Rachel Savage

A rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is driving the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s fastest-growing and potentially largest-ever outbreak. The outbreak began in February but was not detected until May, allowing it to spread across six provinces; by Sunday, 2,325 people had died and 4,945 cases had been confirmed. Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths but was declared Ebola-free on 28 July. Containment is being undermined by the absence of a vaccine or established treatment for this strain, conflict, attacks on health facilities, mistrust, misinformation, unpaid health workers and sharp declines in humanitarian funding. The outbreak has spread into rebel-held areas, and experts warn that delayed detection and insecurity could make contact tracing and other control measures ineffective. Even under a moderate scenario, the outbreak may not peak for six months and could continue for up to a year.

Zambia’s 2026 election is shaped by President Hakainde Hichilema’s rivalry with the late former president Edgar Lungu, including a bitter dispute over Lungu’s burial. Hichilema is seeking a second term against Brian Mundubile of the Tonse Alliance and remains the clear favourite, but opposition allegations of police interference, detentions and restrictions on protests have raised concerns about democratic freedoms. The government points to greater media and campaign access than under Lungu in 2021. Zambia’s inflation has fallen, education has become free and investment in its copper sector has increased, yet rising prices and persistent hardship may undermine Hichilema’s economic record with voters.

West African countries including Senegal, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana are introducing or strengthening laws criminalizing same-sex relations and LGBTQ+ activity. Campaigners argue that politicians and religious organizations are using LGBTQ+ people as political scapegoats, with international conservative Christian networks helping fund and influence these campaigns. The laws have led to arrests, alleged abuse, convictions, increased homophobia and disruption of HIV-prevention services, while some affected people have fled to neighboring countries. Ghana’s new legislation is described as a particularly influential political tool because of the country’s democratic reputation and regional standing.

Violent anti-immigration demonstrations across South Africa have led to attacks, robberies and the displacement of thousands of migrants, particularly Malawians. More than 160,000 people have left the country since March, including at least 54,000 deportees, amid high unemployment, inequality and political campaigns blaming undocumented immigrants for social problems. Migrants describe being assaulted, expelled from homes and left without shelter or healthcare, while protests have also harmed South Africans. March and March says it opposes violence but plans continued demonstrations, which have received support from several political parties. Human rights groups accuse authorities of failing to protect migrants and uphold their healthcare rights, while the government denies that the situation amounts to a humanitarian crisis.

An Angolan court convicted Russian nationals Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin of terrorism and spying, sentencing them to eight and 11 years respectively. Prosecutors alleged that they planned a coup, helped organize deadly protests over fuel-price increases and sought to influence Angola’s 2026 presidential election through support for UNITA or efforts to change the MPLA leadership. The men denied the charges and said they were in Angola for cultural and business activities; both have appealed and remain detained. The case follows July 2025 riots in which 22 people were killed and more than 1,600 arrested, amid accusations that Angolan forces used excessive force. Two Angolans tried alongside them received a suspended sentence and an acquittal, both of which prosecutors are challenging. The proceedings also highlight Angola’s evolving relations with Russia, whose Africa-focused security and influence networks have expanded since the Wagner Group’s reorganization.

Pragna Parsotam-Kok and Noel Kok founded the Nature Environment and Wildlife Conservation Trust after encountering the shortage of African wildlife filmmakers, particularly Black African and underwater specialists. NEWF has since trained hundreds of divers and filmmakers from across Africa and the global south, established workshops and residencies, and opened eKhaya, a filmmaking and diving centre in Sodwana Bay. National Geographic’s Africa Refocused programme is funding the initiative, which aims to make wildlife documentaries more authentic through local storytellers, musicians and perspectives. The project has already produced award-winning work and continues to expand training, infrastructure and community participation.

Across China, Mexico, Iran, Ukraine, Israel, Canada, Europe, Asia, Cuba, India, Australia and South Africa, the United States is increasingly viewed as unreliable, coercive and politically unstable under Donald Trump. Tariffs, immigration crackdowns, threats against allies, military interventions and attacks on democratic norms have weakened confidence in Washington, even where security, economic or cultural ties remain strong. China and Russia see opportunities to challenge US influence, while countries such as Ukraine, Japan, Israel and Australia remain dependent on American support but are preparing for greater self-reliance. American culture and economic dynamism still attract admiration, yet the country’s reputation as a defender of freedom, prosperity and a rules-based international order has been substantially damaged.

Zimbabwe’s Senate has approved constitutional amendments by 75 votes to four that would extend presidential terms from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with parliamentary selection. The changes could allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030 and are expected to be signed into law, although opponents call them a “constitutional coup” that would entrench Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF. The government argues the reforms will increase political stability and policy continuity and says a referendum is not legally required. Critics also report harassment, assaults and restrictions during consultations, allegations denied by the police and rejected by government officials.

France has confirmed its first Ebola case in a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in Ebola-affected Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The patient is isolated and stable, while French authorities trace contacts and assess the risk to the European public as very low. The DRC outbreak had reached 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 deaths by 21 June, with additional cases in Uganda, and experts warn the true scale may be substantially larger. Aid cuts, conflict and community resistance are hindering the response; the rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, and US modelling suggests the outbreak could become the largest on record.

Kenya’s health minister, Aden Duale, ordered an immediate halt to construction and preparations for a US-run Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia air base after a court held him in contempt for defying an earlier injunction. The planned 50-bed centre, intended for US citizens evacuated from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sparked deadly protests and opposition from rights groups and Kenyan medical professionals. The government and President William Ruto have defended the facility, while critics cite health risks, lack of consultation and colonial overtones. The court discharged Duale with a warning, as Ebola cases and deaths continue to rise in the DRC and Uganda.

More than 20,000 runners took part in the 2026 Comrades Marathon, an approximately 55-mile uphill race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg with a 12-hour cutoff. The event has evolved from an all-white, all-male race into a major national tradition that brings together people across South Africa’s racial and social divisions. The story follows William Seleka, who used running to recover from depression and completed the race in 10:30:49 while dedicating the effort to his late sister’s memory. It also traces the marathon’s history through apartheid, desegregation and the rise of prominent Black competitors, while emphasizing the spectators, running clubs and pacing buses that sustain the race’s distinctive camaraderie. About 91% of entrants finished, though some missed the cutoff by seconds.

Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus were sentenced by a South African court in what police called the world’s largest rhino-horn trafficking case. Groenewald received a 2 million rand fine or four years in prison after a plea deal, while Erasmus was fined 100,000 rand or faced three years’ imprisonment. The pair had faced more than 1,700 charges, but the case was delayed for nearly two decades by legal challenges, deaths and emigration among accused people and witnesses. Proceedings against three other defendants continue. The case highlights South Africa’s central role in the global rhino population and the continuing scale of illegal horn poaching.

The Soweto uprising began on 16 June 1976 as a peaceful student protest against the apartheid government’s imposition of Afrikaans as a language of instruction. Police violence turned the march into a massacre, killing at least dozens that day and fueling months of unrest; estimates of the overall death toll vary widely. Eyewitnesses Sibongile Mkhabela, Oupa Moloto and Kingsley Mamabolo describe police shootings, imprisonment, torture, exile and lifelong psychological trauma. The uprising revitalized the anti-apartheid movement, drove thousands of students into exile and the ANC’s armed wing, and continues to shape the lives of survivors and their families 50 years later.

African migrants in South Africa report extreme fear as marches led by the campaign group March & March demand that undocumented immigrants leave by 30 June. Violence and threats have displaced Mozambican and Malawian residents, while Mozambique reported deaths in alleged xenophobic attacks and Ghana arranged flights for citizens to return home. The backlash is driven by unemployment, inequality and longstanding resentment, despite foreign-born residents comprising only 3.9% of South Africa’s population. President Cyril Ramaphosa promised tougher action against illegal immigration and corruption but warned that only state officials may demand proof of nationality and condemned incitement to violence. Political parties are attempting to capitalize on the protests, raising risks of further unrest, looting and instability, while migrants with legal status say documentation offers little protection from violence.

Botswana’s collapse in diamond demand has intensified longstanding failures in its public health procurement system, leaving patients without essential medicines despite a policy of free healthcare. People such as Boitumelo Mosege and Kelly Jansen describe unaffordable treatment and caregiving costs, while unemployment and financial strain are spreading across poorer and middle-class households. President Duma Boko declared a public health emergency and blamed the Central Medical Stores, but experts say procurement problems and corruption have persisted for years. With natural diamond prices down sharply, the economy contracting and unemployment rising, Botswana faces pressure to reform healthcare and diversify beyond diamonds.

The WHO estimates that 30% to 50% of confirmed Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s latest outbreak may die, while warning that the true scale could be larger because the virus circulated undetected. The outbreak has caused 10 confirmed and 223 suspected deaths among more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases, although the first patient recovery has been confirmed. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the DRC and urged armed groups to declare a ceasefire, arguing that conflict and displacement are obstructing the response. Uganda’s border closure was criticized as potentially driving informal crossings. Vaccine and treatment trials were recommended, while Kenya’s high court temporarily blocked a proposed US-backed Ebola quarantine facility amid constitutional and healthcare-capacity concerns. The US pledged additional funding, and WHO, UNICEF and other agencies delivered or promised emergency supplies.

A dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, Kenya, killed at least 16 students and injured 79 others, 71 of whom were discharged from hospital. About 220 girls were sleeping on the second floor when the blaze began shortly after midnight; locked doors and students jumping from windows contributed to deaths and injuries. Survivors reportedly said a student ignited a mattress, but the motive and official cause remain under investigation. The disaster has renewed concern about recurring school fires and inadequate fire preparedness in Kenya, while emergency agencies treat victims and families await information.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning that conflict is obstructing humanitarian access and Ebola containment in Ituri province. Nearly 1,000 suspected cases and at least 220 suspected deaths were reported, while the DRC confirmed 101 cases and investigated thousands of contacts; Uganda reported seven confirmed cases and one death. Uganda closed its border with the DRC for four weeks except for essential operations and imposed 21-day self-isolation on authorised entrants. Attacks on health facilities, community distrust, displacement, shortages of protective equipment and funding cuts are hampering the response, while the outbreak has spread to rebel-held areas of North and South Kivu.

Bonolo Selelo and Tsholofelo Kumile have launched a court case seeking the right to marry in Botswana after officials rejected their application. They argue that the Interpretation Act permits gender-neutral readings of marriage law, while the Attorney General maintains that the Marriage Act defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Hearings are scheduled for 14 and 15 July; a victory would make Botswana only the second African country, after South Africa, to legalise same-sex marriage. The case faces opposition from government, traditional groups and church figures, while LGBTQ+ advocates argue that marriage is necessary for legal and personal protection and are campaigning to improve public attitudes.

Donald Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeated seven-term Republican congressman and Trump critic Thomas Massie in Kentucky's primary, prompting Massie to suggest he would oppose Trump more forcefully during his remaining seven months in Congress. Other major results included Andy Barr's Republican Senate nomination in Kentucky, Tommy Tuberville's Republican nomination for Alabama governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms's Democratic nomination for Georgia governor, and Chris Rabb's Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania. Georgia Republican candidates advanced to runoffs for governor and Senate, while Janelle Stelson won the Democratic nomination to challenge Scott Perry. The Senate also moved to debate a war-powers resolution concerning Iran, and the live blog reported disputes involving Trump's administration, including an IRS settlement fund benefiting Trump allies, military force reductions in Europe, and a deadly shooting investigated as a hate crime.

The US government plans to increase the number of white South African Afrikaners admitted as refugees during the current fiscal year from about 7,500 to 17,500, citing an alleged emergency situation and escalating hostility from South Africa. The expansion is expected to cost about $100 million, even as the Trump administration has suspended or reduced refugee resettlement for people fleeing conflicts in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. South Africa rejects the US claims of racial persecution, while critics argue that Trump’s policy is based on the debunked white-genocide narrative and privileges a historically advantaged minority shaped by apartheid.

Botswana has become a global force in men’s sprinting through sustained investment in school sports, local coaching and youth-development programmes. Letsile Tebogo’s 2024 Olympic 200m gold and subsequent world and relay victories have made the athletes national superstars. However, the suspension of the school sports programme in 2019 threatens the talent pipeline, while women and girls remain underrepresented. Former champion Isaac Makwala is helping address the gap through a private athletics academy, though fees limit access for some families.