Category: World

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Turkey has withdrawn from the 2026 Munich Security Conference, citing what it describes as the unacceptable elevation of a Syrian Kurdish commander it regards as a national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

Forecasters are positioning what has been one of the weakest La Niña events in years to diminish through the first half of 2026, with climatologists projecting a transition to neutral Pacific conditions between February and April. This shift, shaped by evolving ocean-atmosphere interactions across the equatorial Pacific, could lessen the climatic imprint of La Niña on global weather patterns and open the way for the next stage of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. The tropical Pacific continues to exhibit below-average sea

Greenland’s long-standing drive for full independence from Denmark is gathering renewed attention as political leaders and community voices weigh the implications of public remarks by United States President Donald Trump suggesting Washington could seek control of the Arctic territory. While calls for sovereignty have echoed across the island for decades, the latest geopolitical tension has prompted some Greenlandic Inuit to argue that the path towards independence must now unfold alongside efforts to counter external pressure. Greenland, the world’s largest island, remains

Food queues are lengthening, blackouts are stretching into the night and petrol stations stand dry across Cuba as tighter US sanctions and a collapse in tourism compound a severe fuel shortage, pushing daily life on the island towards what many residents describe as a breaking point. Authorities in Havana have acknowledged acute constraints on diesel and petrol supplies, attributing the shortfall to tougher enforcement of US measures targeting oil shipments from Venezuela and other partners. Washington has intensified scrutiny of tankers

A growing chorus from France’s political, financial and academic establishment is warning that the country is approaching a decisive moment as the far right edges closer to power, unsettling markets and raising questions about the durability of the republic’s economic model and European commitments. The unease sharpened after confirmation that François Villeroy de Galhau, the long-serving governor of the Banque de France and a central figure in euro-area policymaking, will leave his post a year before the scheduled end of his

Buckingham Palace has said it stands ready to support any police inquiry into the Duke of York after disclosures raised questions about whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential United Kingdom trade material with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The statement, issued on Monday, underscored the Royal Household’s position that it will cooperate fully should investigators seek assistance. The Palace said it would “support any appropriate investigation” in line with established procedures, stopping short of commenting on the substance of the claims. The

Donald Trump has warned he could block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a major new road link between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, framing the threat as leverage in broader trade and border negotiations with Canada. The statement has injected uncertainty into one of North America’s most significant infrastructure projects, designed to ease congestion at the busiest commercial crossing on the US–Canada frontier. Speaking to supporters and later reinforcing the message through campaign aides, Trump argued that the bridge’s

South Africa’s central bank is open to drawing on new repurchase agreement facilities from the European Central Bank should they become available, Governor Lesetja Kganyago said, signalling a pragmatic approach to shoring up foreign-currency liquidity as global financial conditions remain uneven. Speaking on the margins of international central-bank meetings, Kganyago indicated that access to euro liquidity via ECB repo lines would add a useful layer to South Africa’s external buffers, complementing existing arrangements with other major monetary authorities. The comments place