Africa is becoming an increasingly important hub for Latin American drug trafficking networks, facilitating the production, transportation, and marketing of cocaine and methamphetamine. Africa has for decades been a transit point for Latin American cocaine making its way to European markets. The explosion in demand for cocaine and synthetic stimulants (notably methamphetamine), coupled with growing…
The global shipping industry is facing a “genuinely unprecedented” convergence of maritime crises, with vessels and seafarers increasingly used as “leverage” in conflicts that have nothing to do with them. Four regions – the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the waters off Somalia, and the Black Sea – are now simultaneously active theatres of…
More people are using drugs than ever before, while synthetic substances are reshaping illicit markets and exposing vulnerable communities to greater health risks, according to the UN World Drug Report 2026, released on Friday. “We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or…
Across Africa, mining is no longer seen merely as an extractive industry, but as a strategic pillar of growth, foreign exchange earnings and industrial ambition. From copper and cobalt to gold, manganese and lithium, resource-rich countries are seeking to move further up the value chain by developing more local processing, refining and downstream activities. Recent…
EDITORIAL | Kenya’s G-to-G oil deal smells increasingly like a sovereign transfer of wealth to private firms The Kenyan public was promised stability. What it may have received instead is one of the most opaque and politically loaded commercial arrangements in recent memory. When Nairobi unveiled its Government-to-Government (G-to-G) oil import deal with Saudi Arabia…
Many say they worry that others will track or steal their personal data. Key findings On average across the seven surveyed countries, among adults who access Internet content, a vast majority (84%) say they do so “every day” or “a few times a week.” Mobile phones are the primary mechanism for accessing the Internet (85%)….
London, United Kingdom – Lawyers and loved ones of hunger strikers linked to the protest group Palestine Action are warning the activists could die in prison as they accuse British prison officials of a lack of care and communication and the justice secretary of ignoring their demands for a meeting. Of 29 Palestine Action-affiliated remand…
When it comes to caring for pets, some people worry most about physical health, while others are more concerned about financing potential health problems. But what stands out in a recent survey is that many pet guardians are especially focused on their pets’ emotional well-being, with separation anxiety at the top of the list. The…
Worldwide, an estimated 440 million people were exposed to a wildfire encroaching on their home at some point between 2002 and 2021, new research shows. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire population of the European Union, and the number has been steadily rising – up 40% over those two decades. With intense, destructive fires often…
A Union flag flutters from a pole atop the Bank of England, in the City of London on August 7, 2025. Niklas Halle’n | Afp | Getty Images Traders see a growing likelihood the Bank of England will keep interest rates on hold for the rest of the year, after inflation came in at a…
