Editor's note

The ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading - so far there have been 458 cases, including 271 deaths. What’s particularly concerning is that cases have been identified in some urban areas. The big questions are: why is the epidemic spreading, and what can be done to stop it? Mosoka Fallah shares lessons from the massive outbreak in Liberia in 2014 and 2015 that was eventually brought under control.

Forests cover about 10% of Nigeria. Their size makes them hard to manage and a lack of government presence means that they’re being exploited by criminals. The forests are being used as a sanctuary by a range of groups ranging from terrorists to kidnappers, cattle rustlers and robbers. Azeez Olaniyan explains why this poses a security threat.

On the day when the question “what the hell is going on in the UK?” was being pounded into search engine boxes Prime Minister Theresa May seemed relatively composed. She started the day vowing to defeat her challengers, and ended it having done just that. But her victory does nothing whatsoever to solve her biggest problem, says Robin Pettitt, while Tom Quinn looks at what happens now.

Moina Spooner

Commissioning Editor: East Africa

Top Stories

Since 2014 the Ebola outbreak in Liberia killed over 4,800 people. UNMEER/Flickr

Ebola in the DRC: expert sets out critical lessons learnt in Liberia

Mosoka Fallah, Harvard Medical School

It could be a matter of days before the ebola epidemic in the DRC spreads to urban centres or spills over into neighbouring countries.

Across the world forests have been exploited as a source of cover from which to launch attacks. Rettet den Regenwald/shutterstock

How poor management of Nigerian forests led to exploitation by criminals

Azeez Olaniyan, Ekiti State University

Nigeria's forests are used by terrorists, kidnappers, cannabis cultivators, cattle rustlers and robbers.

Brexit

Theresa May survives confidence vote – but her Brexit deal is still in deep trouble

Robin Pettitt, Kingston University

This was the party admitting that no one else could do a better job of negotating Brexit.

Theresa May defeats Brexit plotters – here’s what happens now

Tom Quinn, University of Essex

A cross party alliance? A fresh election? None of the options look particularly appealing right now.

Politics + Society

Four journalists, one newspaper: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year recognises the global assault on journalism

Peter Greste, The University of Queensland

The four people and a newspaper who are Time magazine's "Person of the Year" have been given the acknowledgment not just for what they have done, but for what they have come to represent.

Debate: The ‘gilets jaunes’ movement is not a Facebook revolution

Jen Schradie, Sciences Po – USPC

There’s an orderly fashion to so-called disruptive "manifestations", as they’re called in French. But the "gilets jaunes" didn’t follow the rules. So who exactly broke the rules?

Environment + Energy