Category: World

Niger’s military-led government announced on 19 June 2025 that it is nationalising the Somair uranium joint venture, formerly dominated by French nuclear fuel company Orano. The announcement, aired on national television, declared that the State will now hold full ownership and management of the mine, citing inappropriate and inequitable conduct by Orano. Authorities assert that the 63 per cent stake held by Orano—alongside the remaining 37 per cent via state firm Sopamin—has been improperly leveraged. The accord underpinning Somair’s operations expired in December 2023, and

A dramatic explosion ripped through SpaceX’s Starbase test site near Brownsville, Texas, at approximately 11 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, June 18, when the Starship prototype designated Ship 36 detonated during a routine static‑fire test ahead of its anticipated tenth flight. The stainless‑steel vehicle was engulfed in flames following a “major anomaly” while being fuel‑led for a multiple‑engine ignition sequence, according to SpaceX. All personnel remained outside the secured perimeter and were confirmed safe, and there were no hazards reported to neighbouring

Hundreds of metal industry professionals converged on Cairo this week for the debut of the wire and Tube Middle East Africa events, held alongside GIFA and METEC Middle East Africa at METAL & STEEL EGYPT, hosted at the Egypt International Exhibition Center from 2 to 4 September. The four Messe Düsseldorf satellite fairs collectively presented machinery, technology, materials and services from the wire, cable, tube, foundry and metallurgy sectors to a captivated audience. Representatives from 383 companies across 19 nations—including

A powerful heat wave will bring intense swelter to New York City and other major Eastern Seaboard cities, with heat indices rising into the triple digits along the I‑95 corridor. Temperatures are expected to climb well above seasonal norms from Sunday through mid‑week, driven by a strengthening high‑pressure dome and amplified humidity, posing serious health risks and heightening strain on infrastructure. Cities from Chicago to Washington, D.C.—including New York—could see readings 15 to 20 °F higher than typical early summer values, sending

Fitch Ratings upgraded Ghana’s long‑term foreign currency sovereign rating from “restricted default” to “B‑” on 16 June, accompanied by a stable outlook. The move reflects substantial progress in debt restructuring after the West African nation normalised relations with a large majority of its external commercial creditors. Ghana’s economy endured its most severe crisis in decades, driven by collapses in its cocoa and gold sectors. The government’s proactive restructuring of its debt burden laid the groundwork for this upgrade, with Fitch forecasting completion

Conscious Aerospace, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia have entered a strategic Memorandum of Understanding at the Paris Air Show to co-develop a liquid‑hydrogen fuel‑cell retrofit for the De Havilland Canada Dash 8‑300 regional turboprop. The agreement, inked in front of Dutch aviation authorities, aims to outfit the aircraft with hydrogen‑electric propulsion, optimise cabin and cargo configurations, assess route viability, and model operational costs ahead of demonstration flights slated for the decade’s end. This trilateral initiative is a major step in aviation’s

Boston University neuroscientist Steve Ramirez is advancing the frontier of memory science, demonstrating how targeted activation of one memory can suppress another. Employing optogenetics and laser stimulation, Ramirez’s team has successfully rewritten a negative memory in mice by triggering positive engrams—clusters of brain cells that store emotional experiences—offering fresh insight with profound therapeutic potential. At the heart of this emerging field lies the recognition that memory is dynamic, not static. Every recall subtly alters the memory itself. Ramirez’s experiments took this

A minor yet persistent air leak inside the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station has led NASA to indefinitely postpone Axiom Mission 4, highlighting widening concerns over the station’s ageing infrastructure and safety. Though currently stable, pressure readings in the affected segment continue to require close monitoring by NASA and Roscosmos, reinforcing questions over the ISS’s longevity and future viability. The anomaly was detected in the transfer tunnel between Zvezda and the aft docking port. Cosmonauts aboard the

Chad is confronting a cascading humanitarian disaster in its eastern regions, where acute food shortages coincide with a rising risk of cholera, UN officials have warned. At a UN briefing in Geneva on 13 June, François Batalingaya, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, urged the global community to act decisively as millions face worsening hunger and potential disease outbreak. The country is enduring its sixth successive year of food insecurity, with 3.3 million people anticipated to be unable to feed themselves

Abidjan is bracing for a highly polarised presidential election scheduled for 25 October 2025, as President Alassane Ouattara’s ruling party moves to endorse his expected bid for a fourth term. Meanwhile, key opposition figures have been barred from the ballot, prompting protests and allegations of democratic erosion. Official party channels have circulated motions affirming Ouattara, 83, as their preferred candidate under the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace. He has indicated his health and determination to continue serving, yet the

Thousands of visitors were left outside the Louvre under its iconic glass pyramid on 16 June 2025 after staff launched a spontaneous strike over overcrowding, chronic understaffing and deteriorating infrastructure at the world’s most‑visited museum. The closure, initiated during a routine internal meeting, involved gallery attendants, ticket office personnel and security staff who refused to work, describing current conditions as “untenable”. The unexpected walkout ignited fresh scrutiny of the impact of mass tourism on both the Louvre’s functioning and staff

President Donald Trump has called for the immediate evacuation of Tehran, warning that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” after a series of escalating military exchanges with Israel. He issued the statement via Truth Social while attending the G7 summit in Canada, then departed early to convene his national security team. The growing hostilities, now entering a fifth day, have provoked market turbulence, prompted military deployments, and triggered widespread concern among global leaders. Israel has intensified airstrikes across Iran, targeting high-value

The Trump Organisation has unveiled Trump Mobile, featuring a $499 gold-hued T1 smartphone and a monthly “47 Plan” priced at $47.45. Designed to target conservative consumers disenchanted with mainstream providers, the offering promises an American‑branded telecommunications package with US‑based customer support and domestically produced handsets. Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump introduced the venture on 16 June 2025 at Trump Tower, emphasising the use of US‑made phones and support centres located in St Louis and elsewhere in the United States. The 47

Dodoma’s state leadership confirmed significant advancements in the Third National Five-Year Development Plan, registering strides in infrastructure, agriculture, energy, justice reform and foreign investment initiatives. In a parliamentary session, Planning and Investment Minister Professor Kitila Mkumbo detailed over 193 development schemes—among them 17 flagship mega-projects—now underway. Irrigation farming has expanded, with irrigated areas growing from approximately 695,000 ha in 2019/20 to 727,280 ha by 2022/23, driven by intensified use of quality seedlings and fertilisers. Concurrently, the National Irrigation Commission reported plans for over

An assault on Yelewata village in Guma local government area of Benue State has left more than 100 inhabitants dead, dozens missing and hundreds wounded, with authorities scrambling to respond. The attack, which began late on Friday and extended into Saturday’s early hours, bore the hallmarks of deliberate and coordinated violence. Eyewitnesses and first responders described scenes of horror: armed assailants forcibly confined residents inside their homes before setting them ablaze. Burned remains were found throughout the community, with many victims

Iran launched a coordinated attack using ballistic missiles and combat drones against Israel, marking a significant intensification of hostilities and signalling a tactical shift in its military posture. A new guided ballistic missile—named ‘Haj Qassem’ after the late Major‑General Qasem Soleimani—was deployed alongside swarms of drones, striking central Israel including Tel Aviv and Haifa. Iranian state media described the operation as a hybrid assault, showcasing advanced navigation capabilities designed to penetrate Israel’s missile-defence systems. Israel reports at least 14 fatalities and dozens

Global economic momentum is set to falter, with the World Bank projecting growth of just 2.3 per cent in 2025—its weakest pace since 2008 outside explicit recessions. Elevated trade barriers, particularly rising US tariffs, and widespread policy uncertainty are identified as principal drags, causing forecast downgrades in roughly 70 per cent of the world’s economies. The Bank’s June Global Economic Prospects report indicates global trade growth will slow to 1.8 per cent in 2025—nearly half the rate seen in 2024, and a fraction of the long‑term average

Iran’s multifaceted network of proxies and covert operatives is poised to broaden its campaign of retaliation against Israel by extending its operations into Europe. Having weakened regional assets such as Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas, Tehran is reportedly turning to clandestine cells and criminal syndicates across the continent as a new front in its “ring of fire”. Heightened security advisories for Jewish communities from London to Berlin underscore rising concerns as European intelligence agencies monitor suspected Iran-linked plots. Authorities in the

A leading news magazine has issued an unreserved apology after provoking ire with an airplane cartoon linked to the tragic Air India crash on 12 June in Ahmedabad, when flight AI171 went down shortly after take‑off carrying over 240 passengers. The sketch, which many saw as insensitive and lacking compassion, appeared in the aftermath of the catastrophe—and has since drawn widespread condemnation. The cartoon, featuring a minimalist aeroplane sketched over a wavy line of smoke, was published beneath a satirical caption, widely

Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche has advanced its antibiotic candidate, zosurabalpin, into Phase 3 clinical trials, representing a potential landmark in the fight against Gram-negative bacterial infections. Targeting carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, the drug could mark the first approval of a novel antibiotic class in more than 50 years. Zosurabalpin, a tethered macrocyclic peptide developed in collaboration with Harvard University, disrupts the outer lipopolysaccharide membrane essential for bacterial survival. Early-stage studies demonstrated favourable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles, while animal models of lung and

Africa’s ageing oilfields are undergoing a transformation as artificial intelligence technologies unlock new opportunities for enhanced oil recovery. Operators across the continent are leveraging data-driven systems, machine‑learning and regional policy incentives to revive mature reservoirs, boost output and improve efficiency. Major energy firms have spearheaded this push. SLB opened a 3,200 sq ft Africa Performance Centre in Luanda, Angola on 28 January 2025, designed to offer a collaborative platform for digital tools, AI, new‑energy technology and capacity development for local talent. The centre marks

Pentagon officials have trimmed the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A fighter jet order dramatically, requesting just 24 aircraft in fiscal year 2026—cutting it by half from the previously projected 48 jets. The revised procurement proposal, submitted to Congress, seeks approximately $3.5 billion for the jets and an additional $531 million set aside for advance materials procurement. This downsizing is part of a broader strategy by the Department of Defence to shift funding toward emerging defence priorities and cost-saving measures. The Navy and Marine Corps