The author, Rand Mutual Assurance’s Vuyo Mafata Local government is the frontline of service delivery in South Africa. It is where citizens experience the state most directly – through water, electricity, sanitation, housing and community services. It is also where the resilience of our democracy is tested daily, as municipalities balance limited resources with the…
A worker who was trapped after part of a medieval tower collapsed in the heart of Rome has been rescued, according to local media reports. The man was pulled free at 23:00 local time (22:00 GMT) – nearly twelve hours after a section of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman…
Before Pedro Matos joined the World Food Programme (WFP) for 17 years, he said his job in space engineering just “wasn’t enough”. Ahead of donning a beige WFP vest and boots to face hurricanes, wars and refugee camps, the Portuguese scientist worked with satellite imagery and cartography, creating maps to support humanitarian missions, until he…
Arrest of Yann Vezilier, accused of trying to destabilise Mali, marks new low in relations between Paris and Bamako. France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has said that a French man recently arrested in Mali on “unfounded” charges of plotting a coup was a French embassy employee. The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that…
Brazzaville, Congo — When health experts across the WHO African region, logged into the virtual WHO consultation on 30 July 2025, they knew the stakes were high. Across the continent, hospitals are losing nurses to overseas recruiters, clinics are short-staffed, and young medical graduates face the dilemma of staying to serve or leaving in search…
A white South African farm worker accused of killing two black women says he was forced to feed their bodies to pigs, according to lawyers. Adrian de Wet is one of three men facing murder charges after Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were killed while allegedly looking for food on a farm near…
An Alabama contract worker was arrested and criminally charged in connection to the death of a toddler who was left for hours inside a hot car, prosecutors said Friday. Kela Stanford, 54, is accused of one count of leaving a child or an incapacitated person unattended in a motor vehicle resulting in serious physical injury,…
A retired US special forces officer has revealed to the BBC why he resigned from his work with US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centres. “I witnessed the Israeli Defense Forces shooting at the crowds of Palestinians,” Anthony Aguilar told the BBC. He added that in his entire career he has never…
