LONG READ: The Post-Pax Americana Interregnum has already started

Empires tend to last about a hundred years, and true to form the Pax Americana has passed its peak. What follows is decades of instability and lower growth as the leading countries of the world vie to fill the void. The Interregnum has started.

Illicit gold networks fuelling conflict, organised crime across Africa and global south, GI-TOC warns

Illicit gold has become a critical source of financing for organised crime, armed groups and sanctioned regimes across Africa, a Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime report finds.

Where do deaths outnumber births? - OWID

For most of human history, more people were born each year than died. Populations grew very slowly for most of this history, then rapidly in recent centuries, as child mortality plummeted and people lived longer.

The demographic point of no return: the world is running out of mothers

China and the EU have crossed the threshold beyond which population decline is mathematically irreversible. Once the median age of women passes 40, a country no longer has enough potential mothers to keep the population stable.

Supply chain disruptions are back at 2022 levels – Statista

Global supply chain pressures have risen again in recent months, returning to levels last seen during the height of pandemic-related disruptions, Statista reports.

The world's record heatwaves - Statista

According to NASA, there is “unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate”, Statista reports.

Lesotho signs $6.2bn hydropower and AI project with aim of becoming power exporter

The agreement Lesotho signed with US-based Convalt Energy to develop a 1,200MW hydropower project and an AI data centre is valued at almost three times Lesotho's GDP.

China’s BYD captures 35% of Africa EV market, as latecomer rival Tesla bets on Morocco

Chinese EV giant BYD upped its market share from just 4% in 2023 as electric vehicle sales on the continent accelerated. Tesla is betting on Morocco, Africa’s leading EV manufacturing hub.

South Africa moves to tighten crypto controls after court ruling on Bitcoin

South Africa is moving to tighten oversight of crypto after High Court ruling exposes potential gap in exchange-control framework by finding such assets don't qualify as conventional currency.

AfDB forecasts Africa growth slowdown to 4.2% in 2026 amid global tensions

Africa demonstrates resilience despite tighter global financial conditions and supply chain disruptions, supported by improved macroeconomic management, agricultural output, and higher commodities prices.

Morocco overtakes South Africa as Africa’s top industrial economy, AfDB ranking shows

South Africa’s Ramaphosa seeks to overturn report on "Phala Phala" cash-in-sofa scandal

Also known as “farmgate”, the scandal has remained one of the most politically damaging controversies of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency, exposing divisions within the ruling ANC.

South Africa’s utility Eskom delivers one full year of uninterrupted power supply

On May 16, South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom marked a full year without crippling power outages, or loadshedding, achieving a milestone not seen since September 2018, eight years earlier.

The baby bust: how a global demographic crisis crept up on everyone

Just a decade ago, the dominant demographic narrative was of "dying Russia" — a population hollowed out by the chaos that followed the Soviet collapse, shrinking through a combination of low birth rates, high mortality and mass emigration.

Russia plans Africa summit in October as Moscow deepens Sahel ties

Russia will hold its latest Russia-Africa summit in October, according to officials involved in preparations for the event, as Moscow seeks to expand political, military and economic influence across Africa.

IMF: Extreme inequality is fuelling a global debt crisis

During the Great Depression, as he saw ordinary people’s purchasing power collapse, Federal Reserve Chairman Marriner Eccles warned that excessive saving by the rich was draining demand and deepening the downturn.

Hantavirus outbreak from cruise ship spreads across multiple countries

A hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius has killed three and infected at least seven across multiple countries with reports from Europe of new possible infections.

World oil inventories falling fast towards hard operational floor

The world's oil buffer is disappearing faster than at any point in recorded history. Two months into the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, global inventories are drawing down at a pace that has already exceeded the previous quarterly record.

Global biofuel production up sevenfold in the last two decades - OWID

In the late 20th century, a handful of countries — led by Brazil and the United States — turned to liquid biofuels to reduce their dependence on foreign oil markets, producing transport fuels from cheap crops instead.

The world's piracy hotspots – Statista

A fourth vessel has been hijacked by Somali pirates, this time off the coast of Yemen. The oil tanker MT Eureka was captured in the Gulf of Aden on May 2 and reportedly taken toward Somalia, marking the latest incident in a renewed wave of piracy.