https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/520230/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage From online-gambling rings in eSwatini to SIM swapping in Kenya and cybercrime networks in Zambia, a wave of cross-border fraud is drawing African governments and China into closer security cooperation. China hosted East African security ministers and police chiefs in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, on September 10 for talks on terrorism, kidnapping, online fraud and other cross-border threats. China’s public security minister, Wang Xiaohong, said Beijing would strengthen law-enforcement... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369660/china-and-africa-boost-law-enforcement-ties-crackdown-cross-border-cybercrime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369660/china-and-africa-boost-law-enforcement-ties-crackdown-cross-border-cybercrime?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 22:00:12 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Mrima Hill, a sacred site about 65km (40 miles) southwest of Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, is emerging as a new front in the US-China rivalry for critical minerals. US-led and Chinese bidders are competing for rights to develop the site, which is rich in rare earths and niobium, a metal used to make steel stronger and lighter. American officials have offered to support Kenya’s development of its domestic critical minerals processing industry as Washington seeks to challenge Beijing’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368915/how-kenyas-sacred-mrima-hill-became-new-front-us-china-minerals-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368915/how-kenyas-sacred-mrima-hill-became-new-front-us-china-minerals-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 04:00:21 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter Halfway up a long hill in the Kenyan wilderness, a photographer pointed towards the bush. Just 20 metres (66 feet) away, a hyena was running through the undergrowth, chasing its prey. It was exhilarating – and a little terrifying. I was taking part in Beyond the Ultimate’s For Rangers Ultra, a five-day, 230km (143-mile) race through five Kenyan wildlife conservancies, where encounters like this were all part of the unique experience. Armed rangers were stationed around 300 metres apart along the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3368581/what-i-learned-230km-ultra-marathon-race-kenya-over-5-exhausting-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3368581/what-i-learned-230km-ultra-marathon-race-kenya-over-5-exhausting-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India has joined a new multilateral grouping comprising a cross-regional mix of middle powers, in a move analysts say reflects New Delhi’s efforts to broaden its diplomatic options as it pushes for changes to the global order. External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the inaugural Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) Summit on Monday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “We meet at a time when the global order is under stress,” Jaishankar said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368506/indias-new-p4m-middle-power-group-enters-crowded-field?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368506/indias-new-p4m-middle-power-group-enters-crowded-field?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:30:05 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme in the current financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under the programme, with the Japanese government seeking to strengthen maritime security cooperation,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365517/japan-double-security-aid-12-indo-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365517/japan-double-security-aid-12-indo-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 02:35:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Police have arrested four suspects in an investigation ⁠into the deaths ⁠of 18 elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli ⁠ecosystem, where authorities also seized assorted substances including chemicals, the tourism and wildlife ministry has said. A Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesperson told Reuters on Monday that the four had since been released on bail. Preliminary laboratory ‌results pointed to the probable involvement of a toxic substance, the ministry said in a statement released on Saturday, with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3365098/4-arrested-kenya-investigates-18-elephant-deaths-amboseli?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3365098/4-arrested-kenya-investigates-18-elephant-deaths-amboseli?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:40:38 +0000 Chenjie Song,Minghao Sun Chenjie Song,Minghao Sun At a recent Apec digital technology and AI forum in Chengdu, ministers across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum issued a statement in support of open-source artificial intelligence models – a rare point of agreement in a debate often framed as a zero-sum US-China contest. It pointed towards an AI order that cuts against the assumption of a contest with a single winner, an assumption that still shapes Washington’s alarm over every Chinese AI breakthrough. Across Asia, governments are... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3364157/asia-reaching-open-road-chinese-ai-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3364157/asia-reaching-open-road-chinese-ai-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Aug 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage While the US and some European governments view China’s vast production of electric vehicles and green-energy tech as overcapacity, African companies see it as an opportunity to secure EV technology and develop the industry. China is the global leader of the EV industry – it makes nearly 75 per cent of the world’s electric vehicles and dominates the supply chain. Its high production has driven down the cost of EVs, batteries and components, which has improved access to technologies that were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364799/why-chinas-ev-boom-seen-unparalleled-opportunity-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364799/why-chinas-ev-boom-seen-unparalleled-opportunity-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2026 10:00:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ecuador’s intelligence chief and five US citizens died when a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, officials said. The accident happened at 9.13am local time, in Samburu county, north of the capital, Nairobi, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), after the aircraft departed from the Loisaba wildlife reserve. Images shared by the Kenya Red Cross on social media in the afternoon showed a crash site in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3364602/7-killed-kenya-tourist-helicopter-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3364602/7-killed-kenya-tourist-helicopter-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:15:38 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Africa is emerging as fertile ground for Beijing’s drive to make the yuan a major international currency and reduce reliance on the US dollar, as an increasing number of financial institutions deepen their integration with China’s payment network. Following talks in Beijing between Central Bank of Libya Governor Naji Issa and People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng last month, the country’s banks are set to join China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), an alternative to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364171/why-chinese-yuan-could-soon-be-africas-most-important-currency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364171/why-chinese-yuan-could-soon-be-africas-most-important-currency?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2026 06:00:20 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma A former Hong Kong justice minister who now heads an intergovernmental mediation body based in the city has said the organisation is ready to handle state-to-state disputes, with six countries having nominated more than 100 mediators from the legal, diplomatic and academic fields. Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary general of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), told the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to serve as an international legal capital in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3363573/hong-kongs-iomed-ready-tackle-state-disputes-serve-asian-legal-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3363573/hong-kongs-iomed-ready-tackle-state-disputes-serve-asian-legal-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:30:11 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Two years after Kenya’s deal with India’s Adani Group to modernise Jomo Kenyatta International Airport collapsed, the state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has won a US$1.2 billion contract to do just that. The same pattern played out when France’s Vinci lost a major highway deal in Kenya and CRBC took over as developer alongside another Chinese firm. Under the original 30-year concession, the national government would bear all the risk in the deal, raising public cost... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362693/turkey-putting-pressure-china-africas-infrastructure-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362693/turkey-putting-pressure-china-africas-infrastructure-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:00:18 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Pakistan and Bangladesh are entering the latest phase of the US-Iran conflict with thinner cushions than many Asian economies, raising the risk that another oil shock could quickly spill into higher food, transport and electricity costs for millions of people, analysts have said. Both economies rely heavily on imported fuel, leaving them particularly vulnerable to any prolonged spike in oil and diesel prices. Jamus Lim, an associate professor of economics at ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3362578/pakistan-bangladesh-face-economic-squeeze-us-iran-crisis-widens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3362578/pakistan-bangladesh-face-economic-squeeze-us-iran-crisis-widens?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:57:24 +0000 dpa dpa At least 15 elephants have died from exposure to a suspected poison in the Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya over a four-week period, the country’s nature conservation authorities reported on Wednesday. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the animals had died in the park, which lies along the border with Tanzania, between June 24 and July 24. The nearby Kimana Conservancy and the Kuku Ranch area have also been affected. The KWS said that 10 of the 15 elephants showed similar symptoms,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362295/15-elephants-die-suspected-poisoning-kenyan-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362295/15-elephants-die-suspected-poisoning-kenyan-park?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:07:51 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu International students once saw US colleges as a gateway to a world-class education and career head start but shifting United States immigration policies, tightening visa conditions and high-profile ICE raids are causing them to reconsider. Dulue Mbachu looks at how African students are altering their education plans during the second Trump administration. The first instalment in our series is here. For 23-year-old Kunle Adeyemi, it took some time to overcome the disappointment of being denied a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362222/african-students-turn-china-amid-tighter-us-visa-rules-and-higher-university-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362222/african-students-turn-china-amid-tighter-us-visa-rules-and-higher-university-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:00:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UN’s migration agency is warning that criminal networks have been trafficking hundreds of thousands of people – many of them educated English speakers – to work in online scam centres, and the caseload is growing. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says victims are often lured by fake job advertisements – mostly through social media – promising work abroad, only to get locked up, have their identity documents seized, and be forced through violence, threats and “debt bondage”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3362205/asian-scam-gangs-snare-educated-english-speakers-fake-job-ads-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3362205/asian-scam-gangs-snare-educated-english-speakers-fake-job-ads-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:08:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Footprints left on a muddy lakeshore in northern Kenya ⁠around 1.43 million years ago are providing new insight into the size and behaviour of a species in the human evolutionary lineage that was the last of its kind, known for extensive anatomical adaptations for eating tough vegetation. The species, Paranthropus boisei, is known mostly from skull and tooth fossils. Now researchers working along the eastern side of Kenya’s Lake Turkana have identified 21 footprints made by eight individuals of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362168/footprints-kenya-shed-light-prehistoric-human-cousin-paranthropus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3362168/footprints-kenya-shed-light-prehistoric-human-cousin-paranthropus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:15:36 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Beijing’s soft power drive to win African hearts through cinema was on display recently in Bujumbura, where Chinese dragon and lion dances merged with sacred Burundian drums to open Chinese Film Week. The Chinese embassy in Bujumbura, the economic capital of Burundi, said the July 15 event offered “a beautiful example of cultural exchanges between the two countries” and that both sides were determined to “make cinema a vehicle for Sino-Burundian friendship”. Zhu Kewei, China’s ambassador to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361763/how-china-using-film-diplomacy-project-better-image-across-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361763/how-china-using-film-diplomacy-project-better-image-across-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong’s trade promotion body will set up a new office in Egypt within the next nine months to expand its footprint in Africa, while recalibrating resources for Nordic countries through its European bases as traditional markets face slower growth. Hong Kong Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang said on Friday that the organisation had revamped its corporate structure to better help companies in six new industry clusters develop promotional strategies. Ma, a former commerce... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3361784/hong-kongs-tdc-open-egypt-office-it-eyes-african-nordic-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3361784/hong-kongs-tdc-open-egypt-office-it-eyes-african-nordic-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:26:47 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Filipino domestic workers continue to endure widespread labour exploitation and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia, according to a new Amnesty International report. The rights watchdog found conditions had barely improved despite years of promised reforms, including last year’s abolition of the kingdom’s notorious “kafala” sponsorship system. The report, based on interviews conducted in March with 19 Filipino women who worked as domestic staff in Saudi Arabia, found consistent patterns of abuse, from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3360355/saudi-arabias-reforms-fail-halt-abuse-filipino-helpers-amnesty-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3360355/saudi-arabias-reforms-fail-halt-abuse-filipino-helpers-amnesty-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:30:56 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Retaining existing customers and a potential resurgence of Russian competition may be among the biggest challenges for sales of Chinese weapons systems, according to a report from an Indian think tank. The study, published this month by the Bengaluru-based Takshashila Institution, questioned whether weapons made in China were “foolproof or in muddy waters” and cautioned against the “reductive assumption that Chinese weaponry is uniformly poor in quality”. Instead, the report’s author Anushka... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3358894/should-china-worry-more-about-keeping-defence-customers-winning-new-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3358894/should-china-worry-more-about-keeping-defence-customers-winning-new-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:59:52 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan On June 4, at a packing facility in Limuru near Nairobi, Kenya, avocados were being prepared for the Chinese market. The scene may seem mundane, but the politics behind it is significant. China has removed tariffs on imports from 53 African countries. African exporters are beginning to think about Beijing less as a distant buyer than as a market that could reshape their margins. When the UN projected 4 per cent gross domestic product growth for Africa for 2026, the figure landed quietly. No... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3358072/africa-seeking-growth-china-proving-reliable-partner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3358072/africa-seeking-growth-china-proving-reliable-partner?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jun 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Global confidence in US President Donald Trump’s leadership remains low around the world, while views of his country as a reliable partner continue to decline, a new survey from the Washington-based Pew Research Centre showed on Tuesday. The survey of 42,151 adults across 36 countries was conducted between February and May 2026, a period marked by geopolitical competition with China and the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran that began in late February. On average, just 23 per cent of adults... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358142/new-poll-shows-eroding-global-trust-trump-and-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358142/new-poll-shows-eroding-global-trust-trump-and-america?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:00:11 +0000 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/series/3358023/china-and-africas-evolving-partnership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/series/3358023/china-and-africas-evolving-partnership?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:52:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least 30 people have died since the start of May in one camp for displaced civilians in northeastern Congo, a death rate that camp officials said was unprecedented, with some confirmed to have died from Ebola in a sign the disease could be spreading fast there. It was not possible to confirm the causes of all the deaths because patients or their relatives in Kigonze camp in Bunia – the epicentre of the Ebola ‌outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo – had until Thursday refused testing, a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3357779/least-30-deaths-dr-congo-camp-show-ebola-could-be-spreading-fast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3357779/least-30-deaths-dr-congo-camp-show-ebola-could-be-spreading-fast?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jun 2026 10:21:52 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage As China’s relationship with African countries has deepened, the country’s influence is spreading into more areas. In the first of a series of articles, Jevans Nyabiage explores how a drive to expand Chinese language education in Africa is being stymied by a shortage of teachers. For years, Chinese language training in Africa has been provided mainly through Beijing-backed Confucius Institutes at universities and independent schools run by Chinese nationals. Now, several African nations have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3357693/more-and-more-africans-want-learn-chinese-who-will-teach-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3357693/more-and-more-africans-want-learn-chinese-who-will-teach-them?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:56:14 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Foreign trawlers slip into waters off the Malaysian state of Terengganu under cover of darkness, local fishermen say, working near Pulau Redang and Pulau Bidong before leaving by dawn to avoid detection. The incursions have become a recurring problem for fishermen along the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, where the South China Sea separates Malaysia from Vietnam by just hundreds of kilometres. Alias Yahya, who sits on the board of the Terengganu fishermen’s group Penentu, said members had... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3357632/security-gaps-muddy-waters-malaysias-blue-economy-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3357632/security-gaps-muddy-waters-malaysias-blue-economy-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2026 03:00:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Kenya’s former chief justice David Maraga said he was arrested Monday alongside other activists protesting planned construction inside Nairobi National Park. Police fired tear gas canisters at the protesters who were marching outside the park while carrying banners with messages denouncing land grabs. Maraga was detained and later released while staging a sit-in on a major road outside the national park’s main gate. He was wearing a green T-shirt similar to those worn by other activists. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3356418/kenya-police-fire-tear-gas-arrest-ex-chief-justice-national-park-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3356418/kenya-police-fire-tear-gas-arrest-ex-chief-justice-national-park-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:23:11 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage A Chinese team of medical experts has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a three-month frontline mission to contain an expanding Ebola outbreak across a mining region with extensive Beijing-backed mineral investments. The five-member team of specialists in epidemiology, clinical medicine, research and traditional Chinese medicine arrived in the capital Kinshasa on Tuesday. According to China’s National Health Commission, the experts will work with local authorities to strengthen... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3356206/chinese-medical-team-arrives-dr-congo-help-fight-ebola-filling-us-void?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3356206/chinese-medical-team-arrives-dr-congo-help-fight-ebola-filling-us-void?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:00:16 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Asia’s governments have spent years promising to protect the seas that feed their people, shelter their coasts and support some of the world’s richest marine life. World Ocean Day on Monday will put those promises back in the public spotlight, but the more consequential test will come days later in Mombasa, Kenya, where governments, donors, companies and conservation groups will gather for the 11th annual Our Ocean Conference from June 16 to 18. The conference has become a key stage for global... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356153/asias-marine-pledges-face-credibility-test-global-ocean-conference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356153/asias-marine-pledges-face-credibility-test-global-ocean-conference?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Kenya’s health minister said on Wednesday that the US-funded quarantine centre would proceed, days after deadly protests erupted over the project. The US-built facility at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base was due to open last week, according to US officials, to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is battling a major Ebola outbreak. But it has been temporarily blocked by a court order, and triggered protests on Monday that killed two people, according to a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355870/kenya-health-minister-says-us-ebola-quarantine-centre-will-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355870/kenya-health-minister-says-us-ebola-quarantine-centre-will-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:17:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Kenyan court blocked on Tuesday for another three weeks a proposed US Ebola quarantine facility that has triggered protests killing two people and ordered the government to disclose its agreement with Washington. The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base in central Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus in Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda ‌has angered many Kenyans. They accuse the US of offloading the health risk of caring for patients. A Kenyan court last week temporarily... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355719/protests-over-us-ebola-centre-kenya-kill-2-court-keeps-block-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355719/protests-over-us-ebola-centre-kenya-kill-2-court-keeps-block-site?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:34:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US State Department plans to drastically slash the number of US embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to go to the United States. The almost 50 US embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three US officials and an internal memo obtained by Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355610/us-drastically-slash-number-embassies-africa-can-process-visas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355610/us-drastically-slash-number-embassies-africa-can-process-visas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:05:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hundreds of youths in Kenya’s central town of Nanyuki on Monday showed against the establishment at the Laikipia Air Base of an Ebola quarantine centre for American citizens exposed to the virus. The protests come two days after Kenya’s High Court suspended the establishment of the facility and the arrival of any foreign patients pending the hearing of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog. The two organisations cited Kenya’s fragile health system as the reason... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355580/young-kenyans-protest-ebola-quarantine-centre-us-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355580/young-kenyans-protest-ebola-quarantine-centre-us-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:05:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Kenyan court temporarily halted the opening of an Ebola quarantine centre for US nationals on Friday following a petition filed by a rights group. The facility was due to open in the east Africa nation on Friday according to US officials, to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is battling a major Ebola outbreak. Washington has defended its criticised decision not to repatriate Americans infected with the virus. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355368/kenya-court-blocks-us-ebola-quarantine-centre-set-open-friday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355368/kenya-court-blocks-us-ebola-quarantine-centre-set-open-friday?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 13:59:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kenyan authorities have arrested eight students on suspicion of arson over a fire at a girls’ boarding school that killed 16 students, ‌police said on Friday. The fire at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil in west-central Kenya broke out in the early hours of Thursday and also injured 79 students. Fires are common at Kenyan schools, with many set by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions, researchers ⁠have found. “Preliminary investigations have identified... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355335/kenya-arrests-8-students-suspected-arson-deadly-school-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355335/kenya-arrests-8-students-suspected-arson-deadly-school-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 11:21:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A fire ripped through a dormitory in a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya on Thursday, killing at least 16 pupils, a government official said, in the latest such incident to afflict the East African nation. Education Minister Julius Ogamba said 79 others were injured at the Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 pupils in the Gilgil area of central Kenya. Ogamba said authorities would investigate whether the school’s fire safety manual had been adhered to. Police said they were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355167/fire-kenyan-girls-school-kills-16?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3355167/fire-kenyan-girls-school-kills-16?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 09:26:53 +0000 Reuters Reuters African leaders and financiers gathered for the African Development Bank’s annual meeting on Monday as the continent faces shrinking aid flows, with this week’s event in Congo Republic overshadowed by an Ebola outbreak across the border. Overseas development aid from the world’s richest nations to poorer countries dropped by nearly a ‌quarter last year to US$174.3 billion. The US led the cuts, including reduced funding to the concessional lending arm of the AfDB – Africa’s largest development... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3354795/african-development-bank-meets-shrinking-aid-ebola-cast-long-shadows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3354795/african-development-bank-meets-shrinking-aid-ebola-cast-long-shadows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 13:37:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late on Saturday, hours after the Red Cross said three volunteers had died there and Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases. A health ministry statement said 204 deaths had been recorded in three provinces of the vast Central African country, from 867 suspected cases. The last World Health Organization (WHO) toll on Friday put the number of deaths at 177 from 750 suspected cases. The WHO has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3354679/ebola-toll-dr-congo-over-200-uganda-and-10-other-african-countries-also-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3354679/ebola-toll-dr-congo-over-200-uganda-and-10-other-african-countries-also-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 10:04:42 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage France has committed €23 billion (US$26.7 billion) to Africa’s private sector in a bid to counter Chinese dominance and rebuild its influence on the continent. Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi earlier this month, President Emmanuel Macron pitched the investment as a “jolt” to reset relations, positioning Europe as a partner for Africa’s “strategic autonomy” as the geopolitical race with Beijing heats up. The move marks a major shift as Paris tries to win over anglophone countries... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354608/france-tries-reset-relations-africa-chinas-influence-looms-large?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354608/france-tries-reset-relations-africa-chinas-influence-looms-large?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 06:00:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Twenty-seven countries have moved since the Iran war started to put in place crisis instruments that could quickly access funding from existing World Bank programmes, according to an internal document viewed by Reuters. The World Bank document did not name the ‌countries or the total amount of funds potentially being sought. The World Bank declined to comment. The document showed that three countries had approved new instruments since the Middle East conflict began on February 28, while the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3354599/27-countries-seek-access-world-bank-funds-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3354599/27-countries-seek-access-world-bank-funds-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 01:35:01 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Protests erupted in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Monday as a nationwide public transport strike kicked off in protest at rising fuel prices. Commuters were stranded in various suburbs and the city centre remained deserted as motorists with private vehicles opted to stay home as protesters burned tyres on major roads. The Kenya Association of Private Schools had advised its members to assess and determine the safety of learners going to school, and most schools opted for online learning. Kenya’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3353985/kenya-protesters-block-roads-public-transport-strike-over-fuel-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3353985/kenya-protesters-block-roads-public-transport-strike-over-fuel-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 10:28:25 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain No country on Earth has adopted artificial intelligence faster than the United Arab Emirates – and the Middle Eastern cultural crossroad’s ambitions to become an AI bridge to the Global South just got another major leg up with the delivery of the latest, cutting-edge US-designed chips. But those ambitions are taking shape in a hostile environment. Amid the US-Israel war on Iran, Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has repeatedly taken aim at major Emirati data centres, developed in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353743/uae-ditches-oil-ai-build-bridge-global-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353743/uae-ditches-oil-ai-build-bridge-global-south?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Global envoys and experts are doubling down on mediation as a preferred way to resolve regional conflicts amid stalled US-Iran peace talks and China’s appeal for more countries to join its new mediation body. According to Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, mediation ensures “to the greatest extent” the autonomy of disputing parties and its “unique charm” is the high respect given to the will of the parties. Cui made the remarks at a summit in Hong... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353806/chinas-new-mediation-body-gaining-steam-western-brokers-influence-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353806/chinas-new-mediation-body-gaining-steam-western-brokers-influence-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French President Emmanuel Macron is facing backlash after he interrupted a panel at the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya to demand silence from the audience. Macron stormed the stage to rebuke audience members for what he called a “total lack of respect”, accusing them of disrupting speakers during a presentation by artists and young entrepreneurs. He had earlier described himself as a “Pan-Africanist” during a news conference. The summit is meant to showcase France’s new policy for the continent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3353386/french-presidents-onstage-outburst-kenya-overshadows-africa-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3353386/french-presidents-onstage-outburst-kenya-overshadows-africa-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 05:51:21 +0000 Dulue Mbachu,Jevans Nyabiage Dulue Mbachu,Jevans Nyabiage As China’s role in Africa’s economy continues to grow, so do the opportunities for locals that can speak Chinese. The change is partially being driven by the expanding footprint of smaller Chinese companies, which would rather hire locally than bring their own staff from China, and by the increasing role played by African firms in trade. Few of the thousands of Chinese executives, managers and workers who pour into Africa every year are proficient in the languages of their host countries,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352458/ni-hao-new-hire-africas-growing-mandarin-job-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352458/ni-hao-new-hire-africas-growing-mandarin-job-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 08:00:07 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage African eels, frozen meat and rare earths now have one thing in common – at least in China. The commodities are among a wide variety of products that can enter the country tariff-free as part of a policy to help redress the continent’s massive trade imbalance with China. The zero-tariff policy has applied to 33 “least-developed” African countries since 2024 and, from May 1, has been expanded to include 20 “middle-income” African nations. The schedule will remain in effect for two years, covering... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352108/china-cuts-tariffs-african-goods-it-enough-close-trade-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352108/china-cuts-tariffs-african-goods-it-enough-close-trade-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:17 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Chinese solar exports surged in March, doubling to a record high as demand accelerated across dozens of markets, according to a new report. The spike comes as global energy systems react to renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the dual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the US. The Persian Gulf shipping corridor, a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas flows, has become a focal pressure point amid escalating tensions that began on February 28 with US-Israel... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351938/crisis-surge-or-lasting-shift-chinas-solar-exports-double-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351938/crisis-surge-or-lasting-shift-chinas-solar-exports-double-month?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:08:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A small plane crashed on Monday in South Sudan near the capital Juba, killing all 13 passengers and the pilot, local officials said. On top of instability, conflict and poverty, South Sudan also lacks reliable transport infrastructure with frequent plane crashes attributed to overloading and bad weather. The plane was a Cessna that departed Juba International Airport at 9.15am local time and crashed about 20km (12 miles) from the capital with no survivors, the South Sudanese Civil Aviation... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3351612/14-killed-plane-crash-outskirts-south-sudans-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/africa/article/3351612/14-killed-plane-crash-outskirts-south-sudans-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:23:04 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage During Vice-President Han Zheng’s visit to Nairobi in March, China signed a cash grant for drought relief and recently delivered food aid to Somalia, Togo, Zimbabwe and Zambia – helping 217,057 people in Zambia and providing Zimbabwe with 5,000 tonnes of rice. Du Xiaohui, director general of the foreign ministry’s African affairs department, later affirmed that Beijing would help nations in Africa boost food security and agricultural resilience through emergency aid and long-term support for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350443/china-steps-aid-africa-huge-funding-gap-left-trumps-cuts-remains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350443/china-steps-aid-africa-huge-funding-gap-left-trumps-cuts-remains?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:00:09 +0000