Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education and the workforce, but access to AI learning opportunities in Africa remains uneven. With rapid demographic shifts and growing labour market pressures, AI has become a strategic development priority, making the demand for relevant skills more urgent. This study investigates how universities and industries engage in shaping AI education and workforce preparation, drawing on survey responses from five African countries (Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Zambia). The findings show broad recognition of AI importance but limited evidence of consistent engagement, practical training, or equitable access to resources. Most respondents who rated the AI component of their curriculum as very relevant reported being well prepared for jobs, but financial barriers, poor infrastructure, and weak communication limit participation, especially among students and underrepresented groups. Respondents highlighted internships, industry partnerships, and targeted support mechanisms as critical enablers, alongside the need for inclusive governance frameworks. The results showed both the growing awareness of AI's potential and the structural gaps that hinder its translation into workforce capacity. Strengthening university-industry collaboration and addressing barriers of access, funding, and policy are central to ensuring that AI contributes to equitable and sustainable development across the continent.

The government says some 50,000 young people are expected to benefit from a programme to expand apprenticeships as it looks to tackle youth unemployment. The £725 million package, which was earmarked in the Budget and covers the next three years, will be used to create apprenticeships in sectors including AI, hospitality and engineering. Apprenticeships for people under the age of 25 at small and medium-sized businesses will be fully funded as part of the package, removing the 5% that they currently have to pay. The government is aiming to reverse a decline in the number of young people starting apprenticeships, which has fallen by almost 40% in the past decade. The funding also includes £140m for a pilot that the Department for Work and Pensions says will allow local mayors to connect young people with employers and apprenticeship opportunities, although it is unclear exactly how the money will be used.

Kevin Sinfield has completed seven ultramarathons in seven days to raise money and awareness for motor neurone disease (MND). The rugby league legend ran about 300km (185 miles) throughout the week, starting at Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club and ending at Leeds Rhinos home ground, Headingley Stadium. The 45-year-old completed an ultramarathon of at least 45km (27.9 miles) each day of his challenge, in bursts of 7km (4.3 miles). On Sunday he crossed the finish line in front of hundreds of supporters, who had gathered in the stadium's North and West stands to cheer him on. He said: To the MND Community and the people we've met on route, all through the last week, all through the past five years, to everybody we've met - it's an absolutely beautiful community.

Chernobyl radiation shield'lost safety function' after drone strike, UN watchdog says A protective shield covering the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine can no longer provide its main containment function following a drone strike earlier this year, according to a UN watchdog. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors found that the massive structure, built over the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, had lost its primary safety functions including the confinement capability. In February, Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the power plant - a claim the Kremlin denied. The IAEA said repairs were essential to prevent further degradation of the nuclear shelter. However environmental expert Jim Smith told the BBC: It is not something to panic about.

A drone attack by the RSF and its allied al-Hilou group on a preschool in Kalogi in Sudan has killed more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children. It sparked international condemnation amid worsening violence as the RSF fights Sudan's Armed Forces in South Kordofan state. Francesca Albanese tells Al Jazeera US sanctions have made her'non-person' Ukraine official warns of a'new law of power' after Russian aggression At Doha Forum, Qatar PM warns Gaza ceasefire is at'critical moment'

Sudanese refugee children watch the sunset in the Tine transit camp amid the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Army, in eastern Chad on Nov. 23. Port Sudan, Sudan - A recent paramilitary drone attack on the army-held town of Kalogi in Sudan's South Kordofan state hit a kindergarten and a hospital, killing dozens of civilians including children, a local official said Sunday. The attack, which took place on Thursday, involved three strikes, first a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children, Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, said using a Starlink satellite internet connection. He blamed the assault on the Rapid Support Forces and their ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North faction (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls much of South Kordofan and parts of Blue Nile state. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

A drone attack on the town of Kalogi, in Sudan's South Kordofan region, is said to have hit a kindergarten and killed at least 50 people, including 33 children. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group battling the army in Sudan's civil war, was accused of Thursday's attack by a medical organisation, the Sudan Doctors' Network, and the army. There was no immediate comment from the RSF. The RSF in turn accused the army of hitting a market on Friday in a drone attack in the Darfur region, on a fuel depot at the Adre border crossing with Chad. Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023 when a power struggle broke out between the RSF and the army, who were formerly allies .

The author, Kevin Zhu, now runs Algoverse, an AI research and mentoring company for high schoolers. The author, Kevin Zhu, now runs Algoverse, an AI research and mentoring company for high schoolers. Artificial intelligence research has a slop problem, academics say: 'It's a mess' AI research in question as author claims to have written over 100 papers on AI that one expert calls a'disaster' A single person claims to have authored 113 academic papers on artificial intelligence this year, 89 of which will be presented this week at one of the world's leading conference on AI and machine learning, which has raised questions among computer scientists about the state of AI research. Zhu himself graduated from high school in 2018. Papers he has put out in the past two years cover subjects like using AI to locate nomadic pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa, to evaluate skin lesions, and to translate Indonesian dialects.

Inside cowboy Charles Jesse "Buffalo" Jones's get-rich-quick scheme to restore the plains 100 years ago. By 1888, Charles Jesse "Buffalo" Jones had succeeded in crossbreeding a buffalo with cow, a hybrid he claimed would be as tasty as beef and as hardy as buffalo. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The "cattalo" was a homely creature--stocky and shaggy, with a slight buffalo's hump and a cow's docile face. Charles "Buffalo" Jones invented the cow-buffalo hybrid in 1888.

Activists sailed to Gaza to deliver aid, but were met with drone attacks and imprisonment. "All of this preparation, all of this work--it's actually come together and we're sailing east, finally," said Dane Hunter. Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Earlier this fall, hundreds of activists from all over the world crowded onto several dozen boats and set sail for Gaza. They thought that by sharing their journey through social media, they could capture the world's attention.