Africa

A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel on Oct. 10. Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel started Oct. 7. A senior Hamas official told NPR that its planning was kept a close secret.

World News

These were NPR.org's biggest international stories in 2023

5:08am December 05, 2023

by John Helton

Hamas' attack in Israel and the war that followed and the stalemate in Ukraine were our biggest international stories in 2023, but we also found some wonder around the world.

Morning news brief

5:03am December 05, 2023

A ex-U.S. ambassador is accused of working as a secret agent for Cuba. After Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, fears of a wider Middle East conflict grow. It's been 10 years since Nelson Mandela died.

Many South Africans revere Mandela. What about the political party he left behind?

5:03am December 05, 2023

Ten years after the death of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president, many young people there have become disillusioned with his legacy and his party.

Anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela delivers a policy statement in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Jan. 8, 1994. Mandela called on all South Africans to pledge themselves to peace. Later that year, Mandela became South Africa's first Black president.

A legacy in speeches: Remembering Nelson Mandela 10 years after his death

5:03am December 05, 2023

by Ashley Montgomery

South Africa's first Black president, Nelson Mandela, died on Dec. 5, 2013. Revisit the speeches that made Mandela the most prominent figure of the anti-apartheid movement.

Manmade pits at construction sites are providing nurseries for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, new research finds.

Big city mosquitoes are a big problem — and now a big target

7:04pm December 04, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Africa's cities have become home to an invasive, malaria-carrying mosquito. New research suggests vulnerabilities that could be exploited to take on the disease-bearing insects.

A child from the Mbendjele people, a hunter-gatherer community that lives in the northern rainforests of the Republic of Congo. A new study found that children in this society have on average 8 caregivers in addition to the mother to provide hands-on attention.

Health & Safety

Bringing up a baby can be a tough and lonely job. Here's a solution: alloparents

10:27am December 01, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

"Allo" is Greek for "other." Alloparents are helpful relatives and neighbors. In a study from Congo, babies had 8 alloparents on average. Perhaps the self-reliant nuclear family is a societal misstep.

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Catholic Cardinal in Ghana says homosexuality should not be a criminal offense

5:09am December 01, 2023

by Emmanuel Akinwotu

A new measure being debated in Ghana that targets LGBTQ+ people is receiving surprising pushback from the country's top Catholic cardinal.

Widespread flooding has already killed hundreds in East Africa

5:21pm November 29, 2023

by Michael Kaloki

Many countries in East Africa have gone from drought to deluge, and the rains aren't over yet.

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World News

Curfew declared in Sierra Leone after gunmen attacked its main military barracks

7:30pm November 26, 2023

by The Associated Press

The attack on the barracks and detention centers raised fears of a breakdown of order amid a surge of coups in the region.

World News

South African Paralympic gold medalist who killed his girlfriend will soon be freed

5:17pm November 24, 2023

by Kate Bartlett

In South Africa, former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is to be freed from jail on parole, nearly 11 years on after murdering his former girlfriend.

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