South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ruled that husbands may legally take their wives’ surnames, striking down a decades-old law that barred them from doing so. The court found the provision in the Births and Deaths Registration Act to be a “colonial import” that amounted to gender-based discrimination. The case was brought by two couples: Henry […]

Seven Chinese nationals have each been sentenced to 20 years in prison in South Africa for trafficking Malawians into forced labour. The four men and three women were convicted earlier this year on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping, nearly six years after a police raid uncovered 91 Malawian nationals — including 37 children — […]

Obesity has overtaken underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents worldwide, UNICEF has warned in a new report. The study, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, shows that nearly 1 in 10 children aged 5–19 – about 188 million – are now living with obesity, putting them […]

Rebels linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have killed more than 50 people in a brutal overnight attack on a funeral in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say. Most of the victims were hacked to death with machetes when fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) stormed the village of Ntoyo in North […]

For centuries, Mount Sinai has drawn pilgrims and visitors guided by Bedouins to watch the sunrise over its rugged peaks. Revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, it is believed to be the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments and where God spoke from the burning bush. At its foot stands St Catherine’s Monastery, […]

South African authorities say “extreme poverty and a severe lack of affordable housing” were key factors behind the deadly Johannesburg building fire that killed 77 people two years ago. The blaze tore through the Usindiso building in Marshalltown in August 2023, leaving dozens dead and many more injured. The tragedy exposed deep housing inequalities in […]

At least 15 people have died in a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry has confirmed. The virus was first detected in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital last month with fever and severe vomiting. She died hours later from multiple organ failure. The outbreak, the […]

Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has passed a law criminalising homosexual acts, marking a major shift in the country’s legal stance on same-sex relations. The bill, unanimously approved on Monday, imposes prison terms of two to five years and fines. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said foreign nationals convicted under the law would also be deported. […]

  A landslide has killed at least 370 people in Sudan’s remote Marra Mountains.  Antoine Gérard, the UN’s deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, said the true scale of the disaster was difficult to determine as the area is extremely hard to reach. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), which controls the region, said days of heavy […]

South African influencer Cyan Boujee, real name Honour Zuma, has apologised after promoting a controversial overseas job scheme that raised fears of human trafficking. The 24-year-old came under fire when one of her videos advertising opportunities in Russia for women aged 18 to 22 went viral. The posts — later deleted — promised a “fresh […]