Author: BBC

Ghana has banned all foreigners from trading in its local gold market as part of efforts to boost national revenue and streamline the country’s mining sector. It follows the enactment of a new law earlier this month that grants exclusive authority of gold mining to a new state body, the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod). “All […]

Sudan’s paramilitaries have declared the formation of a rival government to the country’s armed forces, two years into a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, said the group was “building the only realistic future for Sudan”. The announcement came as […]

A high-level international conference is under way in London to find “a pathway to peace” in Sudan, in the words of one of the hosts, the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Sudan’s civil war began exactly two years ago causing what aid agencies call the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The UK is promising an extra […]

Spanish authorities have arrested a couple suspected of selling exotic cats online, including protected species like white tigers, pumas and clouded leopards. Civil Guard police raided the couple’s home on the island of Majorca after learning that they were owning and breeding rare feline species which they then sold on social media. In total, 19 […]

Rapper and musician Lil Nas X has revealed he is suffering from a sudden partial paralysis of the face. Posting to Instagram from hospital, the star told his 10.4 million followers that he has “lost control” of the right-hand side of his face. “This is me doing a full smile right now, by the way,” […]

Four men have pleaded guilty in Kenya to trying to smuggle hundreds of highly sought-after ants out of the country. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which is more used to protecting larger creatures, such as lions and elephants, has described this as a “landmark case”. The contraband included giant African harvester ants, which are valued […]

Algeria’s decision to expel 12 French consular staff members appears to have put paid to hopes of any imminent rapprochement between the two countries. The order was in response to charges filed in France on Friday against an Algerian consular official, accused with two other Algerians of taking part in the kidnap of an opposition […]

China’s President Xi Jinping has called on Vietnam to oppose “unilateral bullying” to upkeep a global system of free trade – though he stopped short of naming the US. It comes as Xi is on a so called “charm offensive” trip across South East Asia, which will also see him visit Malaysia and Cambodia. Though […]

Several prisons in France have been hit by a wave of overnight attacks, according to the country’s authorities. Vehicles were set on fire in prison car parks, and one prison entrance was targeted with gunfire from an automatic weapon. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said prisons had faced “intimidation attempts” and linked the attacks to the […]

At a workshop in Kabul where carpets are made, hundreds of women and girls work in a cramped space, the air thick and stifling. Among them is 19-year-old Salehe Hassani. “We girls no longer have the chance to study,” she says with a faltering smile. “The circumstances have taken that from us, so we turned […]