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Russia-Africa summit: Putin seeks to extend influence
Getty Images By Paul Melly Africa analyst When President Vladimir Putin opens the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg on Thursday, the attendance cast list will be closely scrutinised – in Paris, Washington, London, and at United Nations headquarters in New York. But Africans will view the event quite differently. For Western foreign ministries fretting about…
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Colorado family members die trying to live ‘off the grid’
Getty Images By Max Matza BBC News Three members of a Colorado family died while attempting to live “off the grid” in the Rocky Mountains, family members and investigators say. The emaciated remains of sisters Christine and Rebecca Vance and the latter’s 14-year old son, were found in a remote campsite this month. On Tuesday…
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US police officer fired after unleashing dog on black driver
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Max Matza BBC News An Ohio policeman who released an attack dog on a black truck driver who was trying to surrender after a highway chase has been fired. Officials said that his actions “did not…
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Leicester City: Relegated EPL team delights fans on Asia tour
Bagas Wira Paksi By Adam Hancock BBC News, Singapore For almost a quarter of a century Indonesian football fan Bagas Wira Paksi has watched the fortunes of his favourite club wax and wane from thousands of kilometres away. But this weekend, he hopes to finally cheer his team on in person when Leicester City play…
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How Sinéad O’Connor recorded Nothing Compares 2 U
By Mark Savage BBC Music Correspondent In 1990, Sinéad O’Connor scored a worldwide hit with Nothing Compares 2 U, a song of unspeakable loss and heartbreak. It was the defining moment of her career – one that thrust her unwillingly into the mainstream. But the story of the video, and how she came to record…
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Is the decline of oil in sight?
The International Energy Agency thinks peak oil use is in sight this decade as the world switches to renewables. What is driving this shift – and what is still standing in the way? The idea of “peak oil” – a peak in the amount of oil we can physically extract, followed by an irreversible decline…
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Niger soldiers announce coup on national TV
Soldiers have gone on national TV in Niger and announced that they have carried out a coup. They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions and closed the West African country’s borders. Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has been held by troops from the presidential guard since early on Wednesday. US Secretary of State…
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Mastercard demands US cannabis shops stop accepting debit cards
Getty Images By Max Matza BBC News, Seattle Mastercard has said financial payment companies must stop allowing US customers to buy legal marijuana in shops with its debit cards. Because marijuana remains illegal at a federal level in the US, customers in the 38 states where it is allowed are usually forced to pay in…
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Excitement over Threads fades but users return to app
Getty Images Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said his new social media app, Threads, is drawing more repeat users than he had expected. The app attracted more than 100 million sign-ups within days of its launch this month in a challenge to Elon Musk’s rival platform, X, formerly Twitter. But analysts questioned whether Threads would…
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Moldova expels 45 Russian diplomats in spy row
Reuters Moldova says it will expel 45 Russian diplomats and other embassy staff because of their “unfriendly actions”. The total will be cut to just 25 – a figure closer to the number Moldova has at its Moscow embassy. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the Moldovan government has accused Moscow of…