Alex Brandon/AP, Nam Y. Huh/AP, Wikimedia, The Conversation Published: December 28, 2025 6.00pm GMT We used to have a pretty clear idea of what an autocrat was. History is full of examples: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, along with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping today. The list goes on. So, where does Donald Trump fit in? In this six-part podcast series, The Making of an Autocrat, we are asking six experts on authoritarianism and US politics to explain how exactly an autocrat is made �...

An explosion suspected to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Saturday rocked the Yar’Tasha–Dansadau road in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, with an undetermined number of travellers feared killed. The blast reportedly occurred along the highway while vehicles were in transit, forcing commuters to abandon their journeys and flee the area in panic. The Zamfara State Police Command reportedly confirmed the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, Yazi...

A Tesla Model Y plunged off an approximately 800-metre cliff in China, tumbling down a mountainside, with the driver suffering only minor injuries, according to a post on X that was later retweeted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The vehicle was completely destroyed, with shattered windows and a mangled body, but the A- and B-pillars reportedly held, preventing the passenger cabin from collapsing. The battery also did not ignite. Rescue teams had to dismantle the wreckage to recover the vehicle. The inc...