Africa is quickly developing in the 21st century and many places are perfect for tourists. The world’s second-largest continent is home to some stunning countries like Mauritius and Madagascar. But unfortunately, it’s also home to what many believe is the world’s most dangerous nation in 2025.

Burkina Faso has been ranked as the most dangerous country on Earth in the latest Global Terrorism Index, scoring 8.58 out of 10 based on the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostage situations. The report, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace, shows that Burkina Faso suffered 111 terrorist incidents, 1,532 deaths and over 200 injuries in the past year alone.

The threat is so high that the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Burkina Faso, with the only exception being the capital, Ouagadougou, and even then, it recommends essential travel only.

There is no British Embassy in the country, and in the event of serious unrest, evacuation is not guaranteed.

The government warns of a “very high threat” of terrorist attacks and kidnappings, with British nationals seen as legitimate targets.

Islamist groups such as Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS) operate across much of the country.

The Sahel region, where Burkina Faso is located, now accounts for over half of all global terrorism deaths, according to the GTI.

There have been frequent and deadly attacks, particularly in areas near the borders with Mali, Niger, and Ivory Coast.

In August 2024, at least 400 people were killed in a village attack in Barsalogho, while in February 2024, 15 people were killed in a church attack in Essakane.

That same month, 12 more died in a mosque attack in Natiaboani. Earlier in 2023, two foreign nationals were killed in a truck convoy ambush in the Sahel, and dozens were killed in attacks across six villages.

Most recently, Burkina Faso’s own army was accused of killing at least 130 civilians near Solenzo, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) published by the BBC.

HRW claims the killings were part of a military-led operation targeting the Fulani community, which the government has accused of supporting jihadist groups, an allegation denied by community leaders.

More attacks by jihadists were also reported in recent weeks, though the BBC said it has been unable to independently verify them, and the government rarely comments.

And with 40% of the country now under the control of Islamist groups, the military junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has recently turned to Russia for help.

Last month, the army also said it had foiled a “major” coup attempt against the ruling junta. Authorities claimed several officers were arrested for allegedly plotting to destabilise the country and undermine the military-led government of Traoré.

Ryanair has to pay out a customer £123 for charging extra for hand luggage on five flights between 2019 and 2024. A Spanish court ruled that the low-cost airline could not charge customers additional fees for hand luggage, as carrying a bag onto a flight was considered essential to air travel.

It is the latest legal dispute between cheap carriers and Spanish consumer rights group Facua. The group has battled other low-cost airlines over the imposition of charges on what Facua considers to be essential elements of air travel. The judge, Raquel Martínez Marco, based her decision on a EU Court of Justice ruling from 2014.

The ruling stated that “[hand luggage] must, in principle, be considered an indispensable element of passenger transport and that its carriage cannot, therefore, be subject to a price supplement.”

Facua has brought similar cases against Ryanair before, as well as rival cheap airline Vueling.

Earlier this year, the group ran a campaign warning customers that Ryanair may owe them compensation. Facua’s leader was pictured next to an image of Michael O’Learly, the man behind Ryanair, under the caption “this billionaire owes you money”.

In May 2023, Ryanair, along with easyJet, Vueling, and Volotea were hit with a £126m fine imposed by Spain’s Secretary General for Consumer Affairs.

As well as charging extra for hand luggage, the fines were also for the reservation of an adjacent seat for accompanying minors or dependants and vagueness in the pre-contractual information on the price of the airlines’ services.

On top of that, the airlines were fined for their refusal to take payment in cash for these extra charges and the £17 fee charged for printing boarding cards at check-in.

North Korea has launched ideological lectures for young workers currently building large-scale greenhouse farms near Sinuiju and Uiju in North Pyongan province near the border with China. The measure appears to be an attempt to prevent the workers from developing admiration for capitalism or attempting defection, Daily NK has reported.

Lectures “were held in late April based on material sent by the Central Committee’s Propaganda and Agitation Department to the political units of shock brigades participating in the large-scale greenhouse farm construction,” a source told the news site. The lecture was titled “Let’s Preserve Our Pride as the Strong and Open the Path to National Revival with Our Own Strength”. The lecture materials included messages such as: “Don’t be deceived by the bright lights of China across the Yalu River or capitalist scenery”.

Another message was that “Youth must never trust in others’ power,” while “the path of self-reliance and prosperity through one’s own technology is the true path to revival.”

“Rather than envying others, we must create our own things with our own strength,” read a third message.

The source revealed these instructions were “intended to raise ideological awareness among youth brigade members working at greenhouse construction sites on the border facing China”.

The construction site directly faces China across the Yalu River. Sinuiju and Uiju lie close to the Chinese city of Dangong, in the southeastern Liaoning province.

The North Korean authorities’ move suggests they are highly concerned about ideological laxity among North Korean youth. The lectures lasted around 45 minutes, followed by discussion sessions in which groups of 10 confessed their mistakes and renewed their commitment.

“The purpose of these lectures, as Kim Jong Un himself emphasised, is to provide an opportunity for youth who will shoulder the future of our revolution to arm themselves with the party’s revolutionary ideology,” the source said.

“The lectures consistently emphasised that youth should not be deceived by capitalist illusions, but believe in their own strength 24 hours a day, create something from nothing, love themselves and their collective, love the state, and consider national revival honourable.”

Political officials leading the lectures have stressed that this is “an important national project to cultivate mobilised youth brigade members as future cadre reserves and main forces”. They stressed that “ideological fortification of brigade members is more important than construction results.”

The lectures also harshly condemn the young people from expressing an interest in China. Political officers are said to have disciplined several young workers for admiring China’s apparent abundance of electricity and impressive skyline.

“The government is concerned that brigade members mobilised from across the country might develop illusions about China’s bright lights or become ideologically corrupted and attempt to defect,” the source said. “These lectures were organised as a shield to prevent such problems in advance.”