Zimbabwe has just held historic elections, the first without Robert Mugabe since independence in 1980. Cheryl Hendricks writes that the outcome needed to be credible as the country needs a legitimate government, with a strong mandate, to rebuild its shattered economy. Both the governing Zanu-PF and the main opposition MDC-Alliance had promised peace and a new beginning. The run-up to the elections reflected that. But, the news that Zanu-PF had won the parliament polls resoundingly, ignited deadly violence. What went wrong? David Moore laments on what he calls a false new dawn for Zimbabwe.

The conclusion of the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg has sparked debates about the usefulness of the bloc which is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Danny Bradlow argues that the five countries came out of the summit with some achievements, but that it’s clear they’re all preoccupied with their own narrow agendas.

The endangered species list helps the world keep track of the health of the all the plants, animals and fungi on the planet by providing up-to-date information to guide critical conservation action. Ian Colquhoun explains how the list is compiled, and his role in the Madagascar section of a group that includes about 90 researchers who specialise in the study of lemur species.