Category: World

Nigeria must generate 27.3 million new formal jobs from 2025 to 2030 if it is to maintain an unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent, according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. That works out to roughly 4.55 million net new jobs each year, a target seen as essential to absorb a growing labour force and to gradually formalise a workforce long dominated by informal, low-productivity work.The NESG report, titled “From Hustle to Decent Work: Unlocking Jobs and Productivity for

Filmmaker James Cameron has delivered a stark warning to Hollywood: generative artificial intelligence capable of creating entire performances from a single text prompt risks erasing the human essence from cinema. In an interview on CBS’ Sunday Morning, he described the notion of AI-generated actors and performances as “horrifying,” arguing that such automation undermines what he considers the core of film — live collaboration between actor and director.Cameron, celebrated for pioneering motion-capture techniques in films such as Avatar and The

Merck & Co has agreed to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for approximately $9.2 billion, paying $221.50 per share in cash to acquire all outstanding Cidara stock. The deal secures for Merck access to Cidara’s lead candidate, CD388, a long-acting antiviral designed to prevent influenza A and B infections, particularly among individuals at elevated risk of complications. CD388 is currently undergoing Phase III trials after earlier data demonstrated promising protection, and it has been granted Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations by

Ghana’s central bank is preparing to implement a formal framework for non-interest banking, signalling the country’s first comprehensive move toward Islamic banking, capital markets and takaful insurance. Under the plan, conventional lenders will receive training in Sharia-compliant financial services to equip them to offer non-interest products. The shift reflects growing interest from banks and regulators in providing ethical, risk-sharing alternatives to conventional interest-based banking.The process is spearheaded by Bank of Ghana, which has outlined plans to finalise regulatory standards for

A planned fiscal overhaul in Zimbabwe would raise the royalty on gold miners from 5 % to 10 % whenever the metal sells above US$2,500 per ounce, a move that Caledonia Mining Corporation says will sharply dent profits at its flagship operation, Blanket Mine, and imperil the viability of its new expansion project. The firm, listed on London’s AIM and other exchanges, said that if applied to the full gold price — not merely incremental ounces — the higher levy

New York City agencies are mobilising emergency flood response as a coastal storm is expected to bring a brief snow-to-rain transition early Tuesday, likely creating slick roads and risks of localised flooding. The forecast from the National Weather Service shows any snow in the city at sunrise will quickly turn to rain, with the bulk of snowfall shifting to inland regions such as the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey and Connecticut.Forecast data projects accumulation of 4 to 7

FG Gold Limited has closed a US$330 million senior debt agreement with the Africa Finance Corporation and the African Export-Import Bank, unlocking financing for the development of the Baomahun Gold Project — set to become Sierra Leone’s first large-scale commercial gold mine. The facility was formalised during AFC’s investor forum in London, marking one of the most significant mining deals in the country’s history.The Baomahun project spans 124.27 km² in the Bo and Tonkolili Districts, roughly 200 km east

Walmart will open its second South African store at Fourways Mall in Johannesburg on Friday, 28 November 2025, just days after launching its first outlet at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort. The Fourways store is scheduled to open at 08:00, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by store manager Lunghani Lincoln Mathebula and the creation of 80 permanent jobs.The arrival of the Fourways outlet underscores Walmart’s drive to establish a footprint in South Africa under its own brand, rather than operating solely

Kenya’s total exports during the second quarter of 2025 rose by 1.7 per cent to reach KSh 280.0 billion, while imports grew more sharply, pushing up the overall merchandise trade deficit. That dynamic contributed to a wider current account shortfall and signalled that economic headwinds could complicate the country’s external balance even as growth picks up.Export strength this quarter was driven largely by gains in coffee, horticulture and vegetable-oil shipments. Coffee exports surged by 69 per cent to KSh 19.7

Europe’s police-intelligence agency appears poised to appoint a senior Italian law-enforcement official as head of its financial-crime division, as the bloc intensifies efforts to track illicit flows across borders. The official, named by insiders as Giuseppe Lopez, would assume responsibility for coordinating investigations into money-laundering, fraud and cross-border financial crime — a move that signals a sharpening of Europe’s enforcement stance.Lopez is described as a veteran law-enforcement officer from Italy, with a background in complex investigations and transnational crime. His

A massive fire tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, killing at least 55 people and leaving around 279 unaccounted for, according to officials on Thursday. Flames ripped through seven high-rise residential blocks surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh, with one of the dead identified as a firefighter who had been battling the blaze. Over 60 individuals were injured and many residents remain trapped or unreachable.Emergency teams deployed hundreds

Banks and insurers across South Africa are being confronted with a shifting regulatory landscape as the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the South African Reserve Bank, through its Prudential Authority, move to formalise oversight of artificial intelligence across the financial sector. Their inaugural report on the topic reveals a growing, though still tentative, embrace of AI — and flags significant risks around data governance, transparency, and systemic stability across institutions.The 2025 FSCA–PA report draws on more than 2,000

During the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, stated that the Fund expects the Group of Twenty major economies to place sustained emphasis on global debt vulnerabilities, particularly in developing nations. She warned that global public debt is projected to exceed 100 % of world GDP by 2029 without decisive action, and added that the IMF intends to continue pressing the G20 on this issue.Georgieva highlighted that growth remains sluggish, debt

Production at the Volkswagen Group Africa facility in Kariega, Eastern Cape, has surpassed two million units of the Volkswagen Polo, marking a significant achievement for the plant and the region’s automotive sector. The milestone vehicle, a smoky-grey model destined for Australia, rolled off the production line earlier this month, underlining the global scope of manufacturing at the site.The factory, known as the “Home of Polo”, began producing the model in 1996 with the Polo Classic, manufacturing roughly 5

Security forces in Myanmar’s border region with Thailand have confiscated roughly 10,000 mobile phones and associated equipment as part of a wide-ranging operation against online fraud networks, the country’s military government announced. The action unfolded in the Myawaddy township of Kayin State, where an internet scam hub known as KK Park was raided, and approximately 346 foreign nationals detained during the sweep.The military accused the ethnic armed organisation Karen National Union of providing shelter and protection to the

Nairobi-based electric mobility firm Roam Electric Ltd has begun talks to monetise carbon-offset credits generated by its motorcycles while launching a global crowdfunding campaign to raise working capital. Each machine sold by Roam is designed to offset around three tonnes of CO₂ annually; with about 4,000 units currently in circulation, the company estimates roughly 12,000 tonnes of emissions reduction per year—equivalent to the output of some 2,600 typical US passenger cars.Roam’s push into the carbon-credit trade forms part of a