Sundus AbdiThursday May 21, 2026 BBC short Proper Ladies has struck a nerve online, winning praise for its manic humour and sharply drawn schoolgirl dynamics, while also prompting fresh debate about how Black and Muslim characters are written for television. Its creator says that, at its core, the show is an attempt to do something different. Its creator opens up about trying to reshape the way Black and Muslim characters are used in TV L-R: Kosar Ali (Hani), Sabrina Ali (Munira), Ebada Hassan (Yasmin) and Samira Tahlil…

AMSTERDAM — A massive fire gutted one of Amsterdam’s best-known 19th-century churches during a New Year’s Eve marked by two fireworks deaths and what the Dutch police union called “unprecedented” violence against officers and emergency crews nationwide. The blaze broke out in the early hours at the Vondelkerk, a neo-Gothic landmark that has stood beside the city’s Vondelpark since 1872 and is a frequent stop for tourists. Amsterdam officials said the church’s 50-meter (164-foot) tower collapsed and the roof was badly…

These days, it seems like Democrats and Republicans in the United States can hardly find common ground. However, one aspect they've collectively acknowledged is the pure madness the past few months have unleashed for both sides. One Democratic strategist called this election cycle "topsy-turvy and traumatic," whereas a Republican consultant coined it "chaotic, crazy, and fun." This election year has become a nightmare turned real for many Democrats. It even resulted in the briefest presidential campaign in the nation’s…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, the Defense Minister of Somalia, has sharply critiqued Ethiopia, advocating that the neighboring country focus its efforts on managing its internal security issues rather than interfering in Somali matters. Amid rising tensions between the two nations, Nur brought attention to Ethiopia's internal unrest, emphasizing that insurgents have reportedly advanced to within 40 kilometers of Addis Ababa. "Ethiopia ought to concentrate on safeguarding its own capital and populace, instead…

The start of the school year is still hypothetical two weeks after the official reopening of classes in the DRC. The striking teachers are demanding a regulation of their salaries and their status by the government. They suspended their mobilization without winning their case, but classes did not resume all. From our Kinshasa…