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China’s next five-year plan could rewrite African agriculture — if the continent seizes the moment China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) is more than a domestic blueprint. It is a signal of how the world’s second-largest economy intends to buy, process and secure the food that will feed a warming planet. For Africa — home to the largest share of the world’s uncultivated arable land and an emerging network of agribusinesses — the plan reads like an invitation. The opportunity is to move from being a supplier of raw crops to…

Iran–Israel war redraws the Horn of Africa’s security map The joint United States–Israeli strikes on Iran last week, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior security officials, have vaulted the Middle East into a wider war with immediate spillover risks for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. Iran has hit Israel and several Arab states that host U.S. military facilities — the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan — while Hezbollah’s barrage from Lebanon…

KHARKIV, Ukraine — A Russian-launched Shahed drone struck a residential building in Kharkiv just before 4 a.m., damaging the apartment of a local pensioner, as three areas of the city came under missile and drone attack in the early hours, RTÉ News reported from the scene. Margarita Belkina, a resident of the building, said the blast shattered the sense of relative calm her neighborhood had felt since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. “It’s scary now because this district has not been hit since the start of the…

Australia will become the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 when new rules take effect on Dec. 10, the government said, aiming to shield young people from the negative effects of online platforms. The Australian government announced the move as part of a wider child-safety push. Officials said the measure is intended to reduce young people’s exposure to harmful material and the mental-health risks associated with heavy social media use. Earlier this year Canberra…

"Al-Shabaab will meet its match and lose," says Ethiopia, pledging ongoing efforts to neutralize the group's influence. The country remains unswerving in its mission to protect its borders and preserve the progress made so far. In a weekly press gathering on November 14, 2024, Ambassador Nebiat Getachew, who speaks on behalf of Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscored Ethiopia's significant role in weakening al-Shabaab’s impact across the region. “We won't take our foot off the pedal,” Getachew declared,…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Taye Atske, now steering the Ethiopian presidency, envisions a diplomatic path to securing sea access for Ethiopia. The nation intends to adopt a strategy based on reciprocity, marking a notable shift from its previous, widely criticized strategy. Striving for a maritime foothold to establish a port and military base, Ethiopia has turned its gaze to North Western State of Somalia, proposing a 20-kilometer stretch along the Red Sea. In return, Ethiopia would acknowledge North Western State of…

In Madagascar, October 14, 2020 should have been a big day. A day of national glow that does not work, to replace the wasted day of June 26: the pandemic had in fact prevented the celebration of the island's 60 years of independence with great fanfare. But this Wednesday, the anniversary of the First Republic, Covid-19 came again to play spoiler. The government had to return and eventually urged the…