Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities
Some European diplomats are mobilizing on behalf 'the negative and traitorous groups opposed' to the government of President Yoweri Museveni, the military said in a statement.
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News24
an hour ago
- News24
Wildfire risks grow, but SA can lead region's response
Africa accounts for nearly 67% of the world's annually burned surface area; tackling wildfires requires a collaborative effort which SA can help lead, writes Trevor Abrahams. In June, President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney. South Africa was one of five non-G7 countries invited to the summit's outreach sessions, and the only African nation present. During the meeting, Ramaphosa formally endorsed the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter, an international agreement that recognises wildfire as a systemic, year-round climate threat that requires urgent global cooperation. Disaster wildland fires have captured the news as in the recent devastation in Los Angeles, the Jasper Park fire in Canada, the Park fire in California, the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, the fires in Greece, Algeria, Portugal, Brazil and Knysna in South Africa, which have claimed countless lives, destroyed livelihoods, infrastructure and ecosystems. In 2024, some 34 people lost their lives in wildland fires in South Africa, 18 of whom were engaged in fighting these fires. The G7 Kananaskis Wildfire Charter, also endorsed by South Africa, Australia, India, South Korea, Mexico, is more than a diplomatic gesture. It builds on a long-standing working relationship between South Africa and Canada. Since 2015, South African firefighting teams have deployed six times to support Canadian efforts during record-breaking fire seasons. The endorsement acknowledges that wildfire is no longer just a forestry issue. It is a climate, development and public safety challenge that demands integrated and long-term planning. The Charter calls for a shift from reactive suppression to integrated fire management. It emphasises early warning systems, ecological restoration, community resilience and the inclusion of Indigenous and local knowledge. READ | 'We served city with everything…' – Cape Town firefighters say they weren't paid for June These are not new ideas for South Africa. Through the Working on Fire programme, funded by the South African government and implemented by the Kishugu Group, the country operates the continent's only nationally deployed wildland firefighting workforce. Each year, more than 5 000 young South Africans, many from rural areas, are trained to monitor fire danger, reduce fuel loads and carry out prescribed burns and combat unwanted wildfires. This is not just about extinguishing fires. It is about embedding climate resilience, protecting biodiversity and creating jobs in places that need them most. Kishugu has spent two decades building an integrated fire management system. This includes aviation, logistics, fleet management, environmental services and a dedicated training academy. Its teams have worked in Chile, Indonesia and Canada, and supported disaster operations in Malawi. The Kishugu Training Academy, already recognised through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency-funded SADC initiative, has the capacity to serve as a regional hub for training in wildfire preparedness. Despite this experience, sub-Saharan Africa remains underprepared. Africa accounts for nearly 67% of the world's annually burned surface area, yet lacks a shared response architecture. Unlike Europe or the Americas, it has no standard framework for incident management, resource interoperability or joint training. These gaps were clear at the 2025 United Nations FAO Global Fire Management Hub plenary in Rome, where Africa's structural disadvantage was evident. South Africa is in a position to help close that gap. The Wildfire Applied Research Network (WARN), established by the Working on Fire-Kishugu Joint Venture in 2024, aims to connect scientists with frontline fire managers and decision-makers. It promotes applied fire research to inform real-time strategy. But what is needed now is something broader — a dedicated sub-Saharan platform for wildfire cooperation, which could harmonise operational standards, scale up early warning systems and facilitate cross-border resource sharing. Such a platform would also enable a truly collaborative approach. Community education, indigenous knowledge and public participation must be central to how fire governance is shaped on the continent. As climate change accelerates, risk will no longer be isolated. Fire, drought, floods, and food insecurity will overlap and intensify. These are not separate emergencies. They are connected. The only credible response is anticipatory, integrated, and collaborative. Wildfire must be placed at the heart of national disaster strategies. Fire crews should be recognised not only as emergency responders, but as essential climate mitigation personnel. Their work reduces emissions, safeguards ecosystems and builds resilience where it matters most. South Africa has already put the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter into practice. The region should not wait for the next fire season to follow its lead. Trevor Abrahams, managing director, Working on Fire – Kishugu JV News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
UN concerned by Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for dress code violations
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations on Monday expressed concern about the Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for their alleged failure to comply with the authorities' dress code. In May 2022, the Taliban government issued a decree calling for women to show only their eyes and recommending they wear a head-to-toe burqa. The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has cracked down on the way women dress and behave in public, notably through morality laws forbidding them to show their faces outside the home. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said it was concerned by the arrest of 'numerous' women and girls in Kabul between July 16 and 19, who authorities claimed had not followed instructions on wearing the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf. 'These incidents serve to further isolate women and girls, contribute to a climate of fear, and erode public trust,' the mission added, without details including the number of arrests or the ages and where they have been held. The U.N. mission urged the Taliban government to ' rescind policies and practices ' that restrict women and girls' human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the ban on education beyond sixth grade. A Taliban representative was not immediately available for comment. In January 2024, the country's Vice and Virtue Ministry said it had arrested women in the Afghan capital for wearing 'bad hijab.' A ministry spokesman, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, did not say how many women were arrested or what constituted bad hijab. The U.N. mission said at the time it was looking into claims of ill treatment of the women and extortion in exchange for their release. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Since then, the Taliban administration has sought international recognition while enforcing its interpretation of Islamic law. In July, Russia became the only country to grant formal recognition.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
US Turns To Social Media For News - But Fears Of Misinformation Rise
Newspaper on web portal and website Traditional news media are losing influence in the U.S., with, for the first time, most people accessing news via social media and video networks. However, according to a new report from the Reuters Institute, this is fueling misinformation, with more than half of people telling the researchers that they're concerned about their ability to tell what is true from what is false when it comes to online news. Online influencers and personalities are seen as the biggest threat worldwide, along with national politicians, both cited by 47%. Regionally, concern about influencers is highest in African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya, while politicians are seen as the biggest threat in the U.S., Spain, and much of Eastern Europe including Serbia, Slovakia and Hungary. AI chatbots and interfaces are starting to emerge as a news source, though on a small scale - only 7% of survey respondents said they use it for news each week. That figure's 15% for the under-25s. And audiences in most countries remain skeptical about the use of AI in the news, and are more confident when humans are involved. "These data may be of some comfort to news organizations hoping that AI might increase the value of human-generated news," the researchers said. "To that end we find that trusted news brands, including public service news brands in many countries, are still the most frequently named place people say they go when they want to check whether something is true or false online, along with official (government) sources." This was true across age groups, though younger people were proportionately more likely than older groups to use both AI chatbots and social media to check information. The report highlights national differences, with the U.S. moving towards online news sources at a faster rate than the rest of the world. The proportion that say social media are their main source of news, for example, is relatively flat in Japan and Denmark, though it has also increased in other countries with polarized politics such as the UK (20%) and France (19%)," the researchers said. "But in terms of overall dependence the United States seems to be on a different path – joining a set of countries in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia where heavy social media and political polarization have been part of the story for some time." There's a big trend towards a personality-driven alternative media sector, with more than one in five of the U.S sample saying they came across news or commentary from popular podcaster Joe Rogan in the week after Donald Trump's inauguration, including a disproportionate number of young men. Meanwhile, 14% said the same about former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, with other widely accessed personalities including Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Ben Shapiro from the right, and Brian Tyler Cohen and David Pakman from the left. The vast majority of top creators discussing politics are men. Donald Trump has done much to court podcasters and YouTubers, while restricting the traditional media's access to press briefings. This has fueled a lack of trust. "In countries where press freedom is under threat, alternative ecosystems also offer opportunities, at their best, to bring fresh perspectives and challenge repressive governments," the Reuters Institute said. "But at the same time these changes may be contributing to rising political polarization and a coarsening debate online."
