NEWS ANALYSIS

New tools aim to strengthen water security as climate risks mount in water-stressed African farming communities NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | When the rains fail in southern Africa, the survival of crops often depends on how much water remains in the dams. For decades, that simple question has been surprisingly …

In a new global report on democracy, Africa accounts for 24 per cent of the countries making progress – most notably, Botswana and South Africa in credible elections. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Botswana and South Africa have been listed among countries in Africa that have made the most …

  World Bank report says climate shocks could cut GDP growth by up to 3.1% unless urgent adaptation measures are taken COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda has set its economic development ambitions quite high. The country’s Vision 2040 blueprint lays out a bold goal: becoming an upper middle-income country …

COMMENT | DANI RODRIK |  As a teenager growing up in Istanbul, I was lucky to be part of a generation that had democratic role models nearby. European countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Sweden fueled our aspirations for prosperity and democracy, giving us hope for the future of …

WASHINGTON | Xinhua |  U.S. immigration authorities detained more than 300 South Korean workers at a battery plant in Georgia last week during a criminal investigation into visa violations, sparking strong reactions from South Korea and raising concerns about the future of foreign investment in the United States. South Korean …

How much power lies in a map? The push to replace the ‘distorted’ Mercator projection with a more accurate map that portrays Africa’s truer size, has opened up a deeper conversation, not just about how Africa is drawn, but about how the continent is seen. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY …

BEIJING | Xinhua | At Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square, Chinese President Xi Jinping, together with world leaders, attended on Wednesday morning a grand military parade honoring both China’s victory and the collective triumph of nations that overcame fascism eighty years ago. Standing on the rostrum of Tian’anmen, Xi delivered a speech …

Millions in East and Horn of Africa  face hunger, thirst, and debt as rich nations fail to honour climate commitments NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | At dawn in Lokitoeang’aber, a village in Turkana County in northwestern Kenya, the air is dry, still, and heavy with dust. The cracked earth beneath …

Netanyahu remains unmoved but at home and abroad, Israelis are suffering the consequences ANALYSIS | ASHER KAUFMAN | Israel’s conduct in Gaza increasingly risks turning the state into a pariah. Whereas world leaders initially rallied around Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas militants, the resulting destruction inside the …

For decades, women’s protection has remained largely tucked under family insurance plans. Insurance companies in Africa are changing that. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Insurers are rewriting the playbook by introducing women-first covers to test whether gender-specific solutions can raise uptake and narrow financial inclusion gaps. They are changing …