The Arsenal. Your Premier League champions.

YES ARSENAL! Thank you, Bournemouth. Signed, a part-time Gunner who is very happy for all the full-timers.

The US government is planning to increase the number of white South Africans it admits as refugees this year from 7,500 to 17,500, claiming that “unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation.”

Fantastic, sobering visualisation of the extent of terrorism and other violence in the Sahel, by @eromoegbejule.bsky.social and colleagues. The way it shows the proliferation of violence by different groups across Nigeria is particularly striking.

A woman in the Cape Town township of Wesbank said she hid under the bed as gunmen killed four of her relatives. A 9-year-old was also shot and is recovering in hospital. "I don't know why anyone would want to kill my family like this," she said. Police say the incident could be gang-related.

Went on a hike, now doing my Chinese homework while watching the IPL. Allowing myself a little smugness.

I'm not often truly shocked any more, but wow. No words.

Interesting detail from my colleague Amy Hawkins' piece about the Trump-Xi summit. In 2017, factories were shut and polluting cars banned from the road to ensure blue skies. This time, no such efforts were made.

the Wes Streeting resignation is written in a way that suggests he's failed to get the 81 signatures needed to prompt a leadership battle he calls for "the best possible field of candidates", implying he wants Burnham in the race and he doesn't even mention wanting the top job himself

BREAKING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash shortly after receiving a £5m personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne, according to property records seen by Sky News.

Ramaphosa has fired minister of social development Sisisi Tolashe after weeks of scandal, including that she transferred vehicles donated by China to the ANC Women's League to her daughters

Maria McCloy was unique, truly one of one. She was Joburg and she was culture. DJ, fashion designer, PR. She was always inviting me to events (which I didn't go to enough of). I wouldn't have known anywhere near as much about the arts in South Africa without her. RIP Maria, you are missed

"A Chinese drop-shipper appears to be leveraging the aesthetics of cultural appropriation and whitewashing to sell something like matcha that is historically native to China... through an AI-suggested blueprint of what sells as the next lucrative, palatably oriental wellness trend."

Something very striking in the fact the markets - and I know they're different markets - are freaking out about the idea of Andy Burnham as PM, but entirely blase about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the fact we're about to run out of oil.

Me putting on my second winter jumper and an extra, extra thick pair of socks. Winter has come in Joburg!

LinkedIn has truly reached its zenith. www.linkedin.com/posts/bgolds...

This stunned me. A vehicle carrying South Africa's minister of health allegedly ran over a woman and her baby, which was strapped to her back. Her other child survived. They were trying to cross the road to get to her husband, who also died, allegedly run over by an off-duty police officer.

It was a fairytale ending to the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone. In the final strait, Collen Kebinatshipi surged past South Africa’s Zakithi Nene to win the men’s 4x400m relay. The home crowd went wild. I really enjoyed reporting this piece on how Botswana got so good at men's sprinting

Whomst amongst us has not "sold cattle" for half a million and stuffed the proceeds under the sofa cushions?

Ramaphosa is: - Not resigning - Legally challenging an independent panel report that found preliminary evidence he had committed misconduct over the theft of $500,000 in cash from inside his sofa

Nowhere in Somalia will accept Somali shilling banknotes anymore, throwing many who relied on hard cash into chaos. "Somalia has not printed any banknotes since 1991, when the then government of Siad Barre was overthrown [and] the central bank ceased to operate..."

I was actually looking up 'rave' music from 2007-2009 a few days ago and whew it sent me right back. Eastern Jam, Pieces, the Voodoo People remix - basically anything by Chase & Status and Pendulum.

Globally, young people are turning to creators to explain the news. In Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, it's happening faster than in most other countries. I spoke to Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa, aka @JaxxOfAllTrades, about her pivot from entrepreneur to “professional yapper and current affairs enthusiast”.

Watching Arsenal was incredibly stressful. I don't know how you full-time fans do it

Having a very Sports Sunday. We just watched the Wings For Life Race and now it's Arsenal V West Ham.

The Online Creators Reshaping Africa’s News: Africa is leading a change in news consumption habits & transforming the lives of current affairs enthusiasts ecosphere. Reporting by @rachelmsavage.bsky.social, Carlos Mureithi, & @eromoegbejule.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Please sir, my first past the post electoral system, it is very sick.

Extraordinary story about Lavinia and Michelle, twins who found out they had different fathers when they were 45

I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle

South Africa's top court has revived impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, after $580,000 in cash was stolen from inside a sofa his Phala Phala farm. The judges said it was unconstitutional for the then-ANC-controlled parliament to have blocked the impeachment process

No better feeling than filing a story and closing all your tabs 😤

“They’re both cherry picking a particular year, they’re cherry picking a particular method and they’re ignoring this long term more concerning trend in the data.”

Nothing like a summer's day watching village cricket. My Dad played at number 10. He is not a bowler.

Important data point here: “A sharp fall in Labour's performance is accompanied more often by an above average Green performance than it is by a strong Reform performance”. The Greens have already hurt Labour even before any direct gains.

Never gets old

Saw these smol black and light brown birds in Gaborone. Couldn't ID them online. Sent a description and this terrible photo to BirdLife Botswana and got a response back in under 10 minutes. It's a Village Indigo Bird.

This was a hard story to report. Newborns who don’t get a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop a condition where they bleed uncontrollably. But more and more families are declining the shot. And babies are dying. www.propublica.org/article/more...

Incredible story by @morsels.bsky.social about the man who blew up Koeberg nuclear power station at the height of apartheid in 1982.

Continuing my quest to find good Chinese food in every major African city I visit, with Eastern Crescent Chinese Restaurant in Gaborone. The fish fragrant aubergine was sweet and vinegary - no Sichuan pepper kick to be found. The cold garlic noodles were excellent👌🏻 maps.app.goo.gl/78VV48bPs2cG...

This is the funniest, most interesting and heartwarming article I've read in a long time. Genius.

Watching Botswana win the men's 4X400m relay at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, with world champion Collen Kebinatshipi on the anchor leg, was quite something. Scuse my shouting, I may have got swept up in the home crowd moment 🇧🇼

Was watching the climbing world cup (sorry, world series) and the broadcast switched to a Japanese rugby match with Faf de Klerk warming up 😂 apparently there was a "signal" issue

South Africa's local government elections have been set for November 4. Campaigning has been going on for months now - only six more to go!

More HIV patients are skipping treatment in Senegal, due to a wave of arrests that followed the country's anti-LGBTQ+ law being made harsher last month. "I don't dare leave the house anymore, so I'm literally holed up inside. I double-lock all the doors and windows just to avoid being found."

Robert Mugabe's son Bellarmine has avoided prison, two months after an employee was shot in the back at his Johannesburg home. His cousin Tobias Matonhodze pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to three years in prison. Mugabe was fined R600,000 (£26,600) and is being deported.

From today, no one in England and Wales will be criminalised for ending their own pregnancy

An LED maypole that plays bassy dancehall music - I am obsessed

The loyal, lonely keepers of Sudan's pyramids. Mostafa Ahmed Mostafa is the heir to a long line of groundskeepers who have guarded Sudan's pyramids of Meroe. Now, three years into the war between the army and paramilitary forces, he stands near-solitary sentinel over his heritage u.afp.com/SaMN

This is really damning. The whole report was so shocking to anyone who knows anything about the asylum system.