Person Analysis

Somalia reports deadly fighting with Al-Shabaab as both sides claim heavy losses >Somalia’s government and Al-Shabaab militants have issued sharply conflicting accounts of deadly fighting near the southern city of Leego, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy losses during a battle on Mon...

Gang-plagued Haiti sets election dates for 2027 >Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Haiti will hold elections in July and October next year, authorities said, in what would mark the first polls in the crisis-stricken country in more than a decade. >Elections are seen as a crucial step to stabilizing the gove...

What we know about Spain's deadly train crash >Madrid (AFP) – At least 69 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after two high-speed trains collided south of Madrid on Wednesday, in Spain's deadliest rail disaster since 2013. Here is what we know about the crash, the second serious ra...

'Horrific' Russian drone strike kills 14 at Ukraine train station: Kyiv >Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – A Russian drone slammed into a busy platform at a railway station in Ukraine's Dnipro on Thursday killing at least 14 people in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a "horrific" attack that demands a...

Hello Kitty firm apologises, scraps Japan TV tie-up after China anger >Beijing (AFP) – Sanrio, the Japanese company that owns the popular Hello Kitty character, apologised Thursday over its tie-up with a TV spy drama criticised as anti-China, cancelling a merchandise collaboration with the show. ...

Taiwan says Pakistan briefly closed airspace to Taiwanese flights >Taipei (AFP) – Pakistan briefly closed its airspace to Taiwanese cargo and passenger flights, Taiwan said on Thursday, suspecting China of being behind the unprecedented move. >"We suspect definitely China was behind this," Deputy...

US fires senior army general in latest ouster: reports >Washington (United States) (AFP) – The United States has fired a top military planner, US media reported, in a surprise shake-up as President Donald Trump appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran. >Army Lieutenant G...

Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation surges despite Taliban govt ban: UN > Kabul (AFP) – Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan more than quadrupled in 2026 despite a Taliban government ban, the United Nations said Thursday, urging that impoverished farmers needed alternatives to the lucrative crop....

North Korea fires 'around a dozen' ballistic missiles into East Sea > Seoul (AFP) – North Korea fired "around a dozen" short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul's defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row. > South ...

Trump accuses Alaska Democrats of fraud over same-name scandal > Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and a rival sharing the name of Alaska's Republican incumbent be removed from next week's election ballot, a...

Putin hails Elon Musk as 'truly a genius' > Moscow (AFP) – US tech tycoon Elon Musk is "truly a genius" for deploying thousands of satellites into orbit, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, as Moscow seeks to develop its own satellite internet network. > The American tech titan is the owner ...

Rwanda cannot be blamed for what happens in DR Congo, FM says > Moscow (AFP) – Rwanda should not be a "scapegoat" for events in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda's foreign minister said Wednesday, as the neighbours battle over responsibility for fighting in eastern DR Congo. . > DR Congo ha...

Cuba wins UN vote against US embargo with weakest backing in 30 years > United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba, although support for the communist-ruled island fell to its lowest level in...

World Bank warns of worsening food insecurity as commodity prices soar > Washington (United States) (AFP) – The World Bank on Wednesday warned that global commodity prices were set to increase by 23 percent by the end of 2026, with energy prices at four-year highs due to the war on Iran and food pr...

Russia woos African leaders at Moscow summit > Moscow (AFP) – A summit with nearly two dozen African leaders opened in Moscow Wednesday, with the Kremlin describing their countries as "natural allies" against the West. > The two-day Russia-Africa summit, the third since 2019, comes as Moscow grap...

Spain high-speed train collision kills 64, injures over 100 > Urda (Spain) (AFP) – A high-speed train collision south of Madrid killed 64 people and injured scores more on Wednesday, with the toll likely to rise, authorities said in one of Europe's deadliest such disasters this century. > AFP rep...

'Eat the rich': Indonesians protest against graft, wildfires > Jakarta (Indonesia) (AFP) – Hundreds of Indonesians gathered in central Jakarta on Wednesday to protest against economic hardship, graft and the government's handling of devastating wildfires causing toxic haze that has sickened thousan...

Two hundred 'Cruise for life' passengers stranded in Cambodia > Sihanoukville (Cambodia) (AFP) – Around 200 passengers who paid to live on a cruise ship while travelling the world were abruptly left in a Cambodian port after the company ran out of money, an official said on Wednesday. > US-based ...

India vows action after first cheetah shot dead > New Delhi (India) (AFP) – India has vowed "swift action" after a cheetah was shot dead, the first such killing since the country began reintroducing the animals in 2022, the government said Wednesday. > The environment ministry said it had ordered...

S.African activists push back on data centre rush > Cape Town (AFP) – A little boy balanced a large bottle of water on his shoulder as he returned from a communal tap near land acquired by a major data centre developer in South Africa's water-scarce city of Cape Town. > In the maze-like community...

'Now or Never': Ethiopia influencers push for Eritrea invasion > Addis Ababa (AFP) – Ethiopian online influencers are pushing for their government to invade neighbouring Eritrea and seize access to the sea, following its success against rebel and Eritrean forces in recent weeks. > The Ethiopian a...

Mbappe furore rages on in China, but Mao comments censored > Beijing (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe struggled to dissipate anger on Chinese social media on Wednesday despite apologising for his comments on Mao Zedong that cost him several commercial deals in the huge market. > Mocking Mao remains strictly...

Runners swap streets for shopping malls as haze chokes Singapore > Singapore (AFP) – The pounding of running shoes echoes through a Singapore shopping mall as fitness enthusiasts desperate to exercise take refuge from choking haze. > Smoke from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia has sent air qua...

'They don't care about us': Trump food aid cuts leave Americans struggling and angry > Tucson (AFP) – Christine, a retired widow in Arizona, placed food staples in her cart at a charity food distribution event -- as she's had to do monthly since the Trump administration slashed federal food assista...

Tuvalu has 'limited' power to halt its fossil fuel investments: NZ govt papers seen by AFP > Sydney (AFP) – A low-lying Pacific nation urging drastic climate action has "limited ability" to halt its own government investments in fossil fuel companies, external advisers wrote in internal documents o...