International
Cyril Ramaphosa says that the CNA will invite other parties to form a Government of national unity in South Africa
The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced that the ruling African National Congress (CNA) will invite other parties to form a Government of national unity after that political movement lost an absolute majority in the elections of last May 29 for the first time since 1994.
“We have agreed that we will invite political parties to form a Government of national unity as the best option to move our country forward,” Ramaphosa said when announcing the conclusions of the marathon meeting held by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the CNA in a hotel in the city of Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.
“The NEC of the CNA has agreed that this moment demands the widest unity of the people of South Africa, multi-party cooperation and the collaboration of multiple stakeholders if we want to overcome the serious challenges facing our country,” stressed the president at the end of the meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body.
After more than twelve hours of closed-door deliberations, the leader of the CNA declared the party’s commitment to ensure that that power-sharing Executive “has the means and capacity to build an inclusive economy, create jobs, end corruption, address crime and improve the provision of services.”
The head of state also stressed the need for a “national dialogue that brings together all parties, all social partners and all sectors of society to seek consensus on the actions necessary to move the country forward.”
Ramaphosa confirmed that the NAC has held “constructive conversations” with five parties, including the Democratic Alliance (AD, liberal center-right) and the far-left Fighters for Economic Freedom (EFF), which are the second and fourth parties in the country, respectively.
“The CNA,” he explained, “has entered into these discussions with an open mind and the commitment to talk to all the parties that have a declared intention to promote the interests of the people.”
The president did not mention the new party of former president Jacob Zuma (2009-2018), the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party), who was third in the elections after competing for the first time.
However, the MK Party assured on Thursday that it has had contact with the CNA and that both formations will meet “soon” to discuss government pacts and a hypothetical coalition.
According to Ramaphosa, the agreements between the formations “must be in writing” and “must be public, transparent and include measures to hold the parties accountable.”
“A Government of national unity is the most viable, most effective and most powerful way to meet the expectations of all South Africans at this time,” the president concluded.
The CNA won the elections with about 40.20% of the votes and won 159 seats out of 400 in the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament).
But its results were well below those obtained in the previous elections of 2019 and it lost the absolute majority for the first time since the end of the segregationist regime of ‘apartheid’ and the establishment of democracy in South Africa in 1994,
So he will have to negotiate for Ramaphosa to remain at the head of the Executive in a second and last five-year term.
In second place was the Democratic Alliance of white John Steenhuisen, which slightly improves its results with 21.80% of the vote and 87 seats in the House.
The AD is heir to the white political leadership that opposed ‘apartheid’ and traditionally associated with the vote of the white minority.
The surprise was given by the MK Party, which broke into its first general elections with almost 14.60% of the votes and snatched the third position from Julius Malema’s Fighters for Economic Freedom, who fell to fourth place with 9.50%.
These percentages translate into 58 seats for the MK Party and 39 for the EFF, respectively.
Thus, the CNA has been forced into an unknown scenario: that of the electoral pacts that, predictably, will give the young South African democracy its first coalition government.
International
Colombia Earthquake Leaves at Least 22 Dead as Rescue Efforts Continue
At least 22 people were killed and dozens more were affected by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, with the epicenter located near the municipality of San José del Palmar in the northwestern department of Chocó, authorities reported in a preliminary assessment.
The city of Pereira has so far recorded the highest number of fatalities. Mayor Mauricio Salazar told local media that 18 people had died in the city and warned that a large number of buildings had been damaged.
“The situation is critical, and we are moving forward with assessments while assisting people who remain trapped,” Salazar said.
Authorities in Manizales reported two additional deaths, while two more fatalities were confirmed in the department of Valle del Cauca. Several people were also injured, and structural damage was reported in different communities.
“We are just beginning to establish radio communication with the hospitals. We know that we have three injured people in El Cairo, two deaths in Zarzal, the collapse of an academic structure in Calima Darién, and minor structural damage in Cali,” said María Cristina Lesmes, Valle del Cauca’s health secretary.
Emergency teams were continuing rescue and assessment operations as authorities worked to determine the full extent of the damage and update the number of casualties.
International
Record 230 Migrants Cross English Channel to UK in Single Boat
A record 230 migrants crossed the English Channel overnight Sunday aboard a small inflatable boat bound for the United Kingdom, according to French maritime rescue services and British media, highlighting the growing number of people being packed onto vessels attempting the dangerous crossing.
More than 20 children were among those aboard the inflatable boat when it departed from the northeastern French coast on Sunday night amid chaotic scenes, France’s maritime rescue service SNSM said in an online statement.
The figure surpasses the previous record for the number of people aboard a single boat, set last month when 165 migrants successfully crossed the busy maritime route.
The latest incident comes just days after an inflatable boat carrying more than 150 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire, triggering a major search-and-rescue operation.
Britain’s Home Office did not confirm the exact number of people aboard Sunday’s vessel but condemned what it described as the “reckless and dangerous tactics” used by criminal gangs facilitating the crossings.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham described images of the operation as “shocking,” particularly those showing very young children being placed aboard boats that were not suitable for the journey.
The United Kingdom has spent years attempting to curb these dangerous and politically sensitive Channel crossings. Tens of thousands of migrants have reached the southeastern English coast annually in recent years, keeping the issue at the center of the country’s immigration debate.
International
Joe Biden’s Prostate Cancer Has Spread to His Bones, Son Hunter Reveals
Former U.S. President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has worsened and spread to his bones and other parts of his body, his son Hunter Biden revealed in a recent interview with the BBC.
Biden disclosed in May 2025, just four months after leaving office as the oldest sitting U.S. president in history, that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones.
The former president subsequently began treatment, including radiation and hormone therapy. In July, while announcing the publication of his memoirs, Biden said the treatment was going “really well.”
However, in an extensive interview broadcast Friday night on the BBC’s Newsnight, Hunter Biden said his father’s condition had progressed despite treatment.
“The cancer has spread and metastasized to his bones and other places,” Hunter Biden said.
He added that the illness has been “very painful” and, in many ways, “very debilitating,” but said his father continues to remain active.
“He’s still out there. He’s still doing his thing,” Hunter Biden said, emphasizing that his father remains deeply committed to the United States.
The former president’s diagnosis has remained a subject of public attention since it was first announced, particularly because of his age and his decision to continue a public life after leaving the White House.
Colombia Earthquake Leaves at Least 22 Dead as Rescue Efforts Continue
Record 230 Migrants Cross English Channel to UK in Single Boat
Joe Biden’s Prostate Cancer Has Spread to His Bones, Son Hunter Reveals
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