8 h. ago In Africa, a continent full of children, the fates of young and old are intertwined

Africa is the world’s youngest continent — but the lives of its children are intertwined with the lives of its oldest

Politics

8 d. ago Brazil fans enjoy carnival atmosphere despite World Cup rout by South Africa | Luke McLaughlin

Just seeing the first Brazil team to reach a Rugby World Cup was enough for fans as South Africa roared to 66-6 winIn certain other sports, Brazil’s absence from any World Cup tournament would be regarded as downright bizarre. It’s not quite like that in rugby, and their women’s 15s team created history simply by running on to the turf.The first Brazil team to qualify for a men’s or women’s Rugby World Cup had played only 16 times before this, winning five matches, including a playoff against Colombia that secured qualification. Their prize, if you can call it that, was an intimidating opener against the famously powerful South Africa. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago The Guardian view on Africa and maps: drawn true, its scale and promise can’t be ignored | Editorial

The push for fairer cartography rejects colonial shrinkage of a huge continent by the Mercator projection. This is not pedantry. It’s politicsThe African Union wants to replace the world’s most popular map with one that more accurately represents the continent’s size. This demand may seem better suited to geography departments than heads of government. Yet in politics, symbols matter. And the Mercator projection, devised in the 16th century to help European sailors navigate their way to conquest and commerce, has quietly shaped how we see the world for centuries.By stretching the higher latitudes and squeezing the equatorial belt, the Mercator projection distorts the relative size of continents. Europe and North America loom vast, while Africa and South America shrink. Greenland often appears roughly the same size as Africa, when in reality the continent is 14 times larger. The impression is that the north is large and central, the south peripheral and marginal. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago African Union joins calls to end use of Mercator map that shrinks continent’s size

Member states back Correct the Map campaign that urges governments and organisations to use more accurate mapThe African Union has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organisations of the 16th-century Mercator map of the world in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.Created by the cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the projection distorts continent sizes, enlarging areas near the poles like North America and Greenland while shrinking Africa and South America. “It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” the African Union Commission deputy chair, Selma Malika Haddadi, told Reuters, saying the Mercator fostered a false impression that Africa was “marginal”, despite being the world’s second-largest continent by area, with more than 1 billion people. The union has 55 member states. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The loneliest continent: epidemic of social isolation hits Africans as western culture spreads

A World Health Organization study challenges traditional views of African society. Some blame technology, others urbanisation and living costs, but what is the solution?Loneliness has been a constant feature of Macyleen’s life since she was nine years old and her mother died in their home town in Zimbabwe. She was sent to live with her father, but he worked away from home a lot. His new wife resented his other children and was emotionally abusive.Macyleen lived with three half-siblings, but they were much older. “We were there to survive and just get to the next day. I knew I was alone,” she recalls. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Judge to consider the fate of an agreement on protecting immigrant children in US custody

A federal judge is set to hear a Trump administration request to end a long-standing policy on protections for immigrant children in federal custody

Events