Blog

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as “regrettable” the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to take part in next year’s G20 summit in Florida. In a social media post, Trump said South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative […]

A group of 24 Nigerian girls who were abducted from their boarding school over a week ago have been released, the country’s president says. Armed assailants stormed the school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State on 17 November, killing two members of staff and abducting 25 students. One was able to escape soon after. Nigerian President Bola […]

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has come out fighting after a bruising month that saw him come under attack by stone throwers as he was trying to make a speech. Video clips of him crouching and then being whisked away from a rally in the Copperbelt province shocked Zambians and many people, irrespective of their political […]

Jimmy Cliff, one of the most prominent and beloved proponents of reggae music, has died at the age of 81. A star since the 1960s, he helped to bring the sound of Jamaica to a global audience through hits such as Wonderful World, Beautiful People and You Can Get It If You Really Want. His […]

Former Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed he has been treated for prostate cancer. Lord Cameron, 59, told the Times newspaper his wife had insisted he go for a check-up after they listened to a BBC radio interview with entrepreneur Nick Jones, who was campaigning for more men to be tested after being diagnosed himself. […]

Fifty of the 303 children kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria on Friday have escaped, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can). Can has since clarified that they escaped on Friday and Saturday and have been reunited with their parents in Niger state. However, the police say they haven’t been able […]

A new chapter in South Africa’s long-running Zuma saga is set to begin with the 43-year-old daughter of the former president due to go on trial this week on terrorism-related charges. In what is believed to be a first for the country, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is being prosecuted over what she wrote on social media four […]

Two girls, who were among at least 25 children and a teacher kidnapped from their boarding school in north-western Nigeria’s Kebbi state on Monday, have managed to escape, a local official told the BBC. The pair ran away as their armed captors were leading them into the bushes and got away across farmland, Hussaini Aliyu […]

When President Donald Trump last week removed tariffs on more than 200 products, it represented something of a political earthquake, and marked a significant concession on a hallmark White House policy The decision, which critics said was long overdue, came as the president returned his attention to cost-of-living issues, after polls suggested affordability concerns were […]