NEWS ANALYSIS

  10 teams, local coaches and tactical depth usher in a new era   NEWS ANALYSIS | WYCLIFFE W NJORORAI SIMIYU | The 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup marks a seismic shift in the global football landscape. The decision to expand the final stage of the tournament from 32 teams to 48 has significantly benefited …

BEIJING | Xinhua |  The overlapping visits last week of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to China shone a spotlight on a phrase frequently used to describe Beijing’s relations with both nations — “ironclad friendship.” As a constant refrain throughout the visits, the phrase dominated …

BEIJING | Xinhua | Chinese President Xi Jinping often interacts with children on International Children’s Day, extending warm greetings to children across the country. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently replied in a letter to …

  SPECIAL FEATURE | Long before Bugoma Forest became a national political issue, Gerald Tenywa was writing about it. Through years of encroachment, contested land titles, illegal logging and institutional hesitation, the veteran journalist refused to abandon the story. Today, as the government moves to convert the tropical forest into …

M-KOPA’s expansion in Ghana highlights how device financing is evolving into bundled ecosystems that combine payments, protection, and financial products into a single repayment structure.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Across Africa’s low-income markets, the smartphone is increasingly acting as the first point of contact with formal financial …

  African banks, betting firms, telecoms companies and consumer brands are moving beyond traditional sports sponsorship into deeper commercial partnerships tied to league financing, digital fan systems and long-term sports infrastructure.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | African sport is evolving into a structured commercial industry as banks, betting …

BELGRADE | Xinhua |  For commuters between the Serbian capital of Belgrade and Novi Sad, the country’s second-largest city, travel time has been cut from one and a half hours to just 30 minutes, thanks to a sleek high-speed railway built by a Chinese company. For workers at the Smederevo …

The corporation is investing in resilience, source protection, and sustainable water management   SPECIAL FEATURE  | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is increasingly positioning itself at the frontline of the country’s response to climate change as environmental degradation, prolonged droughts, flooding, and rapid urbanisation place …

  Saudi Arabia has been directly hit by missiles and drones during the Iran war, but the country is hosting the all-important Muslim pilgrimage anyway   NEWS ANALYSIS | CATHRIN SCHAER | This year is the first time that Saudi Arabia has chosen to go ahead with the annual Hajj pilgrimage while it is …

How the Saudi playbook of dynastic power and managed succession is unfolding in Uganda   NEWS ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | In the grand theaters of global power, absolute rulers have long faced the same ultimate anxiety: how to ensure the empire outlives the emperor. Today, from the sun-scorched palaces …