Category: World

The United Kingdom has moved to impose legally binding obligations on technology companies to take down abusive or non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of them being flagged, aiming to strengthen protections against online harms that disproportionately affect women and girls. Under amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, firms that do not comply could face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global revenue or have their services blocked in the UK, in what the government describes

Washington has begun withdrawing military forces from Syria, marking a strategic recalibration as the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa asserts control over security operations and the campaign against extremist groups.Officials in the Trump administration confirmed that the reduction in troop levels reflects a reassessment of the United States’ role in a country where American forces have operated for nearly a decade. The deployment, initially aimed at dismantling the so-called Islamic State, evolved into a broader mission involving support for Kurdish-led

Traces of hazardous metals have been identified in bananas and other staple crops grown in areas affected by Brazil’s 2015 mining disaster, raising concerns about long-term food safety and the exposure of young children to lead and cadmium.Researchers examining farmland along the Rio Doce basin, where tailings from the collapse of a Samarco dam spread across hundreds of kilometres, found that toxic elements embedded in contaminated soil are being absorbed by edible plants. Bananas showed levels that could pose a

Iran has signalled progress in indirect negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme, days after heightened tensions in the Gulf led to a partial disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies.Officials in Tehran said discussions aimed at easing sanctions and placing constraints on uranium enrichment had moved forward, describing the latest round of contacts as “constructive”. The talks, conducted through intermediaries in the Gulf region and Europe, follow months of

Cucumber prices across Russia have climbed sharply, prompting public frustration and drawing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators as households grapple with food inflation during the conflict in Ukraine.Data published by the federal statistics agency show that the retail cost of cucumbers has risen markedly since the start of the year, outpacing overall food inflation. In several regions, consumers have reported prices doubling compared with the same period last year, with winter supplies particularly affected. The spike has turned a common

Europe has strengthened its push for technological sovereignty with the launch of the Euro Q Exa quantum computing system in Munich, marking a significant addition to the continent’s developing high-performance computing network.Unveiled on 12 February at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, part of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Euro Q Exa is designed to integrate quantum processors into Europe’s broader supercomputing ecosystem. The system forms part of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’s strategy to establish a pan-European infrastructure capable of

Brussels has thrust the European Union’s carbon market into a fresh political battle, as leaders weigh changes to the bloc’s Emissions Trading System amid economic headwinds and mounting pressure from industry.Debate intensified at a summit of EU heads of state and government last week, where divisions surfaced over how far to adjust the Emissions Trading System, widely regarded as the centrepiece of Europe’s climate policy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the integrity of the system while signalling

Leading British boarding schools are set to deepen educational engagement with Nigerian parents and students this March through a series of exhibitions and interactive events in Abuja and Lagos, as part of UK Boarding Schools Week 2026. The initiative, driven by Mark Brooks Education, aims to provide a platform for direct dialogue between families and school leaders about admissions, academic pathways and boarding life. The programme is designed to offer a comprehensive forum where families can explore education options abroad

China is set to eliminate import tariffs on goods from 53 African nations from 1 May 2026, a sweeping policy shift that extends duty-free access to almost the entire continent and aims to deepen trade ties and economic cooperation between Beijing and Africa. The government announcement confirms that the move will apply to all tariff lines for countries with which China has formal diplomatic relations, excluding only Eswatini due to its continued ties with Taiwan. This expansion of preferential market

Nigeria has launched a sweeping industrial policy aimed at restarting idle factories, boosting domestic manufacturing and positioning Africa’s largest economy as a competitive production hub in global supply chains.Federal authorities say the framework is designed to tackle long-standing structural weaknesses that have undermined output, including erratic power supply, limited access to long-term finance, foreign exchange volatility and infrastructure gaps. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10 per cent of gross domestic product, a level economists argue is insufficient for a country

African Development Bank Group has approved a $200 million loan to support Nigeria’s efforts to expand agricultural production and curb reliance on food imports, reinforcing Abuja’s push to tackle food inflation and strengthen rural incomes.Board members of the AfDB cleared the financing to scale up priority investments across key value chains, targeting improved productivity, better access to inputs and enhanced storage and processing capacity. The funding is expected to complement federal initiatives aimed at boosting domestic output of staples such

Mercedes-Benz USA has recalled nearly 12,000 electric sport utility vehicles in the United States after identifying a defect in high-voltage battery cells that could trigger a fire, either while driving or when parked.The recall covers 11,895 EQB vehicles across three variants: 1,708 EQB 350 4Matic models from the 2022 to 2024 model years, 3,674 EQB 250+ units from 2023 and 2024, and 6,513 EQB 300 4Matic vehicles spanning 2022 to 2024. The action was disclosed in a safety filing with

Turkey has withdrawn from the 2026 Munich Security Conference, citing what it describes as the unacceptable elevation of a Syrian Kurdish commander it regards as a national security threat.Ankara’s decision follows the participation and high-level meetings of Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, at the annual security gathering in Germany. Turkish officials objected to Abdi’s engagement with senior Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and representatives of the United States administration, arguing that such interactions amount to

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office is examining whether a British Columbia-based mining company bears any responsibility in the abduction of 10 of its employees, following allegations that criminal groups targeted the workers in a region affected by organised crime.President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that federal prosecutors are investigating the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and assessing whether the company complied with security obligations and local regulations. The workers were reportedly seized by an armed group believed to be linked to a

A coalition of major Hollywood studios and industry bodies has accused ByteDance of exploiting copyrighted film and television material to train its artificial intelligence video tools without permission, intensifying a widening legal confrontation between the entertainment sector and generative AI developers.The dispute centres on ByteDance’s fast-evolving video generation systems, integrated into platforms linked to TikTok and its editing suite CapCut, which allow users to create cinematic clips from text prompts. Studio executives and guild representatives contend that the underlying models

Blackstone’s private equity fund tailored for wealthy investors registered a hefty net 20 per cent return last year, propelled by strategic investments tied to artificial intelligence platforms and infrastructure, according to financial industry figures. The performance marks one of the strongest showings across alternative asset strategies targeting individual high-net-worth portfolios amid a broader industry push to deliver private markets access beyond institutional clients.The Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund, known as BXPE, has drawn attention for its differentiated approach that

Cyclone Gezani has carved a devastating path through Madagascar, leaving at least 38 people dead and displacing more than 12,000 as the powerful storm made landfall on the country’s east coast this week. The cyclone struck the port city of Toamasina, home to around half a million residents, with sustained winds estimated at up to 250 kilometres per hour, flattening vast swathes of infrastructure and triggering widespread flooding. Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management reported six people are

Berlin is tightening controls on its defence sector as it expands military spending and confronts strategic risks posed by deep economic ties with China and reliance on foreign suppliers, especially from the United States. The federal government’s action reflects growing anxiety that Germany’s defence companies, including key suppliers and manufacturers, could be exposed to undue influence or supply chain disruptions if anchored too closely to geopolitical rivals. This shift forms part of a broader recalibration of national security policy, which

Russia has moved to block WhatsApp across its territory, citing alleged breaches of domestic legislation, in a decision that signals a sharper turn towards state-aligned digital platforms and tighter control over online communications.Telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor said access to the Meta-owned messaging service had been restricted following what officials described as repeated failures to comply with data localisation and content moderation rules. The regulator argued that foreign platforms operating in the country must store user data on Russian servers and adhere

Russia has launched a Proton-M carrier rocket carrying a meteorological satellite into orbit, marking a further step in Moscow’s efforts to sustain and upgrade its space-based weather monitoring network amid sweeping international sanctions and technical challenges.The heavy-lift rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, operated by Russia under a long-term lease, placing the satellite into a designated orbit after a multi-stage ascent. Roscosmos, the state space corporation, confirmed that the payload separated successfully and began initial in-orbit checks.The

African technology ventures attracted $174 million in funding in January 2026, signalling a measured but steady start to the year for a sector navigating tighter global capital conditions. The figure, compiled by market intelligence platform Africa: The Big Deal, covers equity, debt and grant financing across the continent.The total marks a continuation of cautious investor behaviour that characterised much of the past two years, following the record-breaking funding cycle of 2021 and the subsequent correction in 2022 and 2023. While

South African share prices rose on Thursday as investors balanced optimism over global market trends with caution ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s keynote address to Parliament and the release of critical domestic economic information. The benchmark Johannesburg Stock Exchange Top-40 index climbed around 0.5 per cent during early trade, buoyed by gains in resource and financial stocks, while the rand strengthened modestly against the US dollar, reflecting broader positive sentiment across emerging markets. Market participants said the interplay between expected