A major gathering of Sudanese political forces and civil society groups opposed to the war has ended in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The United States is pushing for tougher United Nations sanctions on Sudan’s warring parties, seeking to curb foreign military support and pressure the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to negotiate an end to a conflict that has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced some 13 million.

Finance and water emerge as defining issues at COP17. PHOTO/UNCCD. By PATRICK MAYOYO ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia Negotiators, ministers, scientists and civil society leaders have entered a decisive phase of global talks aimed at tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, as the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)  moves into its final week in the Mongolian capital. With only days remaining before the conference closes on 28 August, delegates from the UNCCD’s 197 Parties are intensifying negotiations on some of the most politically sensitive and technically complex issues confronting the international community, including land restoration financing, drought resilience, water security, migration, private sector engagement and scientific cooperation. The summit, being held under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.”, is widely viewed as a critical test of the world’s commitment to re...

INFOGRAPHIC/EYEWITNESS MEDIA. By PATRICK MAYOYO The tragic events in Homa Bay, which left two people dead, including a police officer, and injured 54 others, have once again exposed the persistent challenge of goonism, criminal gangs and political violence in Kenya. Beyond the immediate loss of life and destruction, the incident raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about the effectiveness of the country’s security leadership and the implementation of presidential directives aimed at restoring law and order. If the Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and the Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, had acted decisively and consistently on President William Ruto’s directive to crack down on goonism, criminal gangs and lawlessness, could this tragedy have been prevented? While no security agency can guarantee the complete elimination of violence, Kenyans are entitled to ask whether enough was done to avert a situation that many viewed as predictable. On 21 Ju...

At a time when fashion is increasingly dominated by mass production, a young Kenyan designer is taking a slower approach. Hillary Mukabwa, the founder and lead designer of Mukabwa Studio in Nairobi, works with hand looms to create cotton fabrics that he turns into clothes, bags and more in a deliberate attempt to reconnect with a craft increasingly being pushed aside by modernisation.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are still in control of swathes of territory. After months of stalled peace talks, both sides have agreed to get the ball rolling again. FRANCE 24's Emmet Livingstone, in Kinshasa, has more.

The Southern African Fraud Prevention Service saved its Members more than R7.44 billion in potential fraud losses in 2025, as rising vishing, identity theft, document forgery and money mule networks highlight the growing threat of organised financial fraud across Southern Africa.

Kenya has made remarkable progress in financial inclusion, but access to financial services is not the same as financial understanding. Christine Wachira examines why financial literacy, consumer protection and practical money skills must keep pace with the country’s rapidly digitising financial system, particularly for young people.

Taiwan indicted nine people over alleged Nvidia chip smuggling, using forgery and breach-of-trust charges because no standalone export law applies.

Singapore charged a British man over a 2024 Changi Airport jacket theft after police arrested him during a later transit stop.