect of those climatic disasters: “catastrophic” hunger in remote, inaccessible areas that is gaining little international attention, humanitarian groups say.
Boat carrying migrants from Madagascar sinks; 34 drown
March 15, 2023 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Officials in Madagascar have recovered 34 bodies from the Indian Ocean after the sinking of a boat that was carrying migrants hoping to get to Mayotte.
The boat carrying 58 passengers sailed clandestinely without going through official immigration or customs controls and sank late Saturday night off the northwest coast of Madagascar, according to Malagasy maritime authorities.
Cyclone Freddy to slam Mozambique Friday in rare second hit
March 7, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Still recovering from the effects of the first battering, the southeastern African nation of Mozambique is bracing for a rare second hit by long-living Tropical Cyclone Freddy late on Friday night, a regional weather center said Tuesday.
WHO urges assistance to African nations facing cholera
March 2, 2023 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A World Health Organization official in Africa is urging more support to countries facing cholera outbreaks, saying the disease has the potential to "quickly explode" as rainfall persists in some areas.
Cyclone Freddy slams Mozambique with ‘dangerous’ rainfall
February 24, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Tropical Cyclone Freddy dumped “dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels” over Mozambique Friday as the long-lasting weather system continued to wreak havoc across southern Africa, the United Nations weather agency said.
Weakened Cyclone Freddy batters Madagascar, killing 4
February 22, 2023 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A weakened Cyclone Freddy which pummeled Madagascar Tuesday night with heavy rains and strong destructive winds, killing four people, is continuing to wreak havoc in the southwest of the Indian Ocean nation.
Madagascar, Mozambique set for “dangerous” Cyclone Freddy
February 22, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — A cyclone which is intensifying as it approaches the southeastern African coast has been labeled as “dangerous” by the United Nation's weather agency on Monday as nations brace for landfall.
Cyclone Freddy’s battering winds make landfall in Madagascar
February 21, 2023 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A slightly weakened Tropical Cyclone Freddy made landfall Tuesday on the east coast of Madagascar, with schools, businesses and public transportation shut down as strong winds and rain lashed the island.
Battered by Cheneso, Madagascar braces for Cyclone Freddy
February 17, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Two weeks after Tropical Cyclone Cheneso devastated Madagascar, killing 30 people, the Indian Ocean island nation and its neighbors are bracing for a more powerful Cyclone Freddy.
Tropical storm leaves 30 dead, 20 missing in Madagascar
January 30, 2023 GMTANTANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Flooding and landslides caused by the passage of tropical storm Cheneso across Madagascar caused 30 deaths, left 20 people missing and affected tens of thousands across the Indian Ocean island nation, according to a provisional assessment Monday.
Storm Cheneso picks up in Madagascar, more flooding to come
January 27, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — A severe tropical storm which devastated parts of Madagascar this week is set to continue to wreak havoc on the country as it strengthens over the weekend, the United Nations regional weather monitoring service said.
Vatican: Benedict XVI lucid, stable, but condition ‘serious’
December 29, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is lucid, alert and stable but his condition remains serious, the Vatican said Thursday, a day after it revealed that the 95-year-old's health had deteriorated recently.
Madagascar police fire on mob attacking station; 11 killed
August 29, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — At least 11 people were killed in Madagascar when police opened fire on a mob demanding that officials turn over to them four suspects held for allegedly kidnapping a child with albinism and killing the mother.
Sex offender gets 40 years for assaulting African minor
April 15, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Mandan man with a record of child sex crimes will spend the next 40 years in a federal prison after he traveled to Madagascar to solicit sex from minors.
The Bismarck Tribune reported U.S.
Study: Africa cyclones exacerbated by climate change
April 11, 2022 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Extreme rainfall in southeast Africa has become heavier and more likely to occur during cyclones because of climate change, according to a new analysis released Monday by an international team of weather scientists.
Pope Francis plans to visit Congo and South Sudan in July
March 3, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis is planning to visit Congo and South Sudan in July, fulfilling a wish to minister to the faithful in the African countries that have sizeable Catholic populations and long histories of conflict.
‘We need help’: Another cyclone batters Madagascar
February 23, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Cyclone Emnati crashed into the southeastern coast of Madagascar in the early hours of Wednesday, ripping roofs off houses and raising fears of flooding and food shortages in a region still recovering from the destruction inflicted by another tropical storm just weeks ago.
Cyclone-hit Madagascar braces for another ‘big one’
February 21, 2022 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa is bracing for yet another cyclone having already been hit by three major tropical storms in the last month.
Cyclone Emnati is expected to make landfall on the eastern coast of Madagascar late Tuesday amid fears it will be a stronger storm than the three that have left nearly 200 people dead this cyclone season.
Tropical storm Dumako hits northern Madagascar; 2 missing
February 16, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Two people are missing and 885 have been displaced in northeastern Madagascar by tropical storm Dumako, the National Office for Disaster Management reported Wednesday.
Madagascar, southern Africa brace for more tropical storms
February 14, 2022 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Even as southern African nations assess the devastation caused earlier this month by Cyclone Batsirai, a new tropical storm is approaching as the Indian Ocean region is confronted by an intense cyclone season.
Madagascar’s death toll from Cyclone Batsirai rises to 92
February 9, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — The toll of Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar has risen to 92 deaths and more than 112,000 people displaced by the tropical storm which rampaged across the island earlier this week, the national disaster management office announced Wednesday.
Cyclone kills 20 in Madagascar but quickly weakens on land
February 7, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Cyclone Batsirai is blamed for the deaths of 20 people in Madagascar and for making more than 55,000 people homeless victims after slamming into the island's eastern coast, officials said Monday.
Cyclone pounds Madagascar with torrential winds and rain
February 6, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Cyclone Batsirai's torrential winds and rain are hammering Madagascar, after landing on the island's east coast late Saturday.
An estimated 45,000 people have been displaced by the tropical storm, the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said on Sunday.
Cyclone Batsirai’s high winds and rain pound Madagascar
February 5, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — The full force of Cyclone Batsirai pounded Madagascar's eastern coast with torrential winds and rain Saturday night.
The center of the tropical storm landed near Mananjary, on the east coast, and moved inland across the island.
Madagascar on high alert for Cyclone Batsirai’s winds, rain
February 4, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar has put six of its regions on high alert as tropical Cyclone Batsirai is forecast to hit the Indian Ocean island's east coast Saturday with intense winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour, according to the Department of Meteorology.
Madagascar braces for cyclone blowing in from Indian Ocean
February 3, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar is bracing for a new cyclone even as the Indian Ocean island recovers from a tropical storm that wreaked devastation last month.
Cyclone Batsirai is forecast to hit the island's east coast on Saturday with heavy winds and rains, according to Madagascar's Department of Meteorology.
Cyclone Batsirai strengthening, threatening Madagascar
February 2, 2022 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Forecasts say Tropical Cyclone Batsirai is increasing in intensity and is expected to pass north of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius on Wednesday evening and make landfall in central Madagascar on Saturday afternoon.
Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar count deaths, damage by storm
January 26, 2022 GMTMAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi are counting the deaths and damage by tropical storm Ana and more than a week of heavy rains across southern Africa.
In central and northern Mozambique at least 11 people have died, including children and elderly, and several bridges and roads have been washed away, according to a statement from Mozambique’s disaster management authority.
Malawi hit by flooding caused by tropical storm Ana; 1 dead
January 25, 2022 GMTBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Tropical storm Ana has caused widespread flooding, power outages and killed at least one person in Malawi, officials said Tuesday.
Cutting path of wet destruction across southern Africa, the storm has blown from the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, across Mozambique and into Malawi.
Tropical storm Ana floods Madagascar’s capital; 34 dead
January 24, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Tropical storm Ana has caused widespread flooding in Madagascar, including in the capital city, raising the death toll from recent heavy rains to 34 people and displacing more than 55,000, officials said Monday.
Heavy rains in Madagascar cause flooding in capital, 10 dead
January 19, 2022 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Heavy rains in Madagascar have flooded parts of the capital city, Antananarivo, killing 10 people and making more than 12,000 homeless, officials said Wednesday.
With the rains continuing and a possible cyclone approaching the Indian Ocean island, officials warned of potential landslides in the capital city, which is built on steep hills.
Madagascar’s police chief swims to shore after copter crash
December 22, 2021 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar's police minister and an air force mechanic succeeded in swimming for 12 hours to safety after their helicopter crashed in the Indian Ocean.
Gen. Serge Gellé, 57, the Secretary of State for the Gendarmerie, was discovered in the water by a fisherman in a canoe who brought him to shore, according to officials.
Ship sinks off Madagascar coast; 17 dead and 68 missing
December 20, 2021 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A cargo ship illegally carrying 130 passengers sank off Madagascar's northeastern coast, killing at least 17 people and leaving 68 missing, officials said Monday.
At least 45 people have been rescued from the waters of the Indian Ocean, according to a report from the Maritime and River Port Agency.
Madagascar court jails 2 Frenchmen for plotting failed coup
December 17, 2021 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A court in Madagascar has convicted two French citizens of having plotted a failed coup against President Andry Rajoelina and sentenced them to 10 years and 20 years of forced labor.
More than 1 million need urgent food aid in south Madagascar
November 12, 2021 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Parched by four years of drought, more than 1.1 million people in southern Madagascar urgently need food aid in a rapidly worsening crisis, experts warn.
About 700,000 people are already receiving food aid and increased emergency assistance is needed, according to WFP which is working with the Malagasy government and other humanitarian agencies.
‘Heartbreaking’ Madagascar is wake-up call to climate crisis
November 2, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — The drought-stricken island nation of Madagascar is a ’wake up call” to what the world can expect in coming years due to climate change, the head of the United Nations' food aid agency said Tuesday.
UN: Madagascar droughts push 400,000 toward starvation
June 26, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. World Food Program says southern Madagascar is in the throes of back-to-back droughts that are pushing 400,000 people toward starvation, and have already caused deaths from severe hunger.
In southern Madagascar, ‘nothing to feed our children’
December 4, 2020 GMTANKILIMAROVAHATSY, Madagascar (AP) — “It’s the hunger that killed him,” the grieving mother said. ...
Banned African soccer president promises appeal against FIFA
November 25, 2020 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The president of African soccer who was banned for five years for financial mismanagement by FIFA’s ethics committee said on Wednesday he will appeal the ruling to sport’s highest court...
Scientists find Madagascar chameleon last seen 100 years ago
October 30, 2020 GMTTalk about good camouflage!
Scientists say they have found an elusive chameleon species that was last spotted in Madagascar 100 years ago...
Paris protesters cloak colonial-era statue with black cloth
June 18, 2020 GMTPARIS (AP) — French anti-racism activists draped a black cloth over the statue of a colonial commander in central Paris on Thursday, prompting three arrests and brief tension with police...
Pope in Madagascar insists: ‘Poverty is not inevitable’
September 8, 2019 GMTANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Pope Francis insisted Sunday that poverty isn't inevitable and that the poor deserve the dignity of work as he visited a rock quarry in Madagascar where hundreds of people toil rather than scavenge in the capital's biggest dump...
Pope denounces exploitation of Madagascar’s unique resources
September 7, 2019 GMTANTANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Pope Francis denounced the illegal logging and exploitation of Madagascar's unique natural resources on Saturday as he opened a visit to the Indian Ocean nation by urging the government to fight the corruption that is ravaging the island's ecosystem and keeping its people in "inhumane poverty...
Measles outbreak kills more than 1,200 in Madagascar
April 14, 2019 GMTAMBALAVAO, Madagascar (AP) — Babies wail as a nurse tries to reassure mothers who have come to vaccinate their children against a measles outbreak that has killed more than 1,200 people in this island nation where many are desperately poor...
Measles epidemic in Madagascar kills more than 900, says WHO
February 21, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — The World Health Organization says that an epidemic of measles in Madagascar has caused more than 900 deaths...
Madagascar cardinal hopes Pope Francis will visit in 2019
October 9, 2018 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — A cardinal from Madagascar says Pope Francis is expected to visit the African island nation next year, in what is shaping up to be a year of global travel for the pontiff.
Cardinal Desire Tsarahazana, the archbishop of Toamasina, said Tuesday that Madagascar bishops extended the invitation and "he will come to visit us in 2019." The Vatican would not confirm a trip but said the possibility was being studied.
94 deaths from plague in Madagascar, UN health agency says
October 20, 2017 GMTGENEVA (AP) — An unusually large plague outbreak in Madagascar has taken 94 lives, the World Health Organization said Friday.
The number of suspected cases has reached 1,153, Dr. Ibrahima Soce Fall, Africa emergencies chief for the U...