Ebola’s latest surge in the Democratic Republic of Congo is proving deadly, but early figures suggest it has so far killed a smaller share of patients than many previous outbreaks, according to a World Health Organization update. Since officials declared the outbreak in the DRC in mid-May, the World Health Organization has logged more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases across the central African nation. Of those, 10 deaths have been confirmed as caused by Ebola, while another 223 are suspected to have been linked…

Ghana's Multidimensional Poverty Rate Declines but Disparities Remain A recent report indicates that Ghana's multidimensional poverty rate has steadily decreased from 23.9% in the first quarter of 2025 to 21.9% by the third quarter. This report assesses poverty through four key indicators: health, living conditions, education, and employment, offering a more comprehensive view of poverty beyond mere income levels. At the report's launch in Accra this week, Senior Government Statistician Alhassan Iddrisu emphasized the…

China’s birth rate fell to an all-time low in 2025 as the country’s population shrank for a fourth consecutive year, underscoring a mounting demographic crisis despite a raft of policies aimed at encouraging couples to have children. Official figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show 7.92 million births last year, equivalent to 5.63 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest rate since records began in 1949, when Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China. Births declined by 1.62 million from the prior…

Somalia’s Education Triumph: A Story of Resilience and Hope In a remarkable turn of events that marks a significant milestone in Somalia's historical narrative, the Federal Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Learning unveiled the results of the 2024-2025 national Grade 12 examinations on Sunday. The results symbolize not just an academic achievement but a triumph over adversity for a nation that has long been burdened by decades of conflict. A Resounding Success Amidst Adversity Out of the 37,052 students who…

In a bold move, Eskom has put forth a proposal to raise electricity tariffs by a staggering 36%, set to launch in April 2025. This ambitious plan, pending approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), includes further hikes: an 11.81% increase for the 2026/27 fiscal year, followed by another 9.10% jump in 2027/28. These proposed increases threaten to significantly tighten the grip on household budgets and overall living expenses. Reactions have been swift and severe. The Democratic Alliance (DA),…

An employee clutches some bread loaves in a Nairobi supermarket, Kenya on May 8, 2017. © Baz Ratner/Reuters File Photo Hold onto your hats because Kenya's inflation (KECPI=ECI) dipped to 3.6% in September, compared with 4.4% in the prior month, as revealed by official statistics on Wednesday. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, month-on-month inflation showed a slight uptick of 0.2% from a stagnant 0.0% the previous month. Aiming for a sweet spot, Kenya eyes an inflation rate between 2.5% and 7.5% over…