Foreign recruitment and external support networks are sustaining and expanding the civil war in Sudan by providing weapons, military technology and fighters, to the detriment of civilians, according to a United Nations-backed investigation. A report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, released on Thursday, said transnational entities operating across several countries recruited, trained and deployed foreign personnel to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since April 2023, the conflict between the SAF and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of Sudanese and forced millions to flee their homes. "This support fed into RSF operations in Zamzam camp and later during the takeover of el-Fasher, where the [UN] Mission documented grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations and international crimes, including conduct displaying hallmarks of genocide," mission member Mona Rishmawi said. The report said external entities have substantially enhanced the drone capabilities of both the RSF and the SAF, enabling them to strike far beyond front lines.

Is the war entering a new phase? Can Ukraine's drones shut Russian airspace? Share Can Ukraine's drones shut Russian airspace? Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian airspace is effectively closed because of the volume of Ukrainian drones in the sky. On Tuesday, he said that Russia, which began the war with the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is now "closing its own skies".

Faster homework, poor exam results: What AI is doing to students' learning Share Faster homework, poor exam results: What AI is doing to students' learning on social media Hundreds of millions of primary and secondary students are starting their schools for the new academic year this month. But the advent of Artificial Intelligence is changing the students' learning process. Students and teachers are grappling with the question: what is homework for, when an AI chatbot can finish it in seconds? Some countries have moved fast with the adoption of AI. China requires at least eight hours of AI instruction a year, and in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have all begun integrating AI into their curricula.

Share Ethiopia's Gobena, Kenya's Olympic champion Jepchirchir win Sydney Marathon on social media Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena and Kenyan world champion Peres Jepchirchir surged to commanding Sydney Marathon wins in the men's and women's races . It was the first victory in a World Marathon Major for 21-year-old Gobena, who came second last year, while Jepchirchir, in Australia on Sunday, added to her previous triumphs in Boston, New York and London. The dominant run shattered the course record by almost one and a half minutes, with last year's winner Hailemaryam Kiros dropping from the pace in the dying stages. "I am very happy," said Gobena, who was a javelin thrower before transitioning to long-distance running, gaining international attention by winning the 2024 Dubai Marathon. "Last year I came second, I learnt from my mistake and I went back home and I worked on my mistake to perform and break the record today." The unstoppable Jepchirchir was in a league of her own, crossing the finish line in front of the Sydney Opera House in 2:18:31, nearly four minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai and Ethiopia's Shure Demise Ware.

For communities living around Naivasha, water is not an abstract resource. It sustains families, livestock, farms and schools. That reality has taken on new significance after plans for a major Microsoft-G42 data centre in Olkaria, near Lake Naivasha, stalled in May 2026 over concerns about available power capacity. Microsoft and United Arab Emirates-based artificial intelligence company G42 announced the project in 2024 as part of a $1bn digital investment package for Kenya. The proposed facility was to run on geothermal energy and eventually scale to as much as 1 gigawatt of capacity.

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What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? UAE trade embargo could shut Iran's key economic escape route: Here's why The United Arab Emirates announced an indefinite trade embargo on Iran on Wednesday, accusing Iranian forces of firing two ballistic missiles at its territory. Iran denied launching missiles and described the reported attack as a "false flag operation" by Israel and the United States. The UAE's embargo has been described as highly significant by analysts, who say Iran is heavily reliant on its neighbour for critical imports and access to financial markets. "In many ways, the embargo being put on by the UAE is even more significant than the embargo being put on by the United States," Mark Kimmitt, a retired US general and former assistant secretary of state, told Al Jazeera, referring to US sanctions and the ongoing American naval blockade of Iranian ports. The recent developments come shortly after the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran lapsed on Monday, with little prospect of being renewed.

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Estimates suggest AI will create close to £370bn in cumulative value for fossil fuel companies between 2026 and 2030. Estimates suggest AI will create close to £370bn in cumulative value for fossil fuel companies between 2026 and 2030. AI's potential climate benefits outweighed by role in boosting fossil fuels, study finds AI-driven productivity gains enable more planet-heating pollution from fossil fuels than they avoid from renewables, a study has found. Researchers modelled the technical potential for AI to boost clean power generation along with projections for how it can help produce coal, oil and gas. Across 64 scenarios, they found net yearly carbon pollution rose by 0.47-1.8

UAE fund weighs $6.3 billion AI data center investment in Japan Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment is considering an investment that would see the construction of one of the largest data centers in Japan. The United Arab Emirates is considering investing as much as ¥1 trillion ($6.3 billion) to build an artificial intelligence data center in Japan, according to a person familiar with the matter. Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment would lead the funding of a 500-megawatt project in Akita Prefecture, which may include other foreign and domestic investors, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information isn't public. Once completed, it could become the largest data center in Japan. The talks with the Persian Gulf state underscore growing global interest in securing critical AI assets in countries viewed as relatively insulated from geopolitical tensions. A spokesperson for Mubadala declined to comment.