As police lose the war on crime in South Africa, private security companies step in

January 7, 202410:12 AM ET
Enlarge this imageAnton Koen, a former police officer who now runs a private security firm that specializes in tracking and recovering hijacked and stolen vehicles, prepares to go out on patrol east of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

Denis Farrell/AP

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Denis Farrell/AP

Anton Koen, a former police officer who now runs a private security firm that specializes in tracking and recovering hijacked and stolen vehicles, prepares to go out on patrol east of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

Denis Farrell/AP

JOHANNESBURG — Thamsanqa Mothobi was going about his life in Johannesburg when he was carjacked and taken to an informal settlement where robbers accessed his mobile banking apps.
“They had guns and demanded the PIN codes for my apps. They increased the withdrawal limits in my accounts and emptied them. I was only released in the early hours of the morning,” the father of th..

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What in the World?

What in the World?Test yourself on the week of Dec. 30: Russia pummels Ukraine, Argentina’s Milei meets with international lenders, and opposition leaders in Pakistan and Senegal face new setbacks.

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Oscar Pistorius is released from prison on parole in South Africa

Enlarge this imageSouth African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius leaves the Pretoria High Court on June 15, 2016, after the third day of his resentencing hearing for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius was released from Pretoria prison on Friday after serving nearly 11 years.

Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images

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Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images

South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius leaves the Pretoria High Court on June 15, 2016, after the third day of his resentencing hearing for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius was released from Pretoria prison on Friday after serving nearly 11 years.

Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG — Before his shocking arrest and conviction for murdering his model girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius was South Africa’s golden boy — and an inspiration to many around the world.
Pistorius, who had his lower legs amputated as a baby, had become a..

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Treatment for acute sleeping sickness has been brutal — until now

January 2, 20249:18 AM ET
Enlarge this imageAlexis Mukwedi tested positive for sleeping sickness during a two-day mobile screening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He had complained about nervous tics and fatigue.

Xavier Vaheed-DNDi

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Xavier Vaheed-DNDi

Alexis Mukwedi tested positive for sleeping sickness during a two-day mobile screening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He had complained about nervous tics and fatigue.

Xavier Vaheed-DNDi

Acute sleeping sickness – the treatment is almost as horrific as the disease.
But now there is encouraging news about an oral medication – one that’s also been used for chronic sleeping sickness to great success.
Symptoms for both forms of sleeping sickness start with fever and aches. Then things get worse. The parasite that causes the disease will start to disrupt sleeping patterns and cause aggressiveness and psychosis – that’s how it got its name.
For many years, therapy fo..

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Congo’s president is declared winner of election that opposition wants redone

December 31, 202311:51 PM ET
Enlarge this imageCongo’s President Felix Tshisekedi waves to his supporters after casting his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP

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Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi waves to his supporters after casting his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has won reelection with more than 70% of the vote, the country’s election commission said Sunday as opposition candidates and their supporters questioned the validity of the results.
The preliminary results of the Dec. 20 election were announced in the capital, Kinshasa, amid demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to mas..

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Unforgettable global photos of 2023: Drone pix, a disappearing island, happiness

December 31, 20237:16 AM ET
Enlarge this imageTen-month-old Ahmin Esas, who was born with clubfoot, shares a moment with his mother and brother in the family’s home near Battambang, Cambodia. As a single parent with limited means, his mother, Pho Sok overcame many challenges to ensure her son could receive the treatment he needed.

Tommy Trenchard for NPR

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Tommy Trenchard for NPR

Ten-month-old Ahmin Esas, who was born with clubfoot, shares a moment with his mother and brother in the family’s home near Battambang, Cambodia. As a single parent with limited means, his mother, Pho Sok overcame many challenges to ensure her son could receive the treatment he needed.

Tommy Trenchard for NPR

A ten-month-old girl, with a first flush of silky black hair and bathed in warm light, giggles as her cackling big brother gives her a hug. Her mother, Pho Sok, hoists the happy baby and beams at both children.
The little girl in this photo, taken near Battambang,..

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Top global TikToks of 2023: Mr. Bean of math, makeup demo, capybaras!

December 30, 20239:39 AM ET
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@jazephua,@dollievision, @mrbeandamatematica/Screenshots by NPR

@jazephua,@dollievision, @mrbeandamatematica/Screenshots by NPR

TikTok in 2023 wasn’t just about girl dinners or cottage cheese inspo.
The annual roundup of the most popular content of 2023 is a testimony to the global appeal of the short-form video. They come from everywhere — like Sean the Sheepman’s sheepherding border collie in Scotland and Kirby Quimado cooking up breadrolls in the Philippines. And here’s another thing about TikToks: Even though there are plenty of serious-minded videos, the most popular ones are often goofy and in-your-face with earwormy music.
Of course there are exceptions to every TikTok rule. No creator got more eyeballs on a single video than Nydollie Deng with a simple but stunning makeup routine.
Here’s a sampling of the global TikToks that dominated in 2023.
Nyadollie Deng: viral makeup artist for women of colorThe most popular TikTok of..

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Israel Strikes Syria After Rocket Fire, Army Says

Israel Strikes Syria After Rocket Fire, Army Says

An Israeli soldier checks a weapon in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria, Dec. 28, 2023. The Israeli army said Saturday that it was carrying out strikes in Syria after two rockets fired from Syria fell into territory under Israel’s control.

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India Asks Pakistan to Extradite Suspected Terror Mastermind

India Asks Pakistan to Extradite Suspected Terror Mastermind

FILE – Hafiz Saeed, founder and leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a U.S.-designated global terror group, addresses an anti-Indian rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 26, 2018. India announced on Dec. 29, 2023, that it has asked Pakistan to extradite Saeed in a “money laundering case.”

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Ethiopia’s Tigray Warns of Looming Famine

Ethiopia’s Tigray Warns of Looming Famine

FILE – A Tigray woman who fled the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region holds her malnourished and severely dehydrated baby as nurses tend to him at a clinic in a Sudanese refugee camp on Dec. 5, 2020. Tigrayan authorities warn that the region faces a looming famine in 2024.

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