Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
europelatest news & developments
The centre: African continent holds significant reserves of minerals essential to modern industrial systems,
including cobalt, lithium, platinum, manganese and rare-earth elements.

Africa: The only continent in all four hemispheres; global role still undecided

Its cities are expected to absorb hundreds of millions of new residents in the coming decades, making urban governance, infrastructure planning and service delivery central to…

Great gift: Africa, a continent of contradiction, where conflict and innovation, fragility and possibility, poverty
and resilience live side by side.

Africa has a gift the world still needs

The demographic case is equally striking. More than 60% of Africans are under 25. By 2050, one in three people aged 15 to 24 anywhere on Earth will be African. A continent this…

AQIM helped take control of large parts of northern Mali. The photo shows AQIM’s execution of a Tuareg in northern Mali in 2016 -Image Spplied

The Sahel region has become the gateway for jihadist terrorism in Africa

The three Sahelian countries — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — which have experienced military coups, have not been able to contain the growing episodes of terrorism they have…

President Cyril Ramaphosa with twenty new Heads of Mission-designate. Photo: Marion Smith

A moment of diplomacy and global connection

The presentation of credentials is a cornerstone of diplomatic protocol, symbolising mutual recognition and the formal commencement of an ambassador’s duties

South Africa cannot afford frivolous debates that treat borders as provisional or sovereignty as negotiable.

South Africa’s dangerous drift away from sovereignty and nationhood

Transnational commitments are celebrated, while attachment to the nation‑state is treated with suspicion

Age of cruelty

The rise of darkness indeed splits the world … It divides us into those who believe in humanity and those who feel entitled to do whatever they want

Canada’s PM Mark Carney. (World Economic Forum)

From the US-led rules-based order to multipolar international law

Recently, Canada’s PM Mark Carney declared the end of the rules-based order. It was an outstanding speech. Yet, US unilateralism first soared in the 1980s. The rest of the West…

As Europe tightens emissions rules and imports gain market share, carmakers say South Africa must urgently align industrial policy with the global shift to new-energy vehicles

Surge of imports and lack of EV readiness disrupts the automotive industry

As Europe tightens emissions rules and imports gain market share, carmakers say South Africa must urgently align industrial policy with the global shift to new-energy vehicles

Fighting fire: Wildfire response in South Africa remains heavily dependent on state resources and a limited volunteer base. Photos: Supplied

Fire alert not heeded

South Africa’s approach to wildfire management has not adjusted at the same pace

New empire: US President Donald Trump has threatened to grab Greenland. Photo: Doctor Dave

Angst about Trump’s Greenland threat

When coercion is directed outward from the West toward the Global South it is normalised, bureaucratised and framed as responsible governance

US President Donald Trump’s land-for-peace formula feeds into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revanchism. Photo: Dominick Reuter/Reuters

Europe’s dilemma: Standing by Ukraine as Trump courts Putin

Russia’s demand for Ukraine to surrender the free parts of Donbas is ‘equivalent to the US having to give up Florida’

It’s time to talk about weaponising visas against Africans

Most rejections by European countries and the US are based on ‘reasonable doubts about the visa applicants’ intention to return home’. Many Africans believe otherwise

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced initiatives to boost Europe’s defence spending.

Europe’s defence gamble: Can more spending buy true autonomy?

Military might without a coherent political and ethical framework won’t help the continent stand up to the US and risks repeating the mistakes of the past

The National Dialogue is intended to be a public process, driven and realised by the people. Graphic: John McCann/M&G

Truth and lies in the GNU faux pas

Here and worldwide people are feeling detached from society and lonely, so they grab onto populist political leaders and parties

Universities in Africa need to secure funding for students and build new research collaborations while not excluding US partners

Geopolitical shifts are affecting higher education on the continent

Universities in Africa need to secure funding for students and build new research collaborations while not excluding our US partners

The American dream is eroding and with it the promise of the land of the free.

Multilateral world must address global threats as alliance of democracies breaks down

The land of the free is no more with the judiciary, an independent media, the rollback of discrimination based on race, ethnicity and gender and progressive educational…

Chinese President Xi Jinping. (File photo)

Is China stepping into transatlantic relations?

Europe faces a choice: continue with a transatlantic alliance with the Trump administration that is conditional, or explore a new balance with China

Flight Centre’s year in travel 2024: where you went and where you’re headed next…

Your ticket to insider travel scoops, data bites, and expert predictions for the year ahead

Olivier Laouchez (Photo supplied)

Bold innovations for this year’s Trace Awards — and beyond

This year, the Trace Awards will feature a range of categories celebrating musical excellence across different regions and genres

Best tours for over 50s: Your next adventure awaits

Flight Centre brings you loads of tours suitable for over 50s which let you see the world with likeminded travellers in a similar age bracket