https://www.scmp.com/rss/519404/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Resource-rich African nations are increasingly asserting control over critical minerals to maximise domestic returns, sending global prices soaring and exerting pressure on Chinese supply chains. One price crunch started last month when Zimbabwe, Africa’s biggest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates. The country had originally planned to impose the ban in 2027 to encourage more local value-added processing of the mineral but the government brought... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346717/chinas-supply-chain-meets-wall-african-resource-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:36:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A bus veered off a road and plunged down an embankment on a steep mountain pass in northern South Africa, killing at least 42 people and leaving another 49 passengers injured, authorities said on Monday. The crash happened around 6pm on Sunday, on the N1 highway near the town of Louis Trichardt, around 400km (248 miles) north of the capital, Pretoria. The Transport Ministry said in a statement that the victims included seven children, 17 men and 18 women. It said six people were critically... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328839/42-dead-south-africa-bus-crash-notorious-highway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3328839/42-dead-south-africa-bus-crash-notorious-highway?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:44:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Malawi’s ex-president Peter Mutharika was re-elected to head the impoverished southern African country with nearly 57 per cent of the votes, the election authority announced Wednesday, following polls dominated by soaring living costs. President Lazarus Chakwera came second with 33 per cent of ballots in the September 16 vote, the electoral commission said, hours after the incumbent had conceded defeat admitting his rival had an “insurmountable lead”. Supporters of Mutharika, 85, and his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3326744/malawis-ex-president-mutharika-returns-power-crushing-election-victory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3326744/malawis-ex-president-mutharika-returns-power-crushing-election-victory?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:59:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Alex Maere survived the destruction of Cyclone Freddy when it tore through southern Malawi in 2023. His farm did not. The 59-year-old saw decades of work disappear with the precious soil that the floods stripped from his small-scale farm in the foothills of Mount Mulanje. He was used to producing a healthy 850kg (1,870 pounds) of corn each season to support his three daughters and two sons. He salvaged just 8kg (17 pounds) from the wreckage of Freddy. “This is not a joke,” he said, remembering... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3325394/whats-ai-malawi-helps-farmers-weather-changing-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3325394/whats-ai-malawi-helps-farmers-weather-changing-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:14:33 +0000 Queen of Pop Madonna is a timeless style icon, and her twin daughters, Stella and Estere, seem to be following in their mother’s footsteps. The megastar and her daughters made a grand entrance at the Deadpool & Wolverine New York premiere on July 22, in which her song “Like a Prayer” is used. The seven-time Grammy winner looked fierce in a black Saint Laurent tuxedo dress, and her girls were serving off-duty model vibes in their baggy fits. Stella donned a white oversized Brooklyn jersey with... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3272288/who-are-madonnas-twin-daughters-estere-and-stella-11-year-olds-appeared-deadpool-wolverine-premiere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3272288/who-are-madonnas-twin-daughters-estere-and-stella-11-year-olds-appeared-deadpool-wolverine-premiere?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2024 11:00:16 +0000 A Kremlin spokesman said Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, won’t get caught in a plane crash if he travels on domestic aircraft, state news agency Tass reported. “The Russian president uses domestic aircraft. These are very reliable vehicles,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday. Peskov was speaking at a press briefing when he was asked about the recent aviation accidents that claimed the lives of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima. Raisi... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3266256/kremlin-says-putins-aircraft-very-reliable-after-crashes-killed-leaders-iran-malawi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3266256/kremlin-says-putins-aircraft-very-reliable-after-crashes-killed-leaders-iran-malawi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:17:37 +0000 Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima was killed in a plane crash, the nation’s president said on Tuesday, after searchers located the wreckage of the aircraft in a foggy forest. The military plane carrying Chilima, 51, and nine others disappeared on Monday, after it failed to land in the northern city of Mzuzu due to bad weather and was told to return to the capital, Lilongwe. “The search and rescue team have found the aircraft … completely destroyed with no survivors, as all passengers on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3266094/soldiers-malawi-search-missing-military-plane-carrying-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3266094/soldiers-malawi-search-missing-military-plane-carrying-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jun 2024 23:41:41 +0000 Few women seem more down-to-earth than Melinda French Gates – and yet the ex-Microsoft executive and mother-of-three is one of the richest women in the world. Worth a staggering US$11 billion, according to Forbes, the 59-year-old continues to use her platform to make others’ lives better, particularly women, and hasn’t shied away from discussing difficulties in her own personal life either. Recently, she made an appearance at the White House state dinner for Kenya’s president and first lady,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3265823/billionaire-philanthropist-melinda-french-gates-beyond-her-former-marriage-bill-gates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3265823/billionaire-philanthropist-melinda-french-gates-beyond-her-former-marriage-bill-gates?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2024 22:00:14 +0000 Japan has the least press freedom of all G7 nations, according to global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which ranked the East Asian nation 70th in its latest World Press Freedom Index – behind Hungary, Sierra Leone and Malawi. Norway retained its position at the top of the rankings – released on Friday to coincide with World Press Freedom Day – followed by Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. The United States placed 55th. Eritrea came dead last in 180th place, with Syria and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261628/japans-compliant-elite-media-blamed-poor-press-freedom-ranking-they-dont-want-rock-boat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261628/japans-compliant-elite-media-blamed-poor-press-freedom-ranking-they-dont-want-rock-boat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 04:00:20 +0000 Born to pop diva Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie, Rocco John Ritchie is more than just his famous parents. Rocco, a talented painter, showcased his two day pop-up exhibition “Pack a Punch” in Miami Design District over April 10 and 11. With his artworks among the personal collections of fashion designers such as Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace, the young Ritchie is a rising star in the art world. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Madonna... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3259413/meet-madonnas-eldest-artist-son-rocco-ritchie-painter-who-just-exhibited-miami-has-pop-diva-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3259413/meet-madonnas-eldest-artist-son-rocco-ritchie-painter-who-just-exhibited-miami-has-pop-diva-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:00:22 +0000 Nearly 100 people died when an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off the north coast of Mozambique, local authorities said on Monday. The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble on Sunday as it tried to reach an island off Nampula province, officials said. The death toll rose to 96 on Monday with people reported missing. “Because the boat was overcrowded and unsuited to carry passengers, it ended up sinking,” Nampula’s secretary of state Jaime Neto told the BBC, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258166/more-90-people-killed-after-boat-sinks-mozambique-coast-authorities-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3258166/more-90-people-killed-after-boat-sinks-mozambique-coast-authorities-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 22:26:26 +0000 The UN Human Rights Council on Friday demanded a halt to all arms sales to Israel, highlighting warnings of “genocide” in its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 people. The resolution, which passed with 28 of the council’s 47 member states voting in favour, six opposed and 13 abstaining, marked the first time the United Nations’ top rights body has taken a position on the bloodiest-ever war to beset the besieged Palestinian territory. Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3257976/un-rights-council-mulls-call-halt-arms-sales-israel-amid-plausible-risk-genocide-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3257976/un-rights-council-mulls-call-halt-arms-sales-israel-amid-plausible-risk-genocide-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2024 08:29:10 +0000 Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster over a devastating drought that’s sweeping across much of southern Africa, with the country’s president saying it needs US$2 billion for humanitarian assistance. Wednesday’s declaration was widely expected following similar actions by neighbouring Zambia and Malawi, where drought linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has scorched crops, leaving millions of people in need of food assistance. “Due to the El Nino-induced drought … more than 80 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3257796/zimbabwe-declares-drought-disaster-el-nino-leaves-millions-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3257796/zimbabwe-declares-drought-disaster-el-nino-leaves-millions-hungry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:56:30 +0000 Human-caused climate change is having a compounding impact on Africa and holding back the continent’s growth. In my two decades of residency in Cairo, Egypt, I have never witnessed a winter as warm as the one this year. Last year was the hottest that the land of the Nile has witnessed, with Egyptians sweltering in summer heat in October and November. Many other African countries – from Somalia and Senegal to Libya and South Africa – also experienced unprecedented heat. Climate change and extreme... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255233/rich-world-must-follow-chinas-lead-and-support-africas-green-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255233/rich-world-must-follow-chinas-lead-and-support-africas-green-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2024 08:30:10 +0000 The battle lines were drawn in Geneva on Tuesday, as China faced a twice-a-decade United Nations public grilling over its human rights record. On one side was a group of mostly Western countries that roundly lambasted Beijing’s “serious human rights violations” in Xinjiang and Tibet, and urged it to repeal the national security law it had imposed on Hong Kong. On the other were most Global South nations, many of which praised China’s poverty alleviation policies, and Beijing’s long-standing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249538/chinas-united-nations-human-rights-review-puts-global-divide-display?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249538/chinas-united-nations-human-rights-review-puts-global-divide-display?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:43:14 +0000 Debt traps are being laid for many low-income and developing countries, but the usual suspect, China, doesn’t actually hold a candle to Western lending institutions. As Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a Malaysian economist and former United Nations assistant secretary general for economic development, has argued cogently, rising interest rates and lending practices promoted and sometimes pushed on to developing economies by Western institutions such as the World Bank are the real causes of rising “poverty... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247830/wests-privatising-lending-poor-nations-laying-real-debt-traps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247830/wests-privatising-lending-poor-nations-laying-real-debt-traps?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jan 2024 13:00:12 +0000 A plane that had been grounded in France for days over concerns its nearly 300 mostly Indian passengers were part of a human trafficking scheme has landed in Mumbai, flight tracking data showed early Tuesday. The Airbus A340 initially had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained last Thursday at Vatry airport, east of Paris, where it had stopped for refuelling. It had arrived from Dubai and there was an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking. Of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3246240/plane-held-days-france-trafficking-concerns-lands-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3246240/plane-held-days-france-trafficking-concerns-lands-india?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Dec 2023 23:32:29 +0000 We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China space authorities name Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘unprecedented challenge’ China’s ambition to become a dominant space power by 2045 is facing unprecedented challenges, especially from US company SpaceX, according to an official... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3244329/modi-tilts-towards-taiwan-agnes-chow-jumps-bail-elon-musks-spacex-dents-chinas-space-ambition-scmps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3244329/modi-tilts-towards-taiwan-agnes-chow-jumps-bail-elon-musks-spacex-dents-chinas-space-ambition-scmps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 04:00:23 +0000 In Paul Theroux’s 2002 book Dark Star Safari, he travels from Cairo to Cape Town on low-cost transport, staying in cheap hotels. It was his return to Africa after 35 years. As a young man, he had taught in Malawi and lectured at a university in Uganda. Malawi had been one of the world’s poorest countries. On his return, he wanted to see how it compared. Theroux was appalled to find that things were mostly not better, and in many cases worse. He visited small cities such as Mbeya in western... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243976/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-rightly-offers-charity-free-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243976/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-rightly-offers-charity-free-development?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:30:08 +0000 Japan is slipping further down the international rankings for spoken proficiency in the English language, with the latest study by a Swiss educational company placing the country behind Malawi and only narrowly ahead of Afghanistan. That is a poor result for the world’s third-largest economy, say experts, and one that arguably puts Japan’s role in the world and its agenda at risk. The annual survey, by Swiss company EF Education First, measures the English proficiency of people in 113... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3243928/japan-increasingly-out-sync-global-market-people-shun-speaking-english?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3243928/japan-increasingly-out-sync-global-market-people-shun-speaking-english?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Dec 2023 09:10:21 +0000 The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes. “Almost exactly two years ago, WHO recommended the broad use of the world’s first malaria vaccine called ‘RTS, S,’” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva. “Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that WHO is recommending a second vaccine called R21/Matrix-M to prevent malaria in children... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236565/who-recommends-malaria-vaccine-children-be-rolled-out-next-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236565/who-recommends-malaria-vaccine-children-be-rolled-out-next-year?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:09:43 +0000 A seasoned Chinese diplomat with a focus on Latin America is the new chief of a semi-official body tasked with promoting people-to-people exchanges with other nations. Yang Wanming, 59, was introduced as president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) at a gathering it hosted on Monday. He was attending the opening ceremony of a five-day event aimed at boosting youth exchanges between China and Russia, according to a post published on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232054/latin-america-expert-takes-over-head-chinese-friendship-association?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232054/latin-america-expert-takes-over-head-chinese-friendship-association?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 01:00:17 +0000 My father came from fairly humble origins – his father was a train driver – and he won a scholarship to a local grammar school in Yorkshire (in northern England), left at 15 and qualified as an accountant. As a young man, he realised there were more opportunities in the British Empire, so he joined the Sudan government service in 1935. My mother was an Essex girl whose first husband was a qualified engineer. During the second world war, he was in Sudan but she was in Britain being a secretary,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3231502/his-mother-said-buy-property-he-bought-chinese-robes-now-his-hong-kong-flat-could-be-textile-museum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3231502/his-mother-said-buy-property-he-bought-chinese-robes-now-his-hong-kong-flat-could-be-textile-museum?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Aug 2023 23:45:10 +0000 A total of 120 deals worth US$10.3 billion were signed during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, capital of the central Chinese province of Hunan – significantly lower than previous events. Some 99 cooperation projects valued at US$8.7 billion were unveiled at the four-day event that ended on Sunday, Chinese officials said. Of these, 74 were matchmaking initiatives launched by 11 African countries. According to the Hunan provincial government, 15 economic and trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3226366/deals-down-hunans-china-africa-trade-expo-reaps-us10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3226366/deals-down-hunans-china-africa-trade-expo-reaps-us10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:53:09 +0000 Business Insider Business Insider Worldwide, scientists have found that there’s around a 20cm, or 7.8 inch, difference between the average height of a child in the tallest and shortest countries, according to the BBC. When it comes to adults, in countries like the Netherlands – ranked as the tallest on Earth – the average person towers as high as 175.62cm (5 feet 7.96 inches). But at the other end of the scale, the average height is considerably lower. Below is a ranking of average height data compiled using a 2020 medical... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3223878/asia-has-14-worlds-top-25-shortest-countries-can-you-guess-whos-no-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3223878/asia-has-14-worlds-top-25-shortest-countries-can-you-guess-whos-no-1?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 04:32:07 +0000 A baby died and 23 people are missing after a hippopotamus hit a boat travelling on Malawi’s Shire River, authorities said on Tuesday. Police in the southern African country’s southern district of Nsanje said the vessel, a canoe, was carrying 37 people across the waterway when the incident took place on Monday morning. Nsanje police spokeswoman Agnes Zalakoma said locals managed to pull 13 people from the treacherous waters, while another 23 were still missing on Tuesday. Rescuers also retrieved... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3220799/baby-dead-23-people-missing-after-hippo-hits-boat-malawi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3220799/baby-dead-23-people-missing-after-hippo-hits-boat-malawi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 May 2023 23:09:39 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. The UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, kicking off on World Water Day today, is the first such conference in almost 50 years. But it arrives against a worrying backdrop. Across the globe, we... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3214316/world-water-day-case-natural-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3214316/world-water-day-case-natural-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Mar 2023 03:30:09 +0000 China is importing more food products such as avocados, cashews, sesame seeds and chilli peppers from Africa, as agriculture emerges as the new focus of Beijing’s engagement with the continent. In the first two months of this year, Shanghai ports handled more than 40,000 tonnes of African agricultural products worth more than US$100 million, according to Shanghai Customs. By March 3, a total of 1,845 tonnes of African sesame had been imported through Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao Port – 4.3 times more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Mar 2023 10:00:18 +0000 Cyclone Freddy, packing powerful winds and torrential rain, killed more than 100 people in Malawi and Mozambique on its return to southern Africa’s mainland, authorities said. Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera declared a state of disaster in several southern districts including the commercial hub Blantyre. The government was already responding to the disaster while appealing for local and international relief aid for the affected families, the presidency said in a statement. Nearly 100 people... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3213412/cyclone-freddy-kills-70-malawi-and-mozambique?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3213412/cyclone-freddy-kills-70-malawi-and-mozambique?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:44:22 +0000 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday slammed the world’s rich countries and energy giants for throttling poor nations with “predatory” interest rates and crippling fuel prices. Speaking in the Qatari capital, Doha, Guterres told leaders of more than 40 of the most deprived states that wealthy nations should provide US$500 billion a year to help others “trapped in vicious cycles” that block efforts to boost economies and vital services. The summit of Least Developed Countries (LDC)... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3212381/un-chief-slams-rich-countries-treatment-poor-nations-urges-them-do-more-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3212381/un-chief-slams-rich-countries-treatment-poor-nations-urges-them-do-more-help?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Mar 2023 15:07:59 +0000 Trade between China and Tanzania, one of Africa’s fastest-growing population centres, surged by nearly a quarter last year as the two countries cemented diplomatic ties. Speaking in Hong Kong on Thursday, Tanzanian ambassador to Beijing Mbelwa Kairuki said trade volume reached US$8.31 billion last year, a 23.7 per cent year-on-year increase. Electronics, machinery and vehicles accounted for a big share of Tanzania’s imports from China, while food and copper dominated Chinese imports from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3208906/worlds-investment-frontier-china-tanzania-trade-ties-prosper-firm-diplomatic-footing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3208906/worlds-investment-frontier-china-tanzania-trade-ties-prosper-firm-diplomatic-footing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:30:07 +0000 In their bombshell Netflix documentary, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that back in 2018 they had planned to move to South Africa to continue their charity work and avoid the British media. A country close to both of their hearts, it seemed the perfect place to escape to. However, after the story was leaked to the press, the couple were forced to scrap the idea. Prince Harry’s long-standing love affair with Africa – and in particular with South Africa – is well known. Even his uncle,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3208223/escape-african-bush-prince-harry-5-luxury-getaways-try-duke-sussexs-beloved-kruger-national-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3208223/escape-african-bush-prince-harry-5-luxury-getaways-try-duke-sussexs-beloved-kruger-national-park?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:00:14 +0000 From the air, Liwonde National Park appears as an undulating expanse of mopane woodland. The gentle humps of the Chinguni and Kadangusi hills dominate the foreground, giving way to the open, lush Chikalogwe Plain, where herds of water buffalo, sable antelope and impala graze beneath elegant Borassus palms. The Shire (pronounced “shi-ray”) river – fringed by countless tributaries, lagoons and oxbow lakes – meanders through the landscape, a fiery ribbon in the late afternoon sun. It’s easy to see... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3205809/national-park-malawi-southern-africa-sets-benchmark-reducing-human-animal-conflict-and-restoring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3205809/national-park-malawi-southern-africa-sets-benchmark-reducing-human-animal-conflict-and-restoring?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jan 2023 05:15:07 +0000 Nearly a year ago, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda requested that the East African country be allowed to export more products tariff-free to the lucrative Chinese market. China’s trade restrictions made it impossible to export some items, he explained. “[Chinese] companies are very active. They [see opportunity] … and they come and invest. So I think that is going very well,” Museveni told Bloomberg in November, ahead of the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 22:00:13 +0000 World leaders are making the case for tougher action to tackle global warming, as this year’s international climate talks in Egypt hear growing calls for fossil fuel companies to help pay for the damage they have helped cause to the planet. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has warned that humanity was on “a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”, urging countries to “cooperate or perish”. He and leaders such as Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said it was time to make... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3198886/cop27-fossil-fuel-tax-urged-un-summit-amid-pleas-poorer-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3198886/cop27-fossil-fuel-tax-urged-un-summit-amid-pleas-poorer-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2022 11:48:50 +0000 The mood at the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund was all doom and gloom. Global debt is ringing alarm bells. Increasingly restrictive US monetary policy is having an outsize tightening effect on the rest of the world and hitting emerging markets the hardest. Central banks in emerging markets put an end to extraordinarily low interest rates induced by the Covid-19 crisis much earlier. However, as inflation in the United States continues to surge, the US Federal... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196468/federal-reserves-inflation-fight-leaves-emerging-markets-scrambling-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196468/federal-reserves-inflation-fight-leaves-emerging-markets-scrambling-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Oct 2022 08:30:08 +0000 An 11-year jail sentence for a Vietnam-based wildlife trafficking “kingpin” and his associate has sent other illegal ivory traders packing, with many abandoning their operations into China, according to The Hague-based Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC). Vietnam remains a key wildlife smuggling gateway for elephant ivory and rhino horn moving between Africa and China, but strict Chinese law enforcement is paying off, with a WJC report released on Wednesday showing a decline in the trade. “[We]... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194118/china-crackdown-ivory-trade-deters-smugglers-hague-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194118/china-crackdown-ivory-trade-deters-smugglers-hague-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:00:14 +0000 Just like his iconic mother did 20 years before he was even born, Madonna’s son David Banda is also subverting norms and breaking down barriers. The 16-year-old footballer and aspiring artist appears to be embracing a more gender-fluid personal style of late, proudly strutting in dresses and designer womenswear brands at high-profile events – often with his fashion-forward mum by his side. One of Banda’s more recent gender-bending fashion forays almost broke the internet when, back in May, he... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3190999/madonnas-son-new-face-gender-fluid-fashion-move-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3190999/madonnas-son-new-face-gender-fluid-fashion-move-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Sep 2022 11:00:17 +0000 Liu Yuxi, the former head of China’s mission to the African Union, has been appointed Beijing’s new special representative for African affairs, China’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday. The ministry described Liu, 60, as a veteran diplomat well-versed in African affairs who also once served as the ambassador to Togo. “He stands ready to establish close working relations with various sides, further deepen exchange and cooperation between China and African countries and regional... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190965/china-names-new-special-representative-african-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190965/china-names-new-special-representative-african-affairs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Sep 2022 08:23:36 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China has approved imports of Zambian soybean meal, as the world’s top pork-consuming nation looks to diversify its sources of pig feed. Shipments must meet inspection and quarantine requirements to ensure they do not carry “pests of concern” to China, Chinese customs said on Monday. They must also be sourced from processing enterprises recommended by the Zambian agriculture ministry and approved by Chinese inspectors, the General Administration of Customs said in its statement. The move, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189793/china-africa-trade-zambian-soybean-meal-follows-kenyan-avocado?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189793/china-africa-trade-zambian-soybean-meal-follows-kenyan-avocado?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2022 04:00:19 +0000 China will help reconstruct the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) – its largest foreign aid project in Africa ever. The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has been appointed to carry out a feasibility study on the project, the Chinese embassy in Zambia announced. “China is making every effort to prepare for the reactivation of the railway upon Zambian and Tanzanian request again,” Chinese ambassador to Lusaka Du Xiaohui said, adding that Beijing will engage the Zambian and Tanzanian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189645/50-years-chinese-role-africas-freedom-railway-zambia-tanzania?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189645/50-years-chinese-role-africas-freedom-railway-zambia-tanzania?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Aug 2022 04:00:14 +0000 He may only be 16 but David Banda, son of Madonna, is quickly gaining attention as a fledgling fashion maven and giving adventurous dressers such as singers Harry Styles and Lil Nas X a run for their money. Even Madonna recently weighed in. “He can put on any outfit and look swag as you know what,” she said in a recent interview on US talk show The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She added: “It’s really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them. He can even wear a dress and look... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3188882/david-bandas-fashion-madonnas-son-gives-harry-styles-lil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3188882/david-bandas-fashion-madonnas-son-gives-harry-styles-lil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Aug 2022 03:19:13 +0000 A doorman working at an elite Parisian restaurant embroiled in a racism scandal said on Monday that he was told to refuse entry to non-white customers. The Manko restaurant and nightclub on the exclusive Avenue Montaigne, a short walk from the Champs-Elysees, is being investigated after video emerged of black women being turned away. The Peruvian-themed venue denies having a racist policy and has apologised to three shocked women who filmed their experience on July 16 and posted it on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3186549/manko-restaurant-paris-faces-racism-probe-after-denying-entry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3186549/manko-restaurant-paris-faces-racism-probe-after-denying-entry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:00:35 +0000 A Chinese national accused of racism and exploiting children in Malawi was charged with human trafficking in the capital Lilongwe on Monday, local media reported. Lu Ke, 26, was arrested last month in neighbouring Zambia for illegal entry after fleeing Malawi when allegations of abuse surfaced. He allegedly filmed children singing racist chants about themselves in Chinese – which they did not understand – and then selling the videos on Chinese social media. Lu was extradited to Malawi and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3185738/chinese-national-racist-video-scandal-charged-human-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3185738/chinese-national-racist-video-scandal-charged-human-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jul 2022 21:37:00 +0000 The past month has been a busy time for Chinese diplomacy in Africa, with senior officials making dozens of trips to the continent to resolve disputes, strengthen relations and respond to a recent Western charm offensive. In a meeting with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Wednesday, the Chinese government’s special representative on African affairs, Xu Jinghu, promised China would continue to strengthen bilateral relations with the East African nation in priority sectors such as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3185515/chinese-diplomats-flock-africa-response-western-charm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3185515/chinese-diplomats-flock-africa-response-western-charm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jul 2022 22:00:26 +0000 Colonialism or neocolonialism is the subtext of most overseas reporting of China in Africa. While there is the golden rule of journalism according to which only bad news makes good news, the sheer volume of negative or critical stories on the topic in the past decade rather boggles the mind. Does the West really care so much about the well-being of Africans? Who knows? But what about Africans and their countries? Do they have no agency or, if you prefer an old-fashioned phrase, free will, of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3185030/african-youngsters-do-not-buy-western-claims-about-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3185030/african-youngsters-do-not-buy-western-claims-about-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2022 13:00:12 +0000 African countries owe three times more debt to Western banks, asset managers and oil traders than to China, and are charged double the interest, according to a study released on Monday by British campaign charity Debt Justice. This is despite the growing accusations by the US and other Western countries that China’s lending is behind the debt troubles faced by some African countries. The study said just 12 per cent of the continent’s external debt was owed to Chinese lenders, compared to 35 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3184962/china-not-blame-african-debt-crisis-its-west-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3184962/china-not-blame-african-debt-crisis-its-west-study?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2022 10:00:23 +0000 China is preparing to hand over a new US$140 million parliament building as a gift to Zimbabwe – the latest in a series of grand projects across Africa designed to deepen its influence in the continent, where it is the largest trading partner and lender. The site at Mount Hampden, about 18km (11 miles) northwest of the capital Harare, heralds the start of a new city. The 650-seat building will replace the current 100-seat, colonial-era building which Zimbabwean officials consider too small for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3183959/chinese-firm-prepares-hand-over-new-us140-million-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3183959/chinese-firm-prepares-hand-over-new-us140-million-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jul 2022 09:20:17 +0000 Around a quarter of the world’s population face a “significant” risk from once-in-a-century floods, a global study has found. Nearly 70 per cent of the 1.8 billion at risk live in South and East Asia, including 395 million people in China and 390 million in India. The world’s two largest countries by population combined account for more than one-third of global exposure to a significant risk, which the researchers defined as floods with a depth of 15cm (6 inches) or more. China leads the world... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3183353/quarter-worlds-population-risk-once-century-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3183353/quarter-worlds-population-risk-once-century-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:00:11 +0000 Health officials in Britain warned parents to ensure their children have been vaccinated against polio after the virus that causes the disease was found in London sewage samples in recent months. The UK Health Security Agency said it believes the virus was “vaccine-derived”, meaning it came from someone who received the live polio vaccine abroad. That person would then have passed the virus to closely linked individuals in London, who shed the virus into their faeces. The UK stopped using the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3182751/polio-back-uk-after-virus-detected-london-sewage-samples?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3182751/polio-back-uk-after-virus-detected-london-sewage-samples?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2022 04:35:05 +0000