Ouagadougou

Somali film-maker Khadar Ahmed won the top prize at the Fespaco film festival in Burkina Faso on Oct. 23 for "The Gravedigger's Wife", which he wrote and directed.

The 40-year-old was not at the ceremony to receive the Golden Stallion award, but his work beat 16 other African films to the top prize. The films in competition were made by directors from 15 different African countries.

On a small island surrounded by hundreds of wooden huts on stilts, in the middle of Lake Nokoue in southeast Benin, a giant painting is taking shape.

For the past three hours, in 41 degrees Celsius (106F) heat, French artist Saype has been busy transforming a playground in the floating village of Ganvie.

Attack in the center of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, against the French Embassy and the General Staff of the Local Armed Forces. "The situation is under control," said French envoy Jean-Yves Le Diane, quoted by France Press.

Authorities in the West African country reported "four neutralized attackers," possibly Islamists.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Brits made 70.8 million visits overseas in 2016, with 49% of all trips taking them to either Spain, France, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, or the USA.

Pope Francis on Sunday prayed that God will liberate the world from the "inhuman violence" of terrorism, in the wake of incidents over the past week in Burkina Faso, Barcelona and Finland that left a total of 34 people dead. The pontiff has long condemned terrorism, especially when it's religiously-inspired, insisting that it's "blasphemy" to kill in the name of God.

Seventeen people have been killed and eight wounded in a "terrorist attack" in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, the government says, reported BBC. 

Three gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a restaurant, witnesses were quoted as saying.

A Turkish national was among at least 18 people killed in an attack in Burkina Faso by suspected jihadists, Turkey's foreign ministry said on Aug. 14.  

It said another Turk was wounded in the Aug. 13 raid on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.

The cabin crew who helped deliver a baby girl on a recent Turkish Airlines flight between Guinea and Burkina Faso have recounted the events, saying they all experienced a "miracle" together.

A woman successfully gave birth to a healthy baby girl during a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight to Istanbul late on April 7.   

Diaby Nafi, the passenger who gave birth on board, had not appeared to be nine months pregnant and had not told the airline or crew of her condition, according to cabin crew. 

Al-Qaeda's North African branch said its attack on a beach resort in Ivory Coast on March 13 that killed 18 people was revenge for a French offensive against Islamist militants in the Sahel region and called for its forces to withdraw.