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World

The stories beyond the continent that land on it anyway — both readouts visible, the divergences labelled.

5 stories · 2 regions · all of them, from everywhere — your saved place never narrows a desk.

Region

Documents on a meeting table (illustrative)

World Multilateral Diplomacy Checked story

Africa wants two permanent Security Council seats with the veto. The offers so far stop short of that.

Since 2005 the Ezulwini Consensus has asked for no fewer than two permanent African seats, with the veto while the veto exists, plus five non-permanent seats. The clearest recent offer, from the United States in September 2024, backs two permanent African seats but no new vetoes, and any change needs a UN Charter amendment every permanent member must ratify.

5 verified· 0 disputed· 0 not yet verified· 1 corrected

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World Trade Diplomacy Checked story

Egypt and Ethiopia are full BRICS members, Nigeria is a partner. The bank tells the real story.

Egypt and Ethiopia became full BRICS members on 1 January 2024, joining South Africa, while Nigeria holds the lesser partner-country status. Access to the bloc's New Development Bank is not automatic: Egypt is a bank member, Ethiopia is only a prospective member, and BRICS still has no common currency and no permanent secretariat.

4 verified· 0 disputed· 1 not yet verified· 1 corrected

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World Conflicts Diplomacy Checked story

Both sides say they want the ceasefire to hold. Their statements describe different deals.

After the latest round of talks, each side published its own account of what was agreed. Read side by side, the two statements agree on a pause in fighting and disagree on almost everything that would make it last. We publish both, and mark what independent observers have actually confirmed.

1 verified· 2 disputed· 1 not yet verified· 0 corrected

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A loaded container ship at sea (illustrative)

World Diplomacy Checked story

The Busan truce: what the US and China actually agreed — and the word they didn't

A year ago the world's two largest economies called a truce in Busan: rare-earth controls delayed, a tariff cut, port fees paused. Both sides signed the same facts — and then described them with different words. This page keeps both descriptions visible.

2 verified· 1 disputed· 1 not yet verified· 0 corrected

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World East AfricaTransport Checking in progress

Reports of a ferry incident — we are checking before we say more

Reports are coming in of an incident involving a passenger ferry. Early posts disagree on where it happened, how many people were on board, and whether there are casualties. This page will grow claim by claim as things are confirmed — and only as they are confirmed.

0 verified· 0 disputed· 3 not yet verified· 0 corrected

Checking claims · 0 of 3 claims checked · step 3 of 4

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Latest World checks

Not yet verified

A passenger ferry got into difficulty on its route this evening.

From: Reports of a ferry incident — we are checking before we say more

Not yet verified

There are casualties.

From: Reports of a ferry incident — we are checking before we say more

Not yet verified

Rescue boats have been dispatched.

From: Reports of a ferry incident — we are checking before we say more

Verified

A pause in fighting began at the agreed hour.

From: Both sides say they want the ceasefire to hold. Their statements describe different deals.

Disputed

A withdrawal timeline was agreed.

From: Both sides say they want the ceasefire to hold. Their statements describe different deals.

Not yet verified

Casualty figures published by each side for the final week of fighting.

From: Both sides say they want the ceasefire to hold. Their statements describe different deals.

Disputed

Prisoner exchanges begin within the first week of the pause.

From: Both sides say they want the ceasefire to hold. Their statements describe different deals.

Verified

The US and Chinese presidents met in Busan on 30 October 2025.

From: The Busan truce

Verified

China delayed its new rare-earth export controls for one year, and the US cut a fentanyl-linked tariff from 20% to 10%.

From: The Busan truce

Disputed

The rare-earth dispute is settled.

From: The Busan truce

Not yet verified

China has committed to specific volumes of US soybean purchases.

From: The Busan truce

Verified

Egypt and Ethiopia became full BRICS members on 1 January 2024, joining South Africa, a member since 2011.

From: Egypt and Ethiopia are full BRICS members, Nigeria is a partner. The bank tells the real story.

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From the other desks

TravelNorth Africa Checked story

A year of the Grand Egyptian Museum: Tutankhamun whole at last — but how many visitors, exactly?

The Grand Egyptian Museum opened beside the Giza Plateau on 1 November 2025, displaying King Tutankhamun's complete collection together for the first time. A year on, the museum is a global draw — though Egypt's own official counts of its visitors disagree with each other by millions, and ticket prices rise on 1 November 2026.

TravelEast Africa Checked story

Zanzibar's record year: 917,167 visitors — and an argument about whether more is better

Zanzibar received 917,167 international visitors in 2025, up 24.5% on 2024 and the highest total in its history, on official statistics. December alone brought more than 100,000 arrivals. Now operators and officials are debating whether the island should chase a million visitors — or chase higher spending per visitor instead.

TravelSouthern Africa Checked story

Victoria Falls' record 565,083 visitors — and the question of how many the Falls can take

The Victoria Falls area received a record combined 565,083 visitors in 2024, passing the pre-pandemic 2019 total, and its airport broke the half-million passenger mark the same year. Growth continued into 2025. Conservation specialists are asking what the ceiling should be for one of the world's great waterfalls.