South African writer Pumla Gqola on books and liberation

Kinshasa, a megalopolis of at least 12 million people, is known for its heaps of rubbish and rivers covered with plastic bottles. The Clean Plast company collects, processes, and recycles all types of plastic waste in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the aim of cleaning up the city.

Queen Elizabeth has politely declined the Oldie of the Year Award as she told organisers you're "as old as you feel".

The South Korean drama 'Squid Game' is the most successful original Netflix series to date, and has helped boost the streaming giant's subscriber numbers. The company added 4.4 million paying customers between July and September, according to its latest financial results. The platform is also expecting a further influx of viewers as it releases new episodes and films later this year. Meanwhile, we see another boost to the price of Bitcoin from the launch of a Wall Street fund.

On a circuit in the industrial city of Alberton, southeast of Johannesburg, drivers spin their cars around while raising clouds of smoke, taking the arena one after the other as if on an open stage. The discipline, officially a sport in the country for a few years, was originally a gangster ritual during the apartheid era. A first tournament was held after two years of suspension due to Covid.

In a square in central Fez, the steady beat of hammers on copper has returned - a welcome signal for the ancient Moroccan city's thousands of artisans that trade is slowly picking up after a brutal COVID-induced slump. Activity is still some way below pre-pandemic levels, and master coppersmith Mohammed Kobbi says the high cost of the metal has hit profit margins. "The situation is starting to improve," he told Reuters as he hurried past Seffarine Square to deliver an order of eight large pans to a local restaurant.

Portuguese stunt performer Kevin Chaves launched on Thursday (October 21) a record breaking attempt to perform his rola-bola motorbike act in 50-cities around the world, starting with London. The 21-year-old, who performs with Circus Berlin, balanced on skateboards stacked on a motorbike. "Well I performed the skateboard stunt which I balance on a cylinder, which is my act," he told Reuters.

Benin is one of the few countries on the African continent to legalise abortion for most circumstances. The law was passed on Wednesday night following a debate in Parliament, but still needs to be ratified by the constitutional court before it takes effect.

Ed Sheeran has confessed to projectile vomiting after completing the Big Kahuna Challenge in 2013.

A woman has died after being shot when US actor and producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set.

A Bavarian court has handed a 10-year prison sentence to a German woman who allowed a five-year-old Yazidi "slave" girl to die of thirst.

Crowds gather for a vigil near Los Angeles to honour the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed with a prop gun by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film 'Rust'.

A boy who was the only survivor of a cable car crash in the Alps must go back to relatives in Italy, an Israeli court has ruled. He has been the focus of a bitter custody battle since his grandfather took him to Israel.