North Macedonia has been waiting since 2005 for EU accession negotiations to begin. Greece finally lifted its veto in 2019, but Bulgaria continues to throw a spanner in the works.

The Russian mercenary outfit Wagner Group is likely to strengthen its activities in Africa despite the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, analysts predict. The group’s operations may remain under new management or be subsumed into another Russian paramilitary group. But where on the continent does the group operate, and what does it gain by being in Africa?

Psychological terms are increasingly emerging as trending topics on social media. But how to distinguish between valuable, informative content and misconceptions?

Food bank Les Restos du Coeur, responsible for one third of food assistance in France, warns that financial difficulties could force it to close within the next three years. We take a look at how France's richest man reacted to the announcement and why he drew criticism. We also discuss concerns about the rising popularity of the far right in France, and finish with some shocking falsehoods in online learning materials for high school students in Sao Paulo.

For weeks, Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive at the southern front seemed stuck. Now, troops have managed to break through Russia's first line of defense. Experts believe this is a dangerous time for Russia.

Nigeria's presidential election tribunal on Wednesday rejected challenges by opposition rivals to Bola Tinubu's win in February's disputed vote, following a pattern seen in previous election years in Africa's most populous country.

The UK has announced it's rejoining the European Union's flagship science funding programme, Horizon. In the wake of Brexit, London had been blocked from re-associating with the scheme, which is the world's biggest civil research and innovation programme. The UK government says the new deal gives local scientists "unrivalled opportunities" at a good price for taxpayers. We take a closer look.

Nigerian student, Oluyemi Sopade, and his team have emerged victorious in the annual Kids Innovation Challenge, hosted by The Destiny Trust. The team, all students at a local technical college, built an Arduino smart compost system capable of transforming food waste into manure.

Most Europeans have heard of "flight shaming," and now the EU hopes green jet fuel will be the answer to aviation emissions. The bloc has set ambitious production targets, but not everyone is sold.

Enlargement of the European Union was one of the priorities outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech on September 13th, and it is likely to become an ever more pressing issue over the next few years. After the speech, Talking Europe sat down with the EU Commissioner in charge of neighbourhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi. He is a distinguished Hungarian diplomat and lawyer. He served as Hungary's ambassador to the EU, and has held prominent positions at the Hungarian ministry of justice and ministry of foreign affairs.

Children in the favelas of Brazil are coming under police fire. According to the Instituto Fogo Cruzado, nearly 300 minors have been killed by stray bullets during police operations in recent years. The bereaved families are demanding that more be done to prevent a repeat of these tragedies. The Brazilian police force says it is operating in extremely difficult conditions, and has pledged to improve.

Warnings abound about the risks of ever-deepening cultural rifts. But things may not be as bad as they seem, researchers say. Difference can actually be a healthy part of how society evolves.