6 h. ago Terrifying footage from the eye of Hurricane Melissa emerges as strongest storm on Earth this year sparks mass evacuations

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm as it barrels toward Jamaica, threatening the island with record-breaking winds, flooding, and landslides.

Events

11 h. ago Jamaica braces for the strongest storm on Earth this year as Hurricane Melissa barrels toward the island, triggering mass evacuations

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm as it barrels toward Jamaica, threatening the island with record-breaking winds, flooding, and landslides.

Events

16 h. ago Alassane Ouattara wins landslide fourth term as Ivory Coast’s president

Low turnout said to have made for most peaceful election in years, as 83-year-old accused of clampdown on dissent wins 89.77% of voteAlassane Ouattara has been declared the winner of the presidential election in Ivory Coast by a landslide.According to provisional results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (CIE) on Monday evening, the 83-year-old won a fourth term as head of the west African country with 89.77% or 3.75m votes. Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Donald Trump claims credit for foreign election winner who called him 'your excellency'

Orange Manbaby couldn’t help taking some of the credit after Javier Milei secured a “big win” in a landslide victory and says he was a 'Trump Endorsed Candidate'

Politics

2 d. ago Leftwinger Catherine Connolly wins Ireland presidential election by landslide

Heather Humphreys concedes defeat after early vote tallies show insurmountable gap between candidatesThe leftwing independent candidate, Catherine Connolly, has won a landslide victory in Ireland’s presidential election.Her rival, Heather Humphreys, conceded defeat on Saturday afternoon after early vote tallies showed an insurmountable gap between the candidates. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Dare to change’: Ivory Coast heads to the polls as rivals seek to oust Ouattara

Incumbent leader, 83, is accused of cracking down on political dissent and overseeing unequal economic growthAlassane Ouattara is seeking a fourth presidential term as Ivory Coast goes to the polls on Saturday, after a campaign in which he touted economic growth while facing accusations that he has overseen a growing intolerance towards dissent.An estimated 8.7 million people are eligible to vote. Four candidates are challenging the incumbent, including the former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and a trio of former ministers: Henriette Lagou Adjoua, Ahoua Don Mello and Jean-Louis Billon. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Brazilian president will seek fourth term at age 80: ‘I’ve got as much energy as when I was 30’

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who first ran for elected office in 1982, announced he will run again in next year’s electionThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has announced he will seek a historic fourth term in next year’s presidential election, potentially extending one of the most remarkable and enduring political careers in modern Latin American history.The former metalworker, who returned to the presidency in 2023 after beating the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed his decision during a speech in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Tensions mount as Alassane Ouattara seeks fourth term in Ivory Coast vote

Protests have been banned and opposition figures sidelined as 83-year-old president ignores calls to step down“This is worth several more terms,” the Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara, joked while opening a bridge named after him in the country’s commercial capital, Abidjan, in 2023.The appearance in recent years of several new bridges in west Africa’s second most populous city has been hailed by the president’s supporters as symbolic of an era of modernity and stable leadership under his watch. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago World Cup permutations: State of play for Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon after Egypt qualify for showpiece

Five more automatic spots are up for grabs ahead of the final round of fixtures

Politics

2 w. ago World Cup permutations: What Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt need to qualify for next summer showpiece

Seven more automatic spots are up for grabs ahead of the final round of fixtures

Politics

3 w. ago ‘We all need someone’: the hairdressers tackling stigma of mental heath issues in west Africa

In Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Togo, where therapy services are almost absent, some stylists are being trained to listen, comfort and guideYopougon, the largest of Abidjan’s 13 communes, with a population of 1.5 million, is known for its entrepreneurial grit, its bubbly nightlife and, in pop culture, as being the birthplace of Francophone Africa’s most popular comic character, Aya de Yopougon.Beneath the bustle, it is also home to another taboo-busting pioneer: 49-year-old Adjoua Catherine Tano, a hairdresser who has spent two decades offering mental health advice, or just listening quietly as she cuts her clients’ hair. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago ‘We all need someone’: the hairdressers tackling stigma of mental health issues in west Africa

In Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Togo, where therapy services are almost absent, some stylists are being trained to listen, comfort and guideYopougon, the largest of Abidjan’s 13 communes, with a population of 1.5 million, is known for its entrepreneurial grit, its bubbly nightlife and, in pop culture, as being the birthplace of Francophone Africa’s most popular comic character, Aya de Yopougon.Beneath the bustle, it is also home to another taboo-busting pioneer: 49-year-old Adjoua Catherine Tano, a hairdresser who has spent two decades offering mental health advice, or just listening quietly as she cuts her clients’ hair. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Get ready for Amy! Met Office names first storm of the season with warnings of 80mph winds, torrential rain and landslides

Storm Amy has been named and is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK later on Friday and into Saturday, the Met Office said today.

Events

last month Starmer brands Reform UK’s migration plan ‘racist’ and ‘immoral’

Sir Keir said he believes Labour can ‘pull this round’ as a poll suggested Nigel Farage could be on course for a landslide win in the next general election

Politics