On the sidelines of the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg, Thursday (Jul. 11), Russia's President and the Iranian parliament speaker held a meeting. The talks were also attended by the speakers of both chambers of the Russian parliament. Iran is one of the BRICS' newest members. Vladimir Putin who said his country was delighted...

 Twelve schoolchildren and their driver were killed in South Africa on Wednesday when their minibus overturned and caught fire on a road in Gauteng province, officials said. The accident took place a day after schools reopened after the winter holidays. Seven other children were injured in the accident, which took place in the town of Merafong...

Elephants trampled to death a Spanish tourist at a South African wildlife reserve after he left his vehicle and approached a herd to take photographs, police and local government authorities said Tuesday. The 43-year-old man was killed on Sunday at Pilanesberg National Park in North West province, about 180 kilometers (111 miles) from Johannesburg,...

Liberian President Joseph Boakai has announced a 40% reduction in his annual salary, lowering it from $13,400 to $8,000 per year. This move comes in response to growing public scrutiny of government salaries and widespread discontent over the rising cost of living in Liberia. President Boakai's office stated that he hopes this decision will set a p...

 West Africa's fractured regional bloc on Sunday urged Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to engage with the three military-led member states to try to reunite the region whose stability has been threatened since they decided to leave the group in January. At its summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja , the bloc - known as ECOWAS - named...

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced a 177 billion budget cut to seal the budget hole left after the withdrawal of the finance bill. This comes after protests led to the cancellation of contentious tax hikes, which resulted in the deaths of 39 people. The country erupted into chaos when peaceful demonstrations against high tax rises turned v...

 Egypt's new Cabinet was sworn in in Cairo on Wednesday as the country faced an ailing economy and raging conflicts in neighbouring nations. The new Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly, who has been in office since 2018, included major changes, particularly in the defence and economy-related portfolios. Some ministers, includin...

After the United States passed new subsidies designed to boost domestic electric vehicle production and cut into Beijing's supply chain dominance, Chinese manufacturers began investing in an unlikely place: Morocco. In the rolling hills near Tangiers and in industrial parks near the Atlantic Ocean, they have announced plans for new factories to mak...

 Between shifts at Amazon to support her family in Senegal, Hassan Diol often called her husband, Amadou Beye, who was awaiting a visa. While she worked opposite shifts with her sister-in-law to care for their children, Hassan would video call Amadou daily, eager for him to meet their infant daughter and reunite with their family in the U.S. B...

 Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday he won't sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protestors stormed parliament and several people were shot dead. It was the biggest assault on Kenya's government in decades. The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt, but Kenyans said the bill caused more economic p...

Iran is headed for a runoff election. On Saturday (Jun. 29), an election spokesman announced that of the 24.5 million votes cast, no candidate secured more than 50%. Former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili got 9.4 million votes while heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian got 10.4 million. The two will face again on July 5. More than 61 million Iranians ov...

 Extreme weather events causing floods, drought, and wildfires are becoming more frequent and more severe with climate change, affecting countries around the globe. The Horn of Africa is particularly prone to heavy rains which cause devastating localised flooding, loss of livelihoods, and even life. Now, scientists are using artificial intelli...

 The 58 MPs from Jacob Zuma's MK party have taken their oaths at the National Assembly, ten days after the official ceremony. Though they still dispute the election results, they have decided to join the opposition as a broad national unity government is being formed. Opponents of President Ramaphosa, including Duduzile Zuma, daughter of forme...

 Kenya's president came to power by appealing to the common people, describing himself as a "hustler" and vowing relief from economic pain. However, Tuesday's deadly chaos in the capital, Nairobi, shows how far support for him has turned. Part of parliament burned as protesters rushed in and lawmakers fled. Bodies lay in the streets, and medic...

 Senegal says it has detected Covid-19 in dozens of pilgrims returning from their Hajj journey in Mecca. From tests conducted at Dakar's Blaise Diagne International Airport, 78 cases of Covid-19 were recorded. Senegal's health ministry said the results are not surprising. It said returning pilgrims had been advised to wear masks and self-isola...

Madagascar's capital has a new means of public transport. The first cable car rode over neighborhoods of Antananarivo carrying President Andriy Rajoelina, city officials and project contractors. Capable of carrying up to 75,000 passengers a day, the cars are designed to reduce congestion in the Malagasy capital, which today has a population of over...

 Egypt has withdrawn the licenses of over a dozen tourism companies accused of causing the deaths of hundreds of people during the hajj pilgramage in Mecca. Media reports say as many as 1,000 pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia from illness but the prime minister's office, tasked with handling the crisis has confirmed only 31 deaths. The travel agen...

 Controversial South African opposition politician, Renaldo Gouws, has been suspended by his party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), less than a week after being sworn in as a member of parliament. His suspension comes after videos he made about 15 years ago, in which he is seen spewing racist language against black people, resurfaced online. Ini...

 For the European premiere of her new concert African Symphony in Lyon south-eastern France, world renowned artist Angelique Kidjo tasked conductor Christian Reif with leading the Lyon National Orchestra and guiding music-lovers through a melodic journey across Africa. The award-winning singer seeks to pay homage to exceptional talents from th...

 Vladimir Putin has arrived in Vietnam for discussions with its communist leaders as part of his tour of Asia. Upon arrival at Hanoi airport, the Russian president was greeted by Vietnamese deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha among other party diplomats. Putin's visit to Vietnam follows a high-profile trip to Pyongyang, where he and Kim Jong-un...