History has never ended, but are we at a crossroads again?
Oxford professor Ben Ansell says we are witnessing a battle between nationalism and liberalism that will write our own time indelibly into the history books of tomorrow.
South Africa
South Africa's illegal gold miners are locked in an underground standoff with police
Surviving on a diet of toothpaste and toilet paper, South Africa's notorious "zama-zama" illegal miners continue a weeks-long standoff with police in the darkness of a disused gold mine.
Animal rescuers evacuate a lion cub from war-torn Lebanon to South Africa
The group Animals Lebanon says it rescued Sara the lion cub from abuse by a Lebanese social media influencer, kept it safe in Beirut and sent it to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.
South Africa's government won't help the illegal miners inside a closed mine
Miners are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport supplies.
'America's Nobel' goes to a power couple who made a startling discovery about HIV
This year's Lasker Prize for public service goes to South African researchers Salim and Quarraisha Abdool-Karim. The married couple made a startling discovery about HIV — and did something about it.
Mpox did not fade away. Africa faces two alarming outbreaks -- and lacks vaccines
The Global North has moved on from the mpox scare of 2022. The Global South is seeing outbreaks — and lacks the tools to address stem the virus.
From convict to cabinet: South Africa’s new sports minister promotes gangland motorsport
South Africa's new sports minister once drove getaway cars in bank heists. Now he's in government, with plans to bring the dangerous pastime of car spinning into the mainstream.
These are the major elections NPR correspondents are watching
2024 is an extraordinary year of global elections, with dozens of national votes worldwide. Here are some of the ones we are closely following.
South Africa’s ANC and opposition announce a unity government, in a big power shift
The African National Congress and its main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, along with the smaller Inkatha Freedom Party, have agreed to form a government of national unity.
On his latest album, Abdullah Ibrahim hears the world in many 'different colors'
One of South Africa's greatest jazz musicians joins us to talk about his latest work and embarking on a world tour as he turns 90 years old.