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.
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.
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.
Johannesburg’s water crisis is the latest blow to South Africa’s ‘world-class city’
It bills itself as a “world-class African city” but these days residents say it’s anything but — with the collapse of the water system and frequent power outages.
South Africa tells the U.N. top court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
In a landmark case that strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity, South Africa pleaded Thursday with the U.N.’s top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.

