The United States is urging other countries to avoid doing business with Chinese satellite companies amid fears that such contracts fuel military development and help Beijing gather sensitive intelligence from allies. A leaked memo from the US State Department warned America’s allies not to use satellite services from “untrusted suppliers,” such as those from “China.” The memo stated, “It is important to ensure satellite services provided by untrusted suppliers, such as those from China, are not permitted to operate in your country.” The memo, obtained by Defense One, said that working with Chinese space providers operating in low Earth orbit (LEO)…

Zimbabwe’s claims of progress in compensating white commercial farmers have been described as misleading by a body representing the majority of the 4,500 affected farmers.

A Zimbabwean delegation is 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.  

Intelligence officials have claimed that North Korea is planning to deploy troops inside Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in its involvement in the war. The claim emerged as a new report revealed that at least half of all the munitions used by the Russian army in Ukraine were supplied by North Korea, highlighting the Kremlin’s increasing reliance on Kim Jong-un. Although Kim’s regime has sent around 14,000 troops to help the Russian army drive Kyiv’s forces out of Russia’s western Kursk region, North Korean troops have yet to enter Ukraine. But, Andrii Kovalenko, a senior member of Ukraine’s National Defence…

A senior Ukrainian official has called for urgent international action to secure the return of more than 20,000 children who she says have been kidnapped by Russia in what Kyiv is calling “the largest abduction operation” of its kind. Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa described the forced deportation of children from occupied territories as a systematic campaign of Russification and indoctrination, and said their safe return must be a precondition to any peace settlement. “Russia has abducted at least 20,000 Ukrainian children and deported them to Russia. Forceful assimilation, indoctrination, mobilisation. Huge mobilisation especially for young boys. Russification, erasing their…

California’s last remaining nuclear energy plant is harnessing artificial intelligence to make its processes more efficient. AI computer systems have been installed to help navigate billions of pages of documents required to manage nuclear facilities under US federal law. The Diablo Canyon nuclear facility, located in San Luis Obispo on California’s central coast, has been in decline for years and is slated to begin decommissioning in 2029. However, the plant remains critically important in California’s energy mix, providing nearly nine per cent of the state’s electricity and 17 per cent of its zero-carbon energy. Last year, the nuclear power plant…

If the ANC wants to survive in South Africa, it must conclude a deal with the Trump Administration.

The United States and Iran have resumed indirect talks, over Iran’s nuclear programme, after President Trump warned of “great danger” if a deal isn’t reached. Both sides described the discussions as “constructive,” though major differences persist. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, speaking to Fox News, said Iran “does not need to enrich past 3.67 per cent,” the limit set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran has reportedly enriched uranium up to 60 per cent purity, close to the 90 per cent threshold required for nuclear weapons. “This is going to be very much about verification of the…

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using fibre-optic cable-driven drones to conduct deep strikes against Russia. These drones have already targeted Russian munitions factories, troops, and armoured vehicles. Originally developed by Russia, fibre-optic drones were first seen on the battlefield in Ukraine earlier this year. However, Ukraine has been quick to catch up, even going so far as to target Russian fibre-optic factories in an effort to prevent further deployment of the technology on the front line. The low-flying drones are tethered to the ground via thin fibre-optic cables, which unwind as the drone flies farther from the controller. Unlike radio-controlled…

The United States issued fresh sanctions on Iran just days before talks between Washington and the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme. The US Treasury designated five entities and one individual based in Iran for their support of the country’s nuclear programme, the department announced. The sanctions are intended to help prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The designated groups played a crucial role in supporting two previously sanctioned entities that manage the country’s nuclear programme: the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its subordinate, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), the Treasury said. The action comes after…

Attack drones are now responsible for 80 per cent of all battlefield casualties in the Ukraine war, Western officials have revealed. Unmanned aerial vehicles – also known as drones – have now replaced traditional artillery strikes against opposition targets and account for between 70 to 80 per cent of Russian and Ukrainian military casualties, the officials added. Russia has sustained over 900,000 casualties, of which 250,000 troops had been killed in action – the greatest number of battlefield losses since the Second World War, officials added. It has also emerged that it will take Russia at least five years to…

The history of major resource agreements is rife with examples of deals being renegotiated or annulled without compensation.