https://www.scmp.com/rss/519215/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Pope Leo on Tuesday used the fourth and final leg of his Africa tour in Equatorial Guinea to denounce the “colonisation” of Africa’s minerals and the “lust for power” in a country whose president has been in office since 1979. Adoring crowds in the largely Catholic country lined the road from the airport into the administrative capital, Malabo, cheering the first pope to visit since St John Paul II in 1982. Wearing his formal red mozzetta cape, Leo thrilled the flag-waving masses by arriving at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350961/pope-leo-denounces-colonisation-minerals-final-leg-africa-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350961/pope-leo-denounces-colonisation-minerals-final-leg-africa-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 04:54:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo lamented during an event in Angola on Monday that many people in the world were being “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”, the latest example of a forceful new speaking style he has adopted on his ‌four-nation Africa tour. The first US pope, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump with his more outspoken comments, told worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo, near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, that violence and oppression went against the Christian... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350762/pope-leo-criticises-exploitation-worlds-authoritarians-during-angola-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350762/pope-leo-criticises-exploitation-worlds-authoritarians-during-angola-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:55:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo has said the world needs to hear a message of peace and coexistence, after US President Donald Trump attacked him for a second time this week on social media. Speaking on Wednesday during his flight from Algeria to Cameroon for the second leg of a whirlwind 10-day ‌Africa tour, the first US pontiff urged respect for all people and said his travels so far had shown the importance of pursuing dialogue between different communities. “Although we have different beliefs, we have different... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:15:08 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong’s public airmail services to 24 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia have been affected after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran forced flight cancellations to two Gulf states and disrupted transit journeys. A Hongkong Post spokesman said on Sunday evening that the department’s airmail services to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were suspended with immediate effect until further notice. “Airmail services transiting through these locations will also be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:45:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration on Tuesday said it paused all immigration applications, including green card and US citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety. The pause applies to people from 19 countries that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June, placing further restrictions on immigration – a core feature of US President Donald Trump’s political platform. The list of countries includes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 02:16:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move was expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313605/trumps-new-travel-ban-takes-effect-citizens-12-nations-barred-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313605/trumps-new-travel-ban-takes-effect-citizens-12-nations-barred-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:53:29 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven African nations could dampen economic and diplomatic ties, a continental bloc warned. Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation that restricts travel by foreign nationals from 12 countries, including Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan, citing the need to counter the threat of terrorist attacks and safeguard the public. The African Union “remains concerned about the potential negative impact of such measures... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313383/africa-warns-trump-travel-ban-could-dampen-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313383/africa-warns-trump-travel-ban-could-dampen-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:47:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Wednesday resurrected a hallmark policy of his first term, announcing that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. The ban takes effect on Monday at 12.01am EDT, a cushion that avoids the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Trump, who signalled plans for a new ban upon taking office in January, appears to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313101/trump-signs-proclamation-banning-travel-12-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313101/trump-signs-proclamation-banning-travel-12-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:58:45 +0000 When Chinese destroyer Nanning, frigate Sanya and supply ship Weishanhu made a port call in Gabon in July last year, the Chinese navy was happy to help repair some equipment on the Gabonese frigate Mbini. While they were there, the Chinese sailors also showed their counterparts how to use weapons and equipment, plus they carried out anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and rescue operations with them. The Chinese naval stop in Gabon was just one of five visits to countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291559/africas-gulf-guinea-china-proving-it-master-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291559/africas-gulf-guinea-china-proving-it-master-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 08:00:09 +0000 Guinea-Bissau might not be economically important to China, but that does not mean the small West African nation is not on Beijing’s radar. During a state visit to China this week, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo met Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders agreeing to strengthen cooperation on international and multilateral affairs as they officially formed a strategic partnership. In a joint statement released on Wednesday detailing their talks, the two leaders noted:... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270153/guinea-bissau-and-china-announce-strategic-partnership-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270153/guinea-bissau-and-china-announce-strategic-partnership-during-state-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2024 08:00:15 +0000 China has pledged to support Equatorial Guinea to diversify its economy away from a heavy reliance on oil and gas – which accounts for 80 per cent of total exports – as the two countries elevated bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation”. Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Equatoguinean counterpart Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Beijing on Tuesday, where he promised that “China supports the economic and social development of Equatorial Guinea and its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3264591/china-africa-relations-xi-jinping-vows-help-equatorial-guinea-diversify-economy-away-heavy-oil-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3264591/china-africa-relations-xi-jinping-vows-help-equatorial-guinea-diversify-economy-away-heavy-oil-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 12:00:18 +0000 China could face more uncertainty and challenges in safeguarding its overseas interests this year, as more than 60 countries head to the polls in 2024, according to a Chinese think tank. With elections to be held in countries including the United States, Russia and India, it “will usher in a new phase in the geopolitical game”, Renmin University’s China Overseas Security Research Institute (COSRI) said in its latest report. The report, which was released on Wednesday, analyses China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249908/china-facing-more-overseas-security-risks-year-elections-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249908/china-facing-more-overseas-security-risks-year-elections-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jan 2024 09:21:10 +0000 Antony Blinken said on Monday the United States was committed to deeper relations with Africa despite global crises as he opened a trip in the shadow of coups and the rising influence of Russia and China on the continent. Blinken is touring four democracies on the Atlantic Coast – Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola – as security deteriorates in the Sahel and doubts grow about a key US base in coup-hit Niger. US President Joe Biden welcomed African leaders... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3249402/us-all-africa-antony-blinken-says-opening-coastal-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3249402/us-all-africa-antony-blinken-says-opening-coastal-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:28:30 +0000 China is rallying the Group of 77 developing countries to push for reform of the global governance system which – according to some leaders in Africa, Asia and Latin America – disproportionately favours the West. Chinese vice-premier Liu Guozhong said on Sunday that developing countries “should jointly support the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the international financial system”. Liu was speaking in Kampala at the third South Summit – the decision-making body of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249336/china-rallies-g77-countries-major-reform-wto-and-bretton-woods-kampala-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249336/china-rallies-g77-countries-major-reform-wto-and-bretton-woods-kampala-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2024 08:27:59 +0000 Anti-racism activists in Spain have called for a ban on the use of blackface seen in many of the country’s traditional Epiphany celebrations. Rita Bosaho, the first black woman in Spain’s parliament, said the practice – part of annual January 5 parades on the eve of Epiphany that depict the biblical Three Kings who brought gifts to Jesus – tarnished the memory of enslaved people and disempowered black children. In the parades, actors portraying the kings, or Magi, ride past on floats and fling... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3247533/anti-racists-slam-blackface-use-spains-epiphany-parades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3247533/anti-racists-slam-blackface-use-spains-epiphany-parades?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2024 12:50:28 +0000 An international team of scientists say they have developed a new method to identify the origin of pangolin scales, adding to the toolkit for cracking down on the poaching and trafficking of the endangered animal, which is prized in China. The researchers found that poaching activity shifted from West to Central Africa from 2012 to 2018 as the Asian pangolin population shrank, with Cameroon’s southern border emerging as a poaching hotspot. The team said the shift could be a response to increased... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3245103/genetic-test-tracks-origins-illegal-pangolin-products-china-adding-conservation-toolkit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3245103/genetic-test-tracks-origins-illegal-pangolin-products-china-adding-conservation-toolkit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Dec 2023 19:00:08 +0000 North Korea is closing its embassy in Uganda, officials said, ending a half-century of diplomatic presence in one of its longest-standing African allies. The move was announced after a meeting on Monday between Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and North Korean ambassador Jong Tong-hak. “Ambassador Jong informed the president that North Korea has taken a strategic measure to reduce the number of embassies in Africa, Uganda inclusive, in order to increase efficiency of the country’s external... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3239067/north-korea-closes-embassy-uganda-dating-back-idi-amins-brutal-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3239067/north-korea-closes-embassy-uganda-dating-back-idi-amins-brutal-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2023 02:05:25 +0000 The president of Gabon, Ali Bongo, knew well the threat of military coups in his part of the world. But he swore one wouldn’t happen to him. “While our continent has been shaken in recent weeks by violent crises, rest assured that I will never allow you and our country Gabon to be hostages to attempts at destabilisation. Never,” Bongo declared in early August as the central African nation marked 60 years of independence from France, almost all of that time with his family in power. Now,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232901/gabons-wealthy-dynastic-leader-ali-bongo-thought-he-could-resist-africas-trend-coups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3232901/gabons-wealthy-dynastic-leader-ali-bongo-thought-he-could-resist-africas-trend-coups?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Aug 2023 03:05:26 +0000 Sri Lanka tops the list of nations that may host a Chinese naval base in the coming years as Beijing seeks to expand its maritime capabilities, according to a new report. The South Asian nation’s Hambantota port is the most likely spot for a base given the US$2.19 billion China has already invested there, according to an assessment by the AidData research project at William & Mary university in Virginia. Sites in Equatorial Guinea, Pakistan and Cameroon were listed as the next possibilities over... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3229251/sri-lankas-hambantota-port-could-be-chinas-top-choice-next-naval-base-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3229251/sri-lankas-hambantota-port-could-be-chinas-top-choice-next-naval-base-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jul 2023 08:01:16 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that countries could follow “various paths” to protect human rights at a conference in Beijing where delegates from developing countries also heard a criticism of Western notions of human rights. Xi made his statement in a letter to a forum, attended by delegates from 58 countries and the United Nations and African Union, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, a UN document promoting human rights. China faces... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3224096/countries-can-follow-various-paths-human-rights-says-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3224096/countries-can-follow-various-paths-human-rights-says-chinese-president-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2023 13:05:08 +0000 Recorded executions worldwide reached 883 last year, the highest level since 2017, according to an Amnesty International report published on Tuesday that decried the Middle East and North Africa in particular. The 2022 figure for 20 countries known to have executed people is a 53 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, the global rights monitor said. It excludes the “thousands” of prisoners put to death secretively in China, but does count the “staggering” 81 people executed in a single day... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3220706/singapores-11-hangings-add-record-year-executions-worldwide-2022?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3220706/singapores-11-hangings-add-record-year-executions-worldwide-2022?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 May 2023 07:17:09 +0000 Monica Macias stood out wherever she went in North Korea. She was sent to Pyongyang in 1979 with her siblings, Maribel and Fran, by their father Francisco Macias Nguema, the first president of Equatorial Guinea. She was seven and lived there for 15 years. Macias, now 50, recalls spending most of her early days in Pyongyang homesick and missing her mother. She struggled to adapt to North Korean society and the strict military discipline at Mangyongdae Revolutionary Military Boarding School. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3212323/woman-retraces-childhood-north-korea-under-kim-il-sungs-protection-memoir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3212323/woman-retraces-childhood-north-korea-under-kim-il-sungs-protection-memoir?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2023 21:00:17 +0000 The spectre of another Chinese military base in Africa has long raised alarms in Washington, but analysts say the US should focus on the possibility of Beijing gaining a foothold on West Africa’s Atlantic coast or key Indian Ocean ports, rather than fret about its ambitions elsewhere on the continent. China has only one base on the continent, located in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. But the Pentagon says Beijing is planning to build others in countries including Angola, Equatorial Guinea,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3210055/why-us-fears-over-chinas-military-ambitions-africa-should-focus-atlantic-indian-ocean-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3210055/why-us-fears-over-chinas-military-ambitions-africa-should-focus-atlantic-indian-ocean-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:00:22 +0000 In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, the annual league table outlining the best and worst performers in tackling public-sector corruption, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan all fared reasonably well. But big gaps in performances remain. The index, published by Transparency International, the world’s leading anti-corruption NGO, pools together data from 180 countries and territories to offer a snapshot of the battle against corruption. The data comes from a wide array of organisations:... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209065/corruption-perceptions-index-dont-read-too-much-scores-mainland-china-hong-kong-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209065/corruption-perceptions-index-dont-read-too-much-scores-mainland-china-hong-kong-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Feb 2023 19:30:13 +0000 Chinese diplomats have flagged Beijing’s support for greater representation of Africa at the G20 and the UN Security Council, but observers have questioned whether the latter can be achieved. The issue was discussed by the Chinese ambassador to the Republic of the Congo Ma Fulin and Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, the country’s international cooperation minister, ahead of a January meeting of ministers and leaders from the Committee of 10 (C10) in Brazzaville. “We discussed the importance of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3207847/china-gives-support-africa-push-seat-g20-un-security-council?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3207847/china-gives-support-africa-push-seat-g20-un-security-council?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jan 2023 14:00:12 +0000 Bua Noi lies listlessly in the far corner of her enclosure, surrounded by concrete, bars and thick glass, with only a few ropes and a car tire for distraction during her 30-year confinement. But the crowd of visitors at the privately run Pata Zoo on the roof of an old Bangkok mall wants to see more of the female gorilla. An employee lures Bua Noi (little lotus) with a sachet of milk. Finally she gets up, lumbers past the only patch of sunlight in the 10 by 20-metre pen and comes closer. Dozens... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3205332/thailands-last-gorilla-doomed-life-behind-bars-horror-zoo-defies-calls-free-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3205332/thailands-last-gorilla-doomed-life-behind-bars-horror-zoo-defies-calls-free-her?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jan 2023 10:46:28 +0000 A court in Mali has sentenced 46 Ivorian troops whose detention in Mali sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries to 20 years in prison, the public prosecutor said on Friday. Three women soldiers among the original group detained in July, and who were freed in early September, were sentenced to death in absentia. The trial of the 46 Ivorian troops had wrapped up earlier on Friday after opening in the capital Bamako on Thursday. The court proceedings came in the run-up to a January 1... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3205154/mali-orders-ivory-coast-soldiers-jailed-20-years-conspiracy-against-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3205154/mali-orders-ivory-coast-soldiers-jailed-20-years-conspiracy-against-government?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 21:09:24 +0000 President Joe Biden told dozens of African leaders gathered in Washington that the United States is “all in on Africa’s future”, laying out billions in promised government funding and private investment on Wednesday to help the growing continent in health, infrastructure, business and technology. “The US is committed to supporting every aspect of Africa’s growth,” Biden told the leaders and others in a big conference hall, presenting his vision at the three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit of how... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3203344/joe-biden-tells-african-leaders-us-all-continent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3203344/joe-biden-tells-african-leaders-us-all-continent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 20:42:07 +0000 The world is confronting multiple, compounding crises, from Covid-19, energy, inflation, debt and climate shocks to unaffordable living costs and political instability. The need for ambitious action cannot be greater. However, the return of failed policies such as austerity, now called “fiscal restraint” or “fiscal consolidation”, and a lack of effective taxation and debt-reduction initiatives threaten to exacerbate the macroeconomic instability and daily hardships that billions of people are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2022 04:23:22 +0000 Trade between China and Africa grew by 16.6 per cent to US$137.4 billion in the first half of this year, boosted by a recovery in commodity prices, especially oil. China imported goods worth US$60.6 billion from Africa, a 19.1 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2021, according to the latest figures from China’s General Administration of Customs. Meanwhile, exports to the continent increased by 14.7 per cent to US$76.8 billion. However, growth was fastest in the earlier part of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3187869/chinas-trade-africa-gets-boost-rising-commodity-prices-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3187869/chinas-trade-africa-gets-boost-rising-commodity-prices-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Aug 2022 04:00:15 +0000 A second military base in Africa would align with Beijing’s global power ambitions but observers are divided on whether China is actively planning such a move. The US remains unconvinced by Beijing’s continued denials of reports it may build a base on either the Atlantic or Indian Ocean coasts of Africa, and observers point out there were similar rebuttals over its first overseas base in Djibouti – until work started in 2016. Washington has warned a new PLA naval base on either side of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179705/do-chinas-africa-ambitions-include-second-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179705/do-chinas-africa-ambitions-include-second-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 May 2022 22:00:15 +0000 Three weeks ago, Ramata Gueye died after giving birth to a son, Mohamed, seven months into her pregnancy. On Thursday, her bereaved husband El Hadj Gueye learnt that Mohamed was one of 11 babies killed by a fire in a hospital neonatal ward. The couple had been trying for a baby for seven years, said Moustapha Cisse, a cousin of the father, who was among distraught family members of the dead infants gathered in front of the hospital in the Senegalese town of Tivaouane. “It is heartbreaking to see... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3179360/families-confront-horror-after-11-babies-die-senegal-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3179360/families-confront-horror-after-11-babies-die-senegal-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2022 23:39:14 +0000 Most countries sent their finance ministers and central bank governors to the IMF’s spring meetings in Washington, but Gabon – the tiny country on the west coast of Central Africa – sent its environment minister. “They said this has never happened before. Gabon is just different,” said Lee White, whose portfolio includes forests, oceans and climate change, after the meetings. “We spent a lot of time talking about climate financing.” With more than 60 per cent of its revenues coming from oil and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3176333/china-reliant-gabon-finds-oil-free-green-future-its-forests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3176333/china-reliant-gabon-finds-oil-free-green-future-its-forests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 May 2022 05:43:59 +0000 A commercial oil tanker carrying more than 750 tons of diesel ran aground overnight from Friday to Saturday in the Gulf of Gabès in southeastern Tunisia. According to Tunisia’s Environment Ministry, the ship sank late on Saturday morning after water seeped into the engine room. Only the bow of the boat was still visible. It is unclear if it is leaking fuel. As soon as the accident was announced on Friday night, the Environment Ministry announced the activation of the national emergency response... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174524/ship-carrying-750-tons-fuel-sinks-tunisias-coast-threatening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174524/ship-carrying-750-tons-fuel-sinks-tunisias-coast-threatening?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Apr 2022 17:01:49 +0000 Russia’s war against Ukraine is a major if unspoken concern for Indo-Pacific nations living on the periphery of China that are worried something similar could happen in their region, a senior US official said on Tuesday. “Every country in Asia, in the Indo-Pacific, wants to ensure that Ukraine is a cautionary tale, that no one contemplates again, or in another theatre, some sort of operation that would be so destabilising and so destructive,” said Kurt Campbell, Indo-Pacific coordinator for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3173182/indo-pacific-nations-see-russian-war-neighbour-cautionary-tale-says-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3173182/indo-pacific-nations-see-russian-war-neighbour-cautionary-tale-says-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Apr 2022 19:56:21 +0000 Visiting New York in 1990, then-South African president Nelson Mandela was asked why he worked with figures that the US considered adversaries – Fidel Castro of Cuba, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. “One of the mistakes which some political analysts make is to think their enemies should be our enemies,” he said. “Our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.” More than three decades on, South Africa’s current... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3173062/russias-war-ukraine-diplomatic-conundrum-some-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3173062/russias-war-ukraine-diplomatic-conundrum-some-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Apr 2022 03:00:14 +0000 Senior US diplomatic and military officials have visited Equatorial Guinea, reportedly to convince it to reject China’s plan to build a military base on the Central African nation’s Atlantic Coast. Molly Phee, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, was hosted by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on Tuesday “to discuss issues of bilateral interest, how to work together to combat trafficking, and how to address climate change to ensure greater prosperity and security”, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3167448/us-sends-officials-equatorial-guinea-it-tussles-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3167448/us-sends-officials-equatorial-guinea-it-tussles-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:00:23 +0000 As she ran for chief executive in 2017, then-chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told Hong Kong people she would transform our city for the better. Her 777 votes were a harbinger of how lucky Hong Kong was to become under her leadership as chief executive. Now, with protests and dissent no longer possible under China’s national security law for Hong Kong and prickly legislators and newspaper editors either in jail or in exile, Lam has indeed transformed Hong Kong in ways no previous chief... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3166498/time-carrie-lam-and-her-reformed-legislature-end-modern-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3166498/time-carrie-lam-and-her-reformed-legislature-end-modern-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Feb 2022 06:30:16 +0000