The mobilisation follows Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s warning that his forces would repel any attacks by their enemies. Three Ethiopian regions previously untouched by the war in Tigray confirmed on Thursday that they were deploying forces to back military operations there, signalling a potential widening of the conflict. The reinforcements …

The spokesman for the Afghan government’s negotiating team in Doha said the offer from the armed group was a ‘big demand’. The Taliban have offered a three-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of thousands of fighters held in prisons, a top Afghan government negotiator said on Thursday, as the …

By thinking more creatively, countries can turn the fact of ageing and declining populations into an opportunity.The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated, at least temporarily, the global trend towards lower fertility rates. Statistics from late 2020, nine months after the first lockdowns kicked in, show a sharp decline in the …