16 h. ago Tanzania opposition officials arrested as Tundu Lissu refuses to appear in court

Chadema spokesperson says party’s vice-chair John Heche and secretary general John Mnyika held on way to protest over treason chargesTanzania’s main opposition party said on Thursday at least two of its officials had been arrested on their way to a rally to support the leading government opponent Tundu Lissu, who refused to appear at a virtual court hearing to face a charge of treason.Authorities in the east African country have increasingly cracked down on the opposition Chadema party ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls in October. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago DRC government and M23 agree to halt fighting and work towards truce

Both sides say they have resolved to end conflict through peaceful means after ‘frank’ talks facilitated by QatarThe Democratic Republic of the Congo and a coalition of militias including the Rwanda-backed M23 have agreed to work towards a truce to end the fighting that has engulfed the eastern part of the country since January.In similarly worded statements released on Wednesday night, the government and Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance) said their representatives had held talks facilitated by Qatar and resolved to end the conflict through peaceful means. Continue reading...

Politics

21 h. ago Tanzania opposition officials arrested before Lissu’s court appearance

Chadema spokesperson says party’s deputy chair and secretary general held on way to protest rallyTanzania’s main opposition party has said at least two of its officials have been arrested on their way to a rally to support the leading government opponent Tundu Lissu, who is due in court to face a treason charge.Authorities in the east African country have increasingly cracked down on the opposition Chadema party in the run-up to presidential and parliamentary polls in October. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago DRC government and M23 make surprise truce to end fighting in east of country

The two sides agree to work towards permanent peace after Qatar-mediated talks and are expected to return to Doha in coming weeksThe Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and the Rwandan-backed M23 group have issued a landmark joint statement saying they have agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country while they work towards a permanent truce.The surprise announcement follows talks mediated by Qatar. The two sides said they had “agreed to work towards the conclusion of a truce” in the conflict in which the M23 has seized key cities in the violence-battered region. Continue reading...

Politics

33 h. ago Congo's government and rebels say they are working toward a truce in the east

A joint statement from Congo's government and a coalition of insurgents in the country’s east including the M23 rebels says the two sides have agreed to work toward a truce following peace talks in Qatar

Politics

3 d. ago Dedham Vale: the Essex beauty spot offering picture perfect country homes for less than the Cotswolds

You can find your dream country home far more cheaply if you head east to this Essex beauty spot than west in more famous areas like the Cotswolds

Politics

5 d. ago TravelSmart’s guide to holidays in Malaysia, from city stays to beaches and rainforest

This week, it’s right into the heart of south-east Asia as TravelSmart turns its eye to Malaysia, a country of extraordinary beauty and diversity.

Politics

9 d. ago Lammy urges warring parties in Sudan to ‘put peace first’ after £120m aid boost

The Foreign Secretary told the London Sudan Conference it is ‘morally wrong’ to give up on the north-east African country.

Economics

2 w. ago Newly discovered diet that reduces inflammation 'in just two weeks' and helps prevent Alzheimer's

The new diet breakthrough focused on that eaten on east African country Tanzania and the results were said to be 'strikingly positive'

Events

2 w. ago Washington revokes all South Sudanese visas in repatriation row

State department accuses east African country of ‘taking advantage of the United States’The US is revoking the visas of all South Sudanese passport-holders and will stop any more of its citizens entering the country.The Department of State said South Sudan was “taking advantage of the United States” by failing to comply with US efforts to return people to the east African country, adding that the measures would come into effect immediately. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration revokes all South Sudanese visas in repatriation row

State department accuses east African country of ‘taking advantage of the United States’The US is revoking the visas of all South Sudanese passport-holders and will stop any more of its citizens entering the country.The Department of State said South Sudan was “taking advantage of the United States” by failing to comply with US efforts to return people to the east African country, adding that the measures would come into effect immediately. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago What links hedgehog, deer, lion and elephant? The Saturday quiz

From billiard, calabash and churchwarden to Wide Sargasso Sea, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 Who was the only English monarch to marry a Habsburg?2 What media company paid $10bn in music royalties in 2024?3 Which east African country is bottom of the world press freedom rankings?4 What metal melts at -38.8C?5 Which artist, according to HG Wells, “invented a whole cat world”?6 What is the tallest fence on the Aintree Grand National course?7 What was first won by the Crossworders in 2008?8 Which restaurant dynasty’s surname was a basic sauce?What links: 9 A Bend in the River; A Brief History of Seven Killings; To Sir, With Love; Wide Sargasso Sea?10 Billiard; calabash; churchwarden; cutty; vest pocket?11 Domenico di Bartolo; Duccio; Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti; Simone Martini?12 Electromagnetism; gravity; strong nuclear; weak nuclear?13 Arjan Veurink and Anthony Barry?14 Deer (wild animals); hedgehog (small animals); lion (safari park); elephant (zoo)?15 I Love Lucy; ...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘They didn’t call us for Live Aid’: the stars behind Black Britain’s forgotten charity record

In 1985, a star-studded lineup of Black UK musicians, including Aswad, Dennis Brown and Janet Kay, recorded a charity single to raise funds for famine-stricken Ethiopia. Why are their efforts so little known?The Ethiopian famine of the early 1980s was one of the defining news stories of the decade, an exposure of the stark divide between developed and developing nations, still referred to at the time as the Third World. It is a received wisdom that the general public in Britain learned about the crisis when shocking images of emaciated men, women and children were shown on BBC news reports. This is not entirely true. In fact, plenty of Rastafarians were already aware of the situation.The east African country was their spiritual home – many in the movement viewed its former emperor Haile Selassie as their messiah – and a place free from the iniquities of the west. “A lot of Rastafarians went to Ethiopia [before they] came to London,” says the musician and cam...

Politics

3 w. ago Israel announces intention to seize large areas of Gaza Strip in major escalation

Defence minister Israel Katz says seized land ‘will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s defence minister has said the country intends to “seize large areas” of the Gaza Strip amid a major expansion of aerial and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that “troops will move to clear areas of terrorists and infrastructure, and seize extensive territory that will be added to the state of Israel’s security areas”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago US bombing of Yemen compounding dire humanitarian situation – rights groups

Anti-Houthi air campaign, details of which were revealed in Signal scandal, has brought further destruction to countryA ramped-up US bombing campaign on Yemen has killed civilians and brought further destruction and uncertainty to the poorest country in the Middle East, compounding an already dire situation after Donald Trump cut aid, according to local people, humanitarian workers and rights groups.“Now the rampant bombing has started, you never know which way things will go,” said Siddiq Khan, who works as a country director in Yemen for the aid charity Islamic Relief. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago King Charles recuperates after hospital stay as he sends condolences to Myanmar quake victims after death toll tops 1,000

King Charles has sent a message of condolence to the people of Myanmar following a deadly earthquake that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the south-east Asian country.

Events

3 w. ago Ukrainian man, 30, is identified as suspect in Amsterdam mass stabbing after British tourist stopped knifeman who had slashed five

Investigators say he hailed from the Donetsk region in the east of the country - which has operated as a breakaway state from Ukraine for a decade and was unlawfully annexed by Russia in 2022.

Politics