Lionel Messi has retired from international football at 39, ending a remarkable 21-year career with Argentina just weeks after leading the team to the 2026 World Cup final. He leaves as the nation’s record appearance holder and top scorer.

Guinea-Bissau voted Sunday on a proposed new constitution that would significantly strengthen presidential powers and shrink parliament, in a referendum seen as a test of the military government's bid to reshape the political system before elections scheduled for December.

INFOGRAPHIC/EYEWITNESS MEDIA. By PATRICK MAYOYO Wealth in 2026 is no longer simply a measure of money in the bank. It is a reflection of technological power, global business empires, political influence, royal heritage, sporting fame and ownership of some of the world’s most valuable assets. From Silicon Valley to royal palaces, luxury estates and private islands, extraordinary fortunes continue to shape the way people live, invest and influence the world around them. The ranks of the ultra-rich have also reached unprecedented levels. Forbes’ 2026 annual billionaires list counted 3,428 billionaires with a combined fortune of $20.1 trillion, with technology entrepreneurs dominating the upper reaches of the rankings. At the top are familiar names such as Elon Musk, whose interests span electric vehicles, space exploration and artificial intelligence, alongside technology giants including Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang. Their fortunes can fluctua...

A session at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. PHOTO/UNCCD. By PATRICK MAYOYO The African Development Bank has committed to work with partners to mobilise funds for the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar. The commitment came on 24 August as African ministers, development partners and international organisations participating in an event titled Scaling the Great Green Wall through Continental Integration and the AU GGWI Strategy (2024-2034) and co-organised by the African Union (AU), the African Development Bank and the UN, voiced calls to scale up GGWI. Participants also welcomed the AU’s adoption in 2024 of the Great Green Wall Strategy and Ten-Year Implementation Framework (2024–2034), which provides a roadmap to expand the initiative into a continental platform for land restoration and ...

Life returned to normal in Niger's capital on Sunday, a day after mutineers stormed both the presidential palace and a military base at Niamey's main airport, resisting forces loyal to the ruling junta until Russia’s Africa Corps intervened. State TV reported that dozens of soldiers were killed or arrested, with some paraded in front of cameras live on television.

Gunfire and explosions have been reported in Niger, as mutinying soldiers attempted to storm the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey, in a challenge to the ruling junta. The government said it had regained control after hours of fighting on Saturday. Léo Paichard and Nick Rushworth report.

Africa’s agricultural output has roughly doubled over two decades, but a new AGRA report warns that a $180 billion annual financing gap, low productivity and weak links between farms and markets are preventing higher production from translating into broad farmer prosperity.

Travelstart has been named Africa’s Leading Online Travel Agency 2026 at the World Travel Awards in Zanzibar as the South African travel brand marks 20 years.

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze The Southeast File and the ICC Two officials signed a Memorandum in Abuja on 26 March 2026 supporting Nigeria’s investigation and prosecution of alleged serious international crimes in its own courts. Four months later, Human Rights Watch reported more than 500 defendants in one trial phase and about 600 in the […]

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze Timbuktu Burning How the African Past Was Renamed as Ignorance, and What the Fire Could Not Reach On the twenty-seventh of September in 2016, the International Criminal Court convicted Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi of a war crime and sentenced him to nine years. His offense was the destruction, over eleven days in […]