- Navalny was seen as President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic.
- The president signed legislation in 2022 blocking most federal government devices from using TikTok.
Putin critic Alexei Navalny, 47, dies in Arctic Circle jail
Russia's most significant opposition leader for the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in an Arctic Circle jail.
Navalny was seen as President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic.
At the time of death, he was serving a 19-year jail term on charges widely considered politically motivated. He was moved to one of Russia's toughest penal colonies late last year.
According to prison authorities in the Yamalo-Nenets district, Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday.
He had "almost immediately lost consciousness", it said in a statement, adding that an emergency medical team had immediately been called and tried to resuscitate him but without success.
Nigerians turn to 'throw-away' rice for food
As the rising cost of living continues to bite, many in northern Nigeria are turning to rice grains that millers normally reject after processing or selling to farmers to feed their fish.
These are referred to in the Hausa language, widely spoken in the north, as afafata, which means "battling" because they are a battle to cook and eat as the grains are so hard.
Despite the grains being broken, dirty and tough, afafata's cheaper price has made it more attractive for humans and helped poorer families to be able to afford to eat one of the staple foods in the country.
Prices in Nigeria are increasing at their fastest rate for nearly 30 years.
Putin prefers Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the White House
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week said he would rather have a Joe Biden presidency over Donald Trump.
Putin said Biden was the more experienced, predictable person of the two US presidential candidates.
His remarks come ahead of this year’s US elections.
Speaking to Russian TV on Wednesday, Putin said Biden's leadership would be better for Russia because he was a "more experienced person, he is predictable, he is a politician of the old formation".
He dismissed questions about Biden's age and mental health and said when they last met in 2021, he had not noticed anything peculiar.
South African troops killed in DR Congo attack
South African troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo have suffered their first fatalities since their recent deployment to quell a rebellion.
Two soldiers were killed and three were injured after a mortar bomb landed in their base on Wednesday.
The troops are part of a regional force helping DR Congo's military as it confronts a series of armed groups.
The most prominent group is the M23, which has taken up positions on the major routes leading into Goma, the main city in the east of DR Congo.
S Korean pastor jailed for sexually abusing N Korea minors
A South Korean pastor once hailed as a hero for smuggling out hundreds of North Koreans has been jailed for sexually abusing teenage defectors.
Chun Ki-won, 67, has been sentenced to five years for molesting teenagers at his boarding school in Seoul.
He was arrested in Seoul in September.
Police accused him of molesting six North Korean teenagers, including defectors sleeping in the dormitories of the alternative school he had founded at his Danihara mission.
Seychelles drops witchcraft charges against opposition's Patrick Herminie
Seychelles' main opposition leader Patrick Herminie is no longer facing witchcraft charges after prosecutors dropped the case against him.
He had always denied the accusations and speaking outside court on Thursday described them as "malicious action".
The police had said the case related to the discovery of two bodies exhumed from a cemetery on the island of Mahé.
Herminie plans to run in the 2025 presidential election under the banner of the United Seychelles Party.
'Lol hey guys' - Biden joins TikTok despite security concerns
President Joe Biden's campaign has joined TikTok, despite the app being banned on most US government devices over security concerns.
His campaign launched its account with the username "@bidenhq" during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
In a launch video, captioned "lol hey guys", aides quizzed Biden about his preferences for the big game.
The president signed legislation in 2022 blocking most federal government devices from using TikTok.