News

Petrol production at Nigerian business tycoon Aliko Dangote’s $20bn (£15.5bn) state-of-the-art oil refinery ought to be some of the best business news Nigeria has had in years. But many Nigerians will judge its success on two key questions – firstly: “Will I get cheaper petrol?” Sorry, but probably no – unless the international price of […]

Russia has reportedly sent up to 200 troops to Equatorial Guinea to protect the presidency, as it continues to expand its presence in Africa. Media reports say that the Russians are training elite guards in the country’s two main cities – the capital Malabo and Bata. Reports of Russian troops deployed in the country first […]

French military technology is being used in Sudan’s brutal civil war in violation of a UN arms embargo, rights organisation Amnesty International has said. It says the Rapid Support Forces militia is using vehicles in the Darfur region supplied by the United Arab Emirates that are fitted with French hardware as it battles the army. […]

South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan has been released on bail amid allegations he used the organisation’s funds for personal gain. The country’s organised crime investigation unit, Hawks, has been looking into claims of fraud and theft at Safa between 2014 and 2018 amounting to 1.3m rand ($72,000, £57,000). Jordaan is alleged to […]

It is difficult to try to predict the decisions that US President-elect Donald Trump will make when he returns to the White House. But one thing seems unlikely to change: his dislike of patient, principled diplomacy as a means to peace and his preference for transactional politics and populist gestures. This brings openings and perils […]

The United Nations says Israeli construction along a demilitarised buffer zone with Syria has led to “severe violations” of a 50-year-old ceasefire agreement, which risk increasing tensions along their shared frontier in the occupied Golan Heights. Satellite photographs show new trenches and earth berms dug over the past few months along the length of what […]

US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Elon Musk to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) for his incoming administration. He announced that Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech investor, will work with the SpaceX and Tesla founder on the project – whose acronym refers to Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency Dogecoin – to “dismantle” bureaucracy. The […]

Volkswagen Group (VW) and Tesla rival Rivian have launched a joint venture, with the German car giant increasing its investment in the partnership. The two companies say the deal is now worth $5.8bn (£4.55bn) – up from an initial pledge from VW of $5bn. Shares in the US electric vehicle (EV) maker jumped more than […]

The president of COP29’s host country has told the UN climate conference that oil and gas are a “gift of god”. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev criticised “Western fake news” about the country’s emissions and said nations “should not be blamed” for having fossil fuel reserves. The country plans to expand gas production by up to […]

Out of all of Donald Trump’s supporters, Derrick Evans has a particular reason to be happy with November’s election results – he hopes the president-elect will give him a pardon for participating in the 6 January riot at the US Capitol. “A pardon will be life changing,” said Evans, who was a member of the […]