
Friendship or geopolitics? BBC breaks down Xi and Putin relationship
The BBC’s Laura Bicker and Steven Rosenberg explain the relationship between the Russian and Chinese leaders as the pair meet in Beijing.
WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2026, 10:15

The BBC’s Laura Bicker and Steven Rosenberg explain the relationship between the Russian and Chinese leaders as the pair meet in Beijing.

Ten people were killed in a single strike on a house, including three children and three women, Lebanon’s health ministry says.

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled Enough’s online posts contained unproven claims.

Successive governments have failed to prepare the UK for extreme heat, the climate watchdog says.

A controversial split-second call leaves Tottenham are left fighting for Premier League survival and dignity to avoid the ultimate humiliation on the last day of the season, says chief football writer Phil McNulty.

Manchester City’s world fell apart in the space of 24 hours after surrendering the Premier League title and the bombshell news of manager Pep Guardiola’s impending departure.

Arsenal have had to wait 22 years to celebrate a title win, and both the club’s players and fans made sure to savour every second of it on Tuesday night.
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire faces life imprisonment in a new trial, continuing her battle against President Kagame’s regime and the ongoing persecution of dissenters.
Gauteng residents and civil society organisations filled a conference room in the women’s jail at Constitution Hill, setting the tone for the South African Human Rights Commission’s investigative inquiry into the ongoing water crisis in Gauteng.
After tickets for the Proteas’ News Year’s Test against England in Cape Town were snapped up within minutes, causing a local uproar about ticket allocations, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has now paradoxically confirmed that tickets were sold out. But the governing body says ‘additional’ tickets are set to be released at a later stage.
Sharp divisions over the Iran war challenge BRICS unity, yet Minister Ronald Lamola asserts that the group remains solid despite differing views among its members.
The Reverend Frank Chikane’s testimony at the Khampepe commission sheds light on the trauma of apartheid-era justice, accusing Dr Wouter Basson of escaping accountability for heinous crimes.
Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling against restrictive health workforce controls, the Department of Health is now exploring international licensing models to improve healthcare access.
Rising fuel costs are deepening South Africa’s cost-of-living crisis, with taxi commuters feeling the pressure.

BBC Sport looks at the key moments that helped turn Arsenal from nearly men to league winners.
Recognising achievements across diverse fields, South Africa’s 2026 National Orders celebrate the contributions of artists, community leaders, and global figures in building a united nation.

The inside story of how Mikel Arteta turned Arsenal from ‘nearly men’ into Premier League winners.
South Africa’s G20 presidency last year revived an old and uncomfortable question: If Africa has been “rising” for more than two decades, why has so much of that promise failed to translate into factories, jobs, exports and broad-based prosperity?

Pouria Zeraati tells a court of a “violent” attack outside his Wimbledon home in late March 2024.
Something shifted in global markets last week, and not for the better. In both bonds and equities, the mood has darkened.
After an urgent intervention by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, the eviction of 172 mental healthcare users from Johannesburg’s Talisman Foundation has been halted for 90 days.