Four decades after the end of the Franco dictatorship, Spain’s new government plans to open up more than 1,200 mass graves as part of a state effort to finally examine the dark chapter in the country’s history. The Spanish justice minister, Dolores Delgado, outlined the basis for a ‘truth commission’ to address the legacy of the civil…
South Sudan’s hopes of officially being declared free of Guinea worm have been dashed after an outbreak of the parasitic disease was detected in the centre of the country. Three people in the town of Rumbek have been diagnosed with the disease, the first cases in South Sudan for more than 18 months. Guinea worm…
Authorities in Germany have warned people to exercise caution around the river Elbe after exceptionally low waters exposed grenades and ammunition left over from the Second World War. The current heatwave gripping Europe has reduced the Elbe, one of Germany’s three great rivers, to its lowest level in decades, and walkers exploring its banks have…
Italy’s populist government is rolling back a law that makes vaccinations obligatory for children, pursuing a highly contentious policy that has been strongly criticised by doctors, schools and medical associations. A law passed by the previous centre-Left government in March made it obligatory for parents to give their children 10 vaccinations if they wanted to…
Imran Khan declared victory in Pakistan’s rancorous general election on Thursday as rivals alleged he had benefited from widespread vote rigging. The cricketer-turned-opposition politician appeared set to be prime minister after unofficial forecasts gave him a commanding lead. The 65-year-old given the nickname ‘Captain’ by supporters looked just short of a full majority, but was expected to…
It is perhaps one of the more unusual calls received by German police. "Help, I am being pursued by a squirrel," said the terrified man when he telephoned the emergency services in the city of Karlsruhe. And not just any squirrel. When a squad car arrived it turned out to be a baby squirrel. The…
It was meant to be a moment of national transformation: a text-book exercise in tolerance and democracy to decisively banish the demons of Robert Mugabe’s brutal misrule. But a week after Zimbabwe’s violence-marred election, tensions are running high in Harare and the deal to bring the country back into the community of nations appears to…
The parents of Princess Mako of Japan have informed the mother of her commoner fiance that they will not permit the wedding to go ahead until a financial dispute within his family is solved. Underlining their concern at the union, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko have also asked Kei Komuro, their possible future son-in-law, to…
A note from the editor: Jelly Deals is a deals site launched by our parent company, Gamer Network, with a mission to find the best bargains out there. Look out for the Jelly Deals roundup of reduced-price games and kit every Saturday on Eurogamer. With the international event that is Black Friday 2017 only weeks…
No-one articulated the tragedy of Africa’s AIDS epidemic as powerfully as Nkosi Johnson. He was just 11 when he spoke at the international AIDS conference in Durban in 2000, his gaunt, illness-ravaged faced transformed by a toothy grin. Yet, in one short speech he managed to humanise a disease many had been too terrified to…