On October 23, Mmusi Maimane resigned as the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). His resignation was preceded by that of the DA mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba on October 21, and immediately followed by that of the party’s federal chairperson, Athol Trollip.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on national television the selection of South Africa’s new cabinet. Although there was no surprise to see the names of such competent officials as Pravan Gordhan, Ephraim Patel, Naledi Pandor, Lindiwe Sisulu, and Tito Mboweni, Ramaphosa’s selection of Patricia de Lille as minister of public works and enterprises really “put the cat among the pigeons.”

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering May 30 to June 6, was compiled by Mallory…

BRICS becomes BRICS+, though not all may join; Latin America looks West, not East, for its technology; more frequent droughts promise more slow downs in the Panama Canal.

Statistics South Africa reports that the country’s unemployment rate rose to 25.2 percent during the first quarter of the year. That is up from 23.9 percent at the end of 2010 and 21.8 percent in 200…