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Algeria inaugurates Africa’s largest Mosque

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Algeria on Sunday inaugurated Africa’s largest Mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval and delays over funds and cost overruns.

The gigantic worship centre, which is the third largest in the world, was constructed by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s.

Known as the Great Mosque of Algiers, the edifice features the world’s tallest minaret measuring at 869 feet (265 meters) and is the third largest mosque in the world outside Islam’s holiest cities.

The prayer room accommodates 120,000 people while the modernist design contains Arab and North African flourishes to honor Algerian tradition and culture as well as a helicopter landing pad and a library that can house up to one million books.

The General Secretary of World Union of Muslim Ulemas, Ali Mohamed Salabi who spoke at the inauguration, “the Mosque would guide Muslims toward goodness and moderation.”

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune who inaugurated the mosque, said it was in fulfilment of his promise to open it with great pomp and circumstance.

Before the official inauguration, the Mosque had been open to international tourists and state visitors to Algeria for roughly five years.

The timing of the opening also allows the Mosque to officially open to the public in time to host nightly prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next month.

The Mosque was originally a project of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who designed it to be the largest in Africa at a cost of $898 million

Local media said at the time that Bouteflika wanted it to be his legacy and called “Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque” much like Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco named after the former King of Morocco, Algeria’s neighbour and regional rival, which was once touted as Africa’s largest Mosque.

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Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

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South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour where he hopes to spread humour and bring his social commentary to audiences across the globe.

The former host of “The Daily Show”, who made the disclosure on his social media pages, said he would kick off his tour on July 29 in Europe.

The multi-award winning comedian known for his insightful commentary, took to his social media platforms on Thursday to share the news of his upcoming international tour.

“Love that we were able to add some US & Canada shows for 2024! See… there’s still a chance for us CA, NJ, CT & Ontario!” he wrote.

According to the itinerary he put up, the tour is set to kick off in countries like Monaco in France, Germany, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, bringing his captivating comedic style to audiences across the country.

Noah’s announcement of the “Off the Record” tour was met with enthusiastic responses from his devoted followers, who took to social media to express their joy and anticipation.

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UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

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The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed
Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World Heritage sites in Danger after citing positive results achieved by the West African country and its formal commitment to reappraise plans to the development of the property.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took the decision during its meeting in New Delhi, India, made the announcement on Wednesday July 24, saying it was satisfied with measures taken by the country to allocate considerable resources to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning.

The park, which is located in a lush area along the banks of the Gambia River, was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007 as poaching, basalt mining and other human activities were becoming growing threats.

The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba are home to a rich wildlife, including the world’s largest antelopes.

According to UNESCO, since then, monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up and considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock.

The body also commended the setting up of a mine pollution control system, and hailed Senegal for work that has been carried out to improve the fight against the invasive species Mimosa pigra.

The World Heritage Committee called on Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years in so as to improve the National Park which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

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