South Africa rejected the party that ended apartheid
The African National Congress lost its political monopoly in South Africa for the first time since the defeat of the country’s last white-led regime 30 years ago.
When votes were counted on Saturday, the ANC received only about 40% of the vote, down sharply from the nearly 58% the party won in the 2019 election and far from winning an absolute majority.
The party, which has won international acclaim on the shoulders of Nelson Mandela, will now have two weeks to form a government with one or more rival parties. Without an absolute majority, the ANC cannot hand-pick the country’s president and President Cyril Ramaphosa may not get a second term.
A big question is whether the ANC will support or shun Jacob Zuma, its former leader who resigned as president in 2018 amid corruption allegations. The party he founded just six months ago won 15% of the vote. Here’s what could happen next.
Mexico is preparing to elect its first female president
Mexican voters waited for the results of yesterday’s election almost certainly ends with the country electing its first female president.
The two main candidates are women: Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist representing the ruling party led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Xóchitl Gálvez, a businesswoman from the opposition party. The contest shows the enormous strides that women, who were not even allowed to vote in Mexico until 1953, have made in the country’s politics.
Biden’s ceasefire plan puts pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu
President Biden’s proposed ceasefire in Gaza putting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a difficult situation.
With Israel facing increasing diplomatic isolation, Netanyahu appears to face a choice between the survival of his hawkish government and a deal to bring the hostages home. Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition said they would abandon it if he accepted a ceasefire before Hamas was destroyed, while centrist leaders threatened to withdraw their support without there is no clear path forward.
Starlink, the satellite internet service, brought the web to the Marubo, an indigenous tribe living in remote villages in the Amazon rainforest.
The Marubo and other indigenous tribes have resisted modernity for generations, is now facing potential and danger of the Internet at the same time, while also debating what it means for their identities and cultures. Watch this video from my colleague Jack Nicas.
Lives lived: U Tin Oo is a former military leader in Myanmar who fought his country’s oppressive government and led a pro-democracy movement. He passed away at the age of 97.
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Real Madrid 2, Borussia Dortmund 0: Word analysis Champions League Final.
Las Vegas Grand Prize: Officials predict a smoother race this year after problems with the inaugural race in 2023.
The Online Afterlife of Franz Kafka
A century after his death, Franz Kafka has become a TikTok star. Famous for nightmarish stories like “The Metamorphosis,” the writer serves as shorthand for a generation’s growing sense of alienation, My colleague Amanda Hess writes.
“The Internet, where we are now expected to create ourselves, is also a machine for identity destabilization,” Hess continued. “When Kafka wrote ‘I have almost nothing in common with myself,’ he may have been describing the experience of confronting his own online persona.”
PS The Times has released “Animal,” a six-part audio series in which writer Sam Anderson interacts with various creatures.
You can contact Dan and the team at [email protected].
