Category: World

Glencore has entered a 20-year agreement with Discovery Green to supply renewable energy for four of its South African mining operations, beginning 2027. The deal is expected to deliver over 290 GWh annually to mines in the eMalahleni area, replacing the bulk of their existing power demand with wind and solar energy.Under the terms of the agreement, renewable power will be delivered from Discovery Green’s contracted wind and solar farms via the national grid to Glencore’s Goedgevonden, Tweefontein and

Munich Airport reopened Saturday morning following a second shutdown in under 24 hours caused by drone activity near its runways, as Germany steps up its response to escalating airspace threats.Air traffic control first suspended operations late Thursday after multiple drone sightings prompted restrictions and cancellations. Authorities say 17 departing flights were grounded and 15 incoming flights diverted, with around 3,000 passengers left in limbo.Operations resumed Friday at 5 a. m., but fresh drone detections late that evening forced another

Botswana has become the target for a bold new data infrastructure initiative after U. S. operator ChillMine and Netherlands-based AAAS Energy inked a memorandum of understanding to develop a solar-plus-storage data centre campus near Palapye.The proposed facility, intended to support AI workloads, hyperscale operations and energy-intensive computing, will be integrated into the Leupane Energy Hub and Industrial Park. The energy backbone of the hub is planned to include a 250 MW solar photovoltaic plant and a battery energy storage system

South African equities climbed to unprecedented levels on Thursday, driven by buoyant momentum in mining and financial sectors. The benchmark FTSE/JSE All-Share Index rose past its prior peak, cementing the capital market’s status as one of the continent’s top performers this year.The rally has been underpinned by a strong commodity backdrop: iron ore, platinum, and gold all posted gains, boosting mining stocks across the board. The Public Investment Corporation disclosed that its listed equity portfolio grew by 22.5 percent

A plunge of nearly 90 percent in blockchain-related job postings across Europe underscores a stark contraction in the sector, even as industry leaders plan to rally through the 11th European Blockchain Convention in Barcelona.By one estimate, Europe went from over 100,000 jobs referencing “blockchain” in 2022 to roughly 10,000 in 2025, representing the dramatic erosion in demand. Analysts cite regulatory complexity, high energy costs, and capital flight to more permissive jurisdictions as key drivers of the decline. Meanwhile, European fintech

Elon Musk has become the first individual in recorded history to attain a net worth of $500 billion, according to the latest Forbes billionaire index. His estimated fortune stood at $499.5 billion as of October 1, driven by sharp gains in Tesla shares and upward revaluations of his other ventures.Tesla’s stock climbed nearly 4 per cent on that day, contributing over $7 billion to Musk’s wealth, and has risen more than 14 per cent year-to-date. The new milestone follows a

A U. S. government shutdown commenced at 00:01 EDT after Congress failed to enact the necessary funding bills, placing an estimated 750,000 federal employees at risk of furlough or unpaid work, according to Congressional Budget Office projections.The Transportation Department has announced that more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration will be furloughed, even as over 13,000 air traffic controllers remain mandated to continue working without immediate pay. Meanwhile, about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration staff will also be required

Governments, tech firms and international bodies are intensifying efforts to structure artificial intelligence oversight, with sharp divergence emerging between innovation-led and precaution-based models. The European Union has begun implementing core provisions of its AI Act, the United States has unveiled a sweeping federal strategy prioritising deregulation, and Asia—with China leading—has laid out a coordinated global governance agenda.The EU’s AI Act, formally effective since August 2024, is now activating its enforcement phases. From February 2025, systems deemed “unacceptable risk” have been

Passenger volume across African airlines is forecast to reach 113 million in 2025, up from 98 million in 2024—an increase of about 15.3 %, according to the African Airlines Association. With such growth, aviation stakeholders are stepping up calls to liberalise air transport across the continent to unlock further gains.A core mechanism in this push is the Single African Air Transport Market, conceived under African Union Agenda 2063, which aims to remove restrictive bilateral agreements and allow airlines more

Floodwaters unleashed by torrential rain swept through central Arizona, killing at least four people and forcing widespread evacuations and emergency declarations. Three victims were discovered in the historic mining town of Globe, where floodwaters rose rapidly and inundated downtown, while a fourth body was found near a submerged vehicle in Scottsdale.About 2.5 inches of rain fell within 24 hours in Globe, a city of roughly 7,250 residents situated 88 miles east of Phoenix. The deluge overwhelmed local drainage systems and

Law enforcement agencies are now deploying drones equipped with automated licence plate reader systems, enabling vehicles’ registration data to be captured from the air. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that firms such as Flock Safety are marketing drones with built-in ALPR capability to police forces seeking to scale up surveillance.These airborne ALPR units combine optical character recognition technology with the mobility of drones. In presentations to law enforcement clients, Flock Safety has shown how its Aerodome drone

Air raid sirens blared across Ukraine before dawn on 28 September as waves of Russian drones and missiles struck Kyiv and multiple regions, leaving fatalities and dozens of injuries while the assault continued into the morning, according to officials.Authorities in the capital reported deaths and widespread damage across more than 20 sites, including homes, a medical facility and a kindergarten; emergency services worked through debris as thick smoke drifted near the city centre. Early casualty tallies diverged as updates

Microsoft has halted specific cloud and artificial intelligence services to a unit within Israel’s Ministry of Defence after uncovering evidence that its Azure infrastructure was being used in a mass surveillance programme targeting Palestinians. The firm confirmed that access to a subset of its subscriptions has been suspended, while non-surveillance services remain unaffected.The decision follows an investigative exposé by The Guardian, in collaboration with +972 Magazine and Local Call, which documented that Israel’s Unit 8200 had stored and analysed intercepted

A Paris criminal court has sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison, having found him guilty of criminal conspiracy tied to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. The court’s ruling mandates that he serve time even if he appeals, underscoring the gravity attributed to his conduct.Judges determined that between 2005 and 2007 Sarkozy conspired, through close aides, to seek funding from Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. While the court did not establish that funds

The Export-Import Bank of the United States has authorised over $100 million in financing guarantees to support two flagship digital infrastructure projects in Côte d’Ivoire. The package includes a $66 million guarantee for a national data centre and $47 million for technology exports intended to digitalise the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.The deals, approved in August under EXIM’s China and Transformational Exports Program, were formally unveiled on the sidelines of the U. N. General Assembly in New York. The

President Duma Boko has declared that his government intends to secure a controlling share in De Beers by the end of October, pushing Botswana to renegotiate its position in the global diamond supply chain. The move comes as Anglo American, the majority owner of De Beers, appears ready to divest its 85 percent stake.Botswana currently holds 15 percent of De Beers and jointly operates the mining group’s largest source of supply through the Debswana venture, which contributes roughly 70 percent

African Bank has successfully issued its first social bonds, raising R700 million through 3- and 5-year securities aimed at funding small and medium enterprises. Demand exceeded supply, with bid volumes surpassing R1 billion. This marks a key step under the bank’s newly implemented Sustainable Finance Framework, which seeks to align its funding practices with environmental and social objectives.The Sustainable Finance Framework, formally adopted in August 2025, defines criteria that allow African Bank to issue green, social and sustainability bonds