This marks the first satellite-to-mobile service for millions of people in Africa Dubai, UAE | THE INDEPENDENT |  Airtel Africa today announced an agreement with SpaceX to introduce Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellite connectivity across all its 14 markets that serve 174 million customers. Through this partnership, Airtel Africa customers with compatible smartphones …

BEIJING | Xinhua | China’s southernmost island province of Hainan is poised to gain a more diversified and higher-quality economic structure following the launch of island-wide special customs operations on Thursday, said Huang Hanquan, a Chinese economist. Huang, head of the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, made the remarks in …

NEW YORK | Xinhua | The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday threatened to take countermeasures against the EU over what it described as the bloc’s controversial regulations on service providers. “If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter …

CAPE TOWN | Xinhua | Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, is now ranked as the sixth most congested city in the world, with drivers spending about 96 hours a year stuck in traffic, according to a newly released report. The findings from the INRIX 2025 Global Traffic …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Young content creators have been trained on specific Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues to strengthen the youth agency to lead SRHR awareness and action. The training forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen youth agency through the creation and dissemination of accurate, age-appropriate, …

   Up to 60 affected families receive essential food items, blankets, and additional supplies donated by UBL staff Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |When the hills above his home began to rumble in the night of 29th September 2025, Francis Mangusho of Tuikat Sub-county, Kween District, barely had time to …

BEIJING | Xinhua | Following the launch of island-wide special customs operations on Thursday, the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will establish a policy and institutional framework compatible with a high-level free trade port in a phased manner, which will further accelerate its opening-up, according to a Hainan FTP official. …

BEIJING | Xinhua | China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) is set to officially launch island-wide special customs operations on Thursday, a landmark step underscoring the country’s unwavering commitment to expanding high-standard opening up and advancing an open world economy. In the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media …

  Why East and Southern Africa Must Choose Justice Over Silence, and Regional Truth Over Convenient Sovereignty COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI |   On July 4, 1876, American Congressman James A. Garfield declared, “The people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If it is corrupt, it is because the …

WASHINGTON | Xinhua |  U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation expanding the list of countries subject to full or partial entry restrictions to cover around 40 countries, effective on Jan. 1, 2026. Trump “signed a Proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, …