Author: Maryam Sulaiman

More than 300 children have lost their lives to Ebola since the latest outbreak emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq reported on Friday. Citing figures from UNICEF, Haq noted that while children make up roughly a quarter of all confirmed Ebola cases, they account for nearly one-third of the total fatalities. The epidemic continues its rapid expansion across eastern DRC, with total cases climbing past 4,000 and the official death toll reaching 1,850. Beyond direct infections, the crisis is severely weakening access to basic medical care. In regions hit hardest by the virus,…

A child was among three people killed during Russian strikes in the region surrounding Kyiv on Saturday, a Ukrainian official reported, as explosions shook the capital and blazes ignited across several neighbourhoods. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional administration, confirmed that the strikes hit three separate locations in the Boryspil district just outside Kyiv, leaving three additional people injured. The latest wave of bombardment highlights the growing strain on Ukraine’s air defence network, which has struggled to stop incoming threats and revealed an expanding gap between Russia’s offensive capabilities and Kyiv’s ability to protect its skies. Air raid sirens sounded…

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye have formalised a joint defence agreement to deepen security cooperation during a period of escalating military tensions across the Middle East. According to a joint statement released on Friday by the official Saudi press agency and Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three nations signed the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.” The signatories declared a “shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future”. Clarifying the scope of the treaty, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated that an attack…

Lawmakers in Uganda voted on Thursday to send troops to Gaza as part of a proposed international peacekeeping force organized under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to secure the territory in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war. The defense minister presented the successful motion, marking the first formal confirmation that Uganda intends to contribute troops to the International Stabilization Force (ISF). Morocco has also pledged personnel to the initiative. The decision prompted immediate debate in the legislature regarding the specific motivations and financial arrangements behind the move. “We also need to know the funding of this force. Who…

American scientists have successfully used artificial intelligence to design entirely new viruses, achieving a groundbreaking scientific milestone that offers promising avenues for medical therapies while sparking debate over the potential biosecurity risks of generative technology. The research, published in the journal Science by teams from Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, utilized a naturally occurring bacteriophage, a type of virus that targets bacteria, as a template. Using AI models, the researchers generated thousands of synthetic viral genomes. Scientists then chemically synthesized nearly 300 of these AI-generated genomes and evaluated them under laboratory conditions. Their tests yielded…

Local activists in the Al-Malha district of North Darfur warned on Thursday that humanitarian conditions have reached a breaking point, leaving more than 270,000 residents and displaced persons exposed to critical food shortages and potential starvation. The region, located in the far northern expanse of the state, fell under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2025. Since taking over, the group has faced heavy criticism from local advocacy networks over reported human rights violations against civilians, including targeted violence, plunder, and forced evictions. The crisis has deepened due to strict transit blockades imposed on commercial vehicles…

Following a classified congressional briefing in Washington, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen called on the federal administration to freeze weapons transfers to the United Arab Emirates over its persistent support for a Sudanese paramilitary faction accused of genocide. Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that the American government should leverage its defense shipments to compel Abu Dhabi to discontinue backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The ongoing battle between the RSF and the Sudanese army has created what global monitors class among the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The lawmaker pointed out that Washington officially…

Escalating war and ongoing neglect in Sudan are severely threatening the ancient pyramids of Meroe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ongoing fighting and a lack of security have completely halted preservation efforts, leaving the historic structures unprotected against natural forces. “The site may face a disaster, and collapses are possible,” archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman said, warning that the more than three-year conflict has prevented experts from carrying out basic maintenance. Situated roughly 200km (125 miles) north of Khartoum, Meroe features more than 200 narrow, steep-sided pyramids built between 800 BC and 350 AD to serve as tombs for the rulers of…

The stage is set for one of Africa’s most influential investment gatherings as the Africa Business & Investment Expo (ABIE) 2026 prepares to bring together presidents, government officials, global investors, business leaders, multinational corporations, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and development partners under one roof to chart a new course for Africa’s economic transformation. Held under the theme, “Building Africa’s Future Through Leadership, Investment, Innovation, and Sustainable Development,” the Expo is expected to serve as a premier platform for cross-border investment, strategic partnerships, policy dialogue, and business expansion across Africa. Building on the success of the Middle East Investors Expo 2024, ABIE 2026…

The West African Examinations Council has seized 167,486 results from the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination due to suspected examination misconduct. This figure accounts for 8.59 percent of the candidates who sat for the test, reflecting a slight drop from the 9.7 percent recorded in 2025. Announcing the release of the official results on Wednesday in Lagos, Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of the WAEC Nigeria National Office, explained that the withheld results stemmed from infractions such as organised school cheating and the persistent smuggling of mobile phones into examination halls. “The increasing use of cell phones in…