Algeria's President Inaugurates Africa's Largest Mosque

The Djamaa El-Djazair, or Algiers Great Mosque, is seen Wednesday, Feb.21, 2024 in Algiers. (AP)
The Djamaa El-Djazair, or Algiers Great Mosque, is seen Wednesday, Feb.21, 2024 in Algiers. (AP)
TT

Algeria's President Inaugurates Africa's Largest Mosque

The Djamaa El-Djazair, or Algiers Great Mosque, is seen Wednesday, Feb.21, 2024 in Algiers. (AP)
The Djamaa El-Djazair, or Algiers Great Mosque, is seen Wednesday, Feb.21, 2024 in Algiers. (AP)

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune officially inaugurated the Grand Mosque of Algiers, the third largest in the world and the biggest in Africa, on Sunday.

The vast mosque, which can hold 120,000 worshippers, first opened for prayers in October 2020, but Tebboune was suffering from Covid-19 and did not attend.

Known locally as the Djamaa El-Djazair, the modernist structure extends across 27.75 hectares (almost 70 acres).

It boasts the world's tallest minaret -- 267 metres (875 feet) -- fitted with elevators and a viewing platform that looks out over the capital and the Bay of Algiers.

The mosque's interior, in Andalusian style, is decorated in wood, marble and alabaster.

The mega-project cost more than $800 million dollars and took seven years to build, according to AFP.

Tebboune's mandate officially expires at the end of this year but the president, elected in December 2019, has not yet made known whether he intends to run for a second term.



Large Sinkhole Appears in English Village, Forces Evacuations 

18 February 2025, United Kingdom, Godstone: A view of the scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night. (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/dpa)
18 February 2025, United Kingdom, Godstone: A view of the scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night. (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/dpa)
TT

Large Sinkhole Appears in English Village, Forces Evacuations 

18 February 2025, United Kingdom, Godstone: A view of the scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night. (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/dpa)
18 February 2025, United Kingdom, Godstone: A view of the scene in Godstone after a sinkhole appeared on Monday night. (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/dpa)

A large sinkhole has appeared in a southern English village, swallowing up at least one garden and forcing authorities to evacuate residents from around 30 homes.

The development of the sinkhole in the Surrey village of Godstone, which appeared on Monday and had grown to at least 20 meters on Tuesday, has been declared a major incident by local agencies.

The BBC said the evacuated properties were built about three years ago, on the site of a former sand quarry. One of the residents, Noosh Miri, said her family was among those evacuated.

"We got a violent knocking on the door," Miri said. "As I opened the door, it sounded like I was in a waterfall because the sinkhole was right in front of my doorstep."

Another resident, Rez Mira, told the BBC his garden fell into the sinkhole: "It's collapsed, the wall will come down, for sure... we're terrified."

Surrey County Council (SCC) said investigations were ongoing, and asked people to avoid the area while work was carried out. Residents from within the cordon were being supported with advice around accommodation, the council said.

"The Local Resilience Forum will continue to meet throughout this incident to ensure everything is being done to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible," said SCC's Carl Bussey.

SES Water said in the early hours of Tuesday it was aware of a burst water main pipe in Godstone High Street. It said on Wednesday it had been able to restore supplies to affected properties. Electricity has also been restored.