Medan, Indonesia – Nusantara, the future capital city of Indonesia, will be inaugurated on the country’s Independence Day on Saturday, as the country looks to replace Jakarta, which has served as the capital since Indonesia declared independence from the Dutch in 1945. A heaving metropolis of at least 11 millionContinue Reading
When the deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka by military helicopter on August 5, following weeks-long deadly protests against her government, there was little doubt about where she was headed. India has supported Hasina and it is where she spent many years in exile after almost her entireContinue Reading
Gothenburg, Sweden – George Totari’s understated apartment is full of noise and life even in his retirement, as he sits surrounded by his daughter and grandchildren. Soft gray walls typical of a Swedish apartment bear no hallmarks of a home belonging to an internationally acclaimed musician, however. With his long,Continue Reading
Lagos, Nigeria – There was a glint in Tunde Onakoya’s eyes that concealed the chess prodigy’s exhaustion as he made it to the 60-hour mark – breaking the world record for the longest marathon chess game. Bundled up in a jacket, scarf and hat, the 29-year-old Nigerian squared off againstContinue Reading
Abuja, Nigeria – When children turn 10, their first double-digit milestone is usually a time of excitement. But not for Elizabeth John, who could only feel dread about what was to come. A day after her 10th birthday, three older women held her legs down firmly as her mother pressedContinue Reading
Niamey, Niger – “No talk of politics today,” Aissata* said to her teenage daughter on the way to her parents’ house for their traditional Sunday gathering in Niamey. “We can’t talk about any of this with the others. “I don’t want any tension at the table.” The 60-year-old mother ofContinue Reading
In 2021, former United States President Donald Trump told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu had suffered after the Israeli prime minister had congratulated Joe Biden on winning the 2020 American presidential election. “F*** him,” Trump said in the interview. “I liked Bibi,” Trump said atContinue Reading
Delhi, India – Sonakshi Verma, a college student, pushes her way to order a plate of momos from a corner shop on a busy market street in Delhi. The noisy shop, which opens only in the evenings, is crowded with people eagerly anticipating their first bites of one of India’sContinue Reading
As Rwandans go to the polls for presidential and legislative elections, some 9.7 million people are voting in an atmosphere of peace and stability. It is a long way from the devastation the East African country faced after the 1994 genocide against its Tutsi population when President Paul Kagame firstContinue Reading
Tampons, which are used by millions of women, can carry “alarming” amounts of toxic metals including lead, arsenic and cadmium, a study by academics in the United States has warned. The findings by a team of researchers led by Jenni A Shearston at the University of California at Berkeley (UCContinue Reading
