Business leaders have launched a new task force aimed at unlocking the potential of the UK’s defence sector to drive long-term national growth, innovation, and economic resilience. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) launched a new Defence & Economic Growth Taskforce last week. Backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defence Secretary John Healey, the task force brings together senior figures from across the defence, financial, and investment sectors. It will work at pace to deliver actionable recommendations to the government within 12 weeks, setting out how the UK’s planned increase in defence spending—rising to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027—can be…

Protecting the supply of critical minerals vital to the renewables market is an emerging threat to energy security, the head of the International Energy Agency has warned. Dr Fatih Birol told a high-level conference on global energy security that while the threat to fossil fuel supplies—whether through wars, environmental disasters or sabotage—remained a major risk to global trade, there were also growing concerns over the concentration of critical minerals in just a few countries. Hosted by the British government and the International Energy Agency, the two-day summit brought together government ministers from 60 countries, senior European Union officials, energy sector…

Scientists will be sending a batch of microscopic organisms into space in the hope that studies will help prepare astronauts for future interstellar travel. The animals, called tardigrades, will accompany astronauts on the next Axiom Space multinational mission to the International Space Station and take part in what are known as the Voyager Experiments. Scientists are hoping that studying tardigrades in space’s hostile environment will help unlock the mystery of how humans can survive and remain healthy on long-range missions to Mars and beyond. The animals are also known as water bears or moss piglets because of the way they…

As South Africa encounters a significant setback in its genocide case against Israel, the Brenthurst Foundation, a prominent South African think tank, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to reset its relations with Israel. The Israeli government has successfully secured a six-month postponement in proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), extending the timeline to 12 January 2026. This extension follows Israeli objections that South Africa attempted to present evidence without granting Israel access to it. The case against Israel is viewed as a key factor in the Trump administration’s increasingly hostile actions towards South Africa, with lawmakers considering…

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…