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A man receives a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Soweto, South Africa. The omicron variant of the coronavirus, first identified in South Africa, has now spread to at least a dozen other countries. On Friday, scientists presented evidence that the variant spreads twice as fast as the delta variant.

New evidence shows omicron likely spreads twice as fast as delta in South Africa

"This wave seems much faster than the delta wave. And we thought the delta wave was really fast. It's unbelievable," says Juliet Pulliam, the scientist who presented the new analysis at a conference.

Desmond Tutu, an icon who helped end apartheid in South Africa, dies at 90

The Nobel Peace laureate and archbishop emeritus campaigned against a system he called evil and, after apartheid, helped the nation heal as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In all of Sierra Leone, only one functioning freezer meets the cold storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine. It's housed in a complex at the Ministry of Health's medical compound in the capital Freetown and is only slightly larger than a residential fridge.

A Revolutionary Solar Fridge Will Help Keep COVID Vaccines Cold In Sub-Saharan Africa

The challenge of refrigerating COVID-19 vaccines is acute in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 28% of health care facilities have reliable power. One solution? A new kind of freezer powered by the sun.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who helped end South Africa's apartheid, dies at 90

NPR's A Martinez talks to Rev. Michael Battle, director of the Desmond Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York, about Tutu's legacy. The Nobel Peace Prize winner died over the weekend.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to questions in Parliament Cape Town, South Africa, on Sept. 29, 2022, where he denied allegations of money laundering while being questioned over a scandal that threatens his position and the direction of Africa's most developed economy.

South Africa's leader faces calls to resign over charges of cash stuffed in couches

The calls for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign follow allegations that Ramaphosa tried to conceal the theft of a huge sum of cash stuffed into couches at his farm in 2020.

Animal rescuers evacuate a lion cub from war-torn Lebanon to South Africa

The group Animals Lebanon says it rescued Sara the lion cub from abuse by a Lebanese social media influencer, kept it safe in Beirut and sent it to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.

News brief: Senate passes major bill, Blinken in South Africa, health poll

Senate Democrats pass a climate, health care and tax bill after months of negotiations. Secretary of State Blinken holds high-level talks in South Africa. A poll delves into some racial disparities.

Rescued migrants sit in a boat of the Italian Finance Police on Monday before disembarking at the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy. The Italian Cabinet met Monday to adopt new measures to crack down on migration after the southern island of Lampedusa was again overwhelmed by a wave of arrivals from Tunisia.

Italy cracks down on migrants as Meloni calls for a naval blockade off North Africa

The measures approved by the Cabinet focused on migrants who don't qualify for asylum and are slated to be repatriated to their home countries.

People gather Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil outside the Bronx apartment building which was the scene of the city's deadliest fire in decades.

Many of those who died in the Bronx apartment fire were from West Africa

The 17 victims of Sunday's blaze ranged from 2 to 50 years old. The dead included 11 people from Gambia. Many families are now struggling to prepare for their loved ones' funerals.

The World Health Organization says it will start assigning new names for variants of the coronavirus based on letters from the Greek alphabet — part of an effort to help avoid stigmatization around the virus.

Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

The new names won't replace the scientific names already assigned to new variants, but the WHO said it's making the change to help avoid fueling stigma toward nations where new variants arise.

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