Top stories: news and views from around the world
RW (Bill) Johnson (September 1943- July 2026) – A big-hitter against apartheid before 1994 and a courageous fighter for free speech ever since
RW Johnson delivers the 2016 Barry Streek lecture – one great journalist honoring another With the death of RW (Bill) Johnson on July 21, 2026 South Africa has lost… Read more >
Mandela Day 2026: A time for Commonwealth leaders to open eyes wide shut
In South Africa, July 18 is known as Mandela Day. There is no need to remind readers of this website what a great man he was and how his… Read more >
Down Memory Lane: Remembering Iran’s Supreme leader with respect and humour
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been mourned by millions of Muslims around the world. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must have been relieved to arrive home in fundamentalist… Read more >
Poland and Ukraine: The Past is Another Country – but not if you lived there
Presidents as pals . . . Karol Nawrocki with Volodymyr Zelensky before the NATO summit in Ankara this month. Zelensky wants ‘in’ to NATO, the Polish leaders says that should… Read more >
Mnangagwa salutes ZAPU’S Joshua Nkomo as the Father of Zimbabwe
Joshua Nkomo, national hero and founder of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) at a mass rally in Bulawayo shortly before Independence in April 1980 (Picture: Trevor Grundy) … Read more >
Zambia 60 years ago: Sinoia and the battle that marked the start of Chimurenga Two
The front-page of the Times of Zambia as it eventually appeared in print. It emphasised the word “slaughter” and not ” battle.” Freedom fighters who are now in their… Read more >
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