Antibiotic resistance threatens to “undo a century of medical progress”: 5 essential reads: Who hasn’t been prescribed antibiotics by a doctor – for a chest infection or perhaps a sore throat? It’s terrifying to think that these infections can become life threatening if the antibiotic drugs needed to treat them stop working. This is known …
Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer, but it has an illegal mining issue: 5 essential reads: Ghana is one of the world’s gold hotspots. It is Africa’s largest producer of gold and it ranks sixth globally. In 2023, 4 million ounces were produced. It is essential to Ghana’s economy, contributing around 7% of gross domestic …
UK riots: five essential reads on what triggered a week of violence: The UK has experienced more than a week of violent rioting, during which white nationalists have marauded through towns and cities, fighting with police and calling for borders to be closed to keep out immigrants. Gangs have intimidated non-white citizens and laid siege …
Displaced by violent conflict: the world’s most neglected crises are in Africa – six essential reads: The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa – the only non-African country on the list is Honduras in …
Surviving heat waves in Africa – three essential reads: A man pours water on his head to cool off in Algiers, during a heat wave on 18 July 2023. AFP via Getty Images Around the world, temperature records are being broken in countries in Africa, Europe, America and Asia. The planet experienced its hottest day …
How the Windrush generation changed stories of Britain forever – ten recommended reads: The 800 West Indians who walked down the gangway at Tilbury to make new lives in England in June 1948 had been encouraged to think of the country as their motherland. The literary contribution of the Windrush generation is just one example …
Nigeria heads to the polls: 5 essential reads about the elections: Emmage/Shutterstock Nigerians go to the polls on 25 February to elect a new president, vice-president, 109 members of the Senate and 360 members of the Federal House of Representatives. Eighteen political parties have presented candidates for the various offices and over 93.5 million adult …
Cyclones in southern Africa: five essential reads: The fishing village of Mahebourg, Mauritius, is among the places in the path of cyclone Freddy. Laura Morosoli/AFP via Getty Images Tropical cyclone Freddy was, on 21 February 2023, bearing down on Mauritius and Madagascar. Mauritius grounded flights and, news agency Reuters reported, emergency teams in four regions …
From discovering insulin to unearthing a double agent, our pick of Insights long reads in 2022: From toxic career rivalries and abandoned spies to the future of Africa’s lions and David Bowie’s environmental credentials, Insights long reads have covered them all in 2022. In 44 long-form articles, as well as a number of related podcasts, …
ANC in crisis: South Africa’s governing party is fighting to stay relevant – 5 essential reads: President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses African National Congress members in Johannesburg in July. Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), is in a crisis. Having dominated the country’s politics since democracy in 1994, …
Kenya in 2022: 4 essential reads on a year of political drama and economic hardships: Motorcycle taxis queue for fuel in Nairobi in April amid shortages. Photo by Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images The year 2022 was always going to be an eventful one. After nearly 10 years in power, President Uhuru Kenyatta was destined …
2022 was a rollercoaster for Nigeria – 4 essential reads on what went down and how to fix it: Catholic faithful stage a peaceful protest to condemn the rampant killing in Benue State, North Central of Nigeria. Photo by Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images For Nigeria and Nigerians, the year 2022 was a rollercoaster ride …
Ghana had a bad time in 2022 – 4 reads to catch up on what happened: All of Ghana's main sources of drinking water have been contaminated by illegal mining activities Wikimedia Commons Ghana, a country with a good reputation for democracy, human rights, governance and economic growth in Africa, endured a difficult 2022. The …
South Africa’s President Ramaphosa could be impeached – 3 essential reads on the Phala Phala scandal: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has an impeachment case to answer. This was the finding of the independent parliamentary panel probing the scandal over the theft of …
Ending HIV as a public health threat – 3 essential reads: Shutterstock In 2014 the United Nations set an ambitious goal: to end the AIDS pandemic by the year 2030. There have been significant advances in HIV treatment and prevention. Access to antiretroviral therapy has saved millions of lives. The UN estimates that since 2010 …
How climate change influences the spread of disease – four essential reads: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images Climate change has led to extreme weather events such as floods and drought. These events have become more frequent and more severe. Natural disasters associated with climate change have a devastating effect on people’s lives, destroying homes, …
Climate change: the effects of extreme heat on health in Africa — 4 essential reads: shutterstock Scientists are sounding the alarm about the extreme increases in the Earth’s temperature. A new report by UNICEF warns that 2022 could be the “coldest year of the rest of our lives”. Heatwaves are becoming stronger and lasting longer. …
Africa in space: 5 interesting reads on the continent’s achievements and future: Gettyimages Sputnik 1 was launched by the former Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, marking the start of the space age. Since then space activity has delivered many benefits. For instance, satellite imagery can be used in agriculture to predict food shortages and …