By Sean Rayment The UK has agreed to take a £17.8 billion stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in a move that the government claims will reduce carbon emissions and even make money for the taxpayer. Ministers also said that the project could create up to 3,000 jobs and power the equivalent of three million homes. The war in Ukraine has brought renewed focus on the UK’s energy security and Britain’s and Europe’s hitherto reliance on Russian oil and gas. Ministers also set out proposals to kick-start a generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) that supporters claim can…

By Ben Farmer Russia welcomed African military and security officials to Moscow this week, amid fears it is expanding its footprint on the continent by exploiting the West’s failure to counter jihadists. The Kremlin showcased its security expertise and arms industry to representatives from over 100 countries at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Moscow. Attendees, including Iran and China, discussed security challenges ranging from counter-insurgency and financial crime to artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and cyber attacks. Offering security expertise has become a potent selling point in the Kremlin’s efforts to engage with governments and gain…

South Africa’s highest appeal court has ruled that a Turkish telecoms group claiming MTN bribed Iranian officials for a lucrative mobile phone licence may proceed with its case. The Supreme Court of Appeal has overturned a 2022 High Court ruling that dismissed Turkcell and its subsidiary, East Asian Consortium’s, $4.2 billion damages claim. MTN, which has consistently maintained that the Turkish mobile phone operator’s allegations are without merit, has announced its intention to appeal to the Constitutional Court. The legal battle between the two companies dates back to the early 2000s, when MTN and Turkcell competed for a telecommunications licence…

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a deal brokered by the United States to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. While the agreement is being hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough, scepticism remains regarding its ability to establish lasting peace, particularly given the repeated collapse of previous ceasefires since late 2021. Observers have also expressed concern that a focus on strategic minerals could attract additional stakeholders and complicate negotiations. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Washington by DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, with US Secretary of State…

Africa’s largest telecoms group, MTN, is facing legal challenges under the United States Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), which could have significant repercussions for its strategic partners, Deloitte and Accenture, according to a terrorism law expert. Professor Jeffrey Breinholt, a former senior official at the US Department of Justice, has warned that MTN’s partners, including the reputable firms Deloitte and Accenture, may face legal scrutiny if the telecoms company’s involvement in operations in Iran is deemed substantial. The controversy centres on a contract to provide telecoms services in Iran, which began in 2005 through its joint venture, MTN Irancell. Plaintiffs in the…

Axiom Space has appointed a former Google Cloud executive as its new Chief Executive Officer. Tejpaul Bhatia takes the helm after serving as the space firm’s Chief Revenue Officer since 2021, replacing co-founder Dr Kam Ghaffarian, who will remain as Executive Chairman.  The leadership change comes as the company, which is based in Houston, United States, prepares for its fourth human spaceflight mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and ramps up development of a next-generation orbital platform intended to replace the ISS by the end of the decade. As Chief Revenue Officer, Bhatia secured more than £1 billion in…

Scientists will be sending a batch of microscopic organisms into space in the hope that studies will help prepare astronauts for future interstellar travel. The animals, called tardigrades, will accompany astronauts on the next Axiom Space multinational mission to the International Space Station and take part in what are known as the Voyager Experiments. Scientists are hoping that studying tardigrades in space’s hostile environment will help unlock the mystery of how humans can survive and remain healthy on long-range missions to Mars and beyond. The animals are also known as water bears or moss piglets because of the way they…

As South Africa encounters a significant setback in its genocide case against Israel, the Brenthurst Foundation, a prominent South African think tank, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to reset its relations with Israel. The Israeli government has successfully secured a six-month postponement in proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), extending the timeline to 12 January 2026. This extension follows Israeli objections that South Africa attempted to present evidence without granting Israel access to it. The case against Israel is viewed as a key factor in the Trump administration’s increasingly hostile actions towards South Africa, with lawmakers considering…

The Zimbabwean government’s recent claims of progress in compensating white commercial farmers whose land was seized in the 2000s have been described as misleading by a body representing the majority of the 4,500 affected farmers. The Compensation Steering Committee (CSC) challenges the country’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s assertion that commitments to dispossessed farmers have begun to be fulfilled after a first round of payments amounting to US$3.1 million. According to the CSC, these payments are merely token gestures that fail to address the scale of the problem and that the few farmers who have accepted the revised terms are among…

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is pursuing a diplomatic charm offensive to reset relations with the United States in the hope of ending sanctions and unlocking international financing. US officials visited the capital Harare earlier this week for discussions and a Zimbabwean delegation is also set to meet representatives of President Trump’s administration on the sidelines of the World Bank meeting scheduled for 21–26 April, according to Washington sources.   The southern African nation has long been one of the most heavily sanctioned countries by the US, with the first set of sanctions imposed in the early 1990s during Robert Mugabe’s presidency. …

As an opinion poll reveals that support for the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has fallen below that of the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), for the first time, a leading political analyst says the party should strike a trade deal with the Trump administration if it wants to survive. Dr Frans Cronje, the Chairman of the Social Research Foundation says that the ANC is at a critical juncture and its political future hinges on securing a strategic agreement with the Trump administration within this year. The poll conducted by the Institute for Race Relations (IRR)…

There are critical minerals deals to be made in Africa, but the continent must tread carefully to avoid becoming a mere sideshow or collateral damage in the escalating geopolitical battle for resources, warns a leading expert. Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and a Senior Associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies describes this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for African nations—provided they negotiate from a position of strength, fully understand the value of their underground wealth, avoid undervaluing their resources, and strategically market their geopolitical assets. He also emphasised that…