A solar radiation storm, ranked at a level four out of five on a severity scale, was tracked by SWPC. The center designated the event as “the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years.”A solar radiation storm marks the release of intense, rapidly-moving charged particles toward Earth and can impact space launches, aviation and satellite operations. The last time severe solar radiation storm levels were observed was in October 2003, according to SWPC. During the May 2024 geomagnetic storm, tractor company John Deere reported that some customers reliant on GPS for precision farming experienced a disruption. A geomagnetic storm caused an auroral display over western Germany Monday evening.

The European competition is back for FC Barcelona, who travel to Czechia to play Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Arena to fulfil the matchday seven fixture. The match kicks off at 9.00pm CET on Wednesday 21 January and this page will help you work out what time that will be where you are in the world. This page also lists the broadcasters that hold the rights to UCL games in different countries and regions. In the vast majority of countries, there is no change from last year, but there are a few difference. Please bear in mind that FC Barcelona has no direct control over television distribution rights, and you should check your local news and TV listings to confirm that they are televising this particular game.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (top, C) at the Ryongsong Machine Complex in South Hamgyong Province, North Korea on January 19, 2026. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fired his vice premier and railed against "incompetent" officials in a rare and very public broadside against apparatchiks at the opening of a critical factory, state media said Tuesday. "Put simply, it was like hitching a cart to a goat – an accidental mistake in our cadre appointment process," the North Korean leader explained. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blamed the factory opening delay on "irresponsible, rude and incompetent economic guidance officials", KCNA reported. The North Korean leader is "using public accountability as a shock tactic to warn party officials", he said.

Morocco is reportedly exploring the acquisition of up to 400 South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks and the Cheongung medium-range air defense system as strategic partnership between Seoul and Rabat is gaining momentum. According to experts, the potential deal would enable Moroccan army to diversify military weaponry and modernize its land and air defense capabilities. The K2 Black Panther is Korea’s fourth-generation battle tank (MBT), developed by Hyundai Rotem group. The North African Kingdom is also interested in the Korean medium-range surface-to-air missile system, designed to intercept aircraft and cruise missiles. In February 2025, Hyundai Rotem group won a $1.5 billion contract to supply electric trains to Moroccan railway national company.

Launched alongside the tournament and running throughout the AFCON competition period until 18 January 2026, these activations were designed as immersive, fan-first experiences that brought football, technology and entertainment together in public spaces, retail locations and pop-up venues. These shared spaces allowed visitors to engage with TECNO’s AI ecosystem while celebrating the collective energy, emotion and passion that defined African football culture. At each activation, TECNO showcased how AI-driven technology enhanced the way fans experienced the game, from understanding match dynamics to capturing and sharing standout moments. Making AFCON a More Participatory Experience Through AIThese Technology Carnival activations reflected TECNO’s broader ambition to make football more participatory, more interactive and more emotionally engaging. As the tournament came to a close and momentum peaked during the final stages, TECNO’s Technology Carnival emerged as a powerful demonstration of how technology, football and community came together, transforming every match, reaction and celebration into a moment worth powering.

Under the high instructions of King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Rachid received on Monday at the Royal Guests Palace in Rabat the members of the National Football Team, finalists of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025). On this occasion, Prince Moulay Rachid was greeted by the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, the National Team coach, Walid Regragui, and the members of the National Team, before posing for a commemorative photo. This reception reflects the high benevolence with which the King has continually surrounded the youth and supported their development through sports, and the particular interest the Sovereign attaches to this sector in general, and to football in particular. King Mohammed VI sent, immediately after the end of the final match between the national team and its Senegalese counterpart, a message of congratulations to the members of the National Team. In this message, the Sovereign emphasized that, “through this distinguished campaign, you have demonstrated that perseverance, dedication, and team spirit are the keys to achieving excellence” and “also shown the world what Moroccan and African youth can accomplish when they believe in their talents and abilities.”“You also proved, through determination and your heroic and honorable performance, the importance of my strategic vision to invest in human capital and modernize the Kingdom’s infrastructure, which demonstrated their resilience and their world-class level of preparation ahead of the organization of the 2030 World Cup,” the King stated in his message.

According to the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) State of African Energy 2026 Outlook, this trade imbalance is a defining – and costly – feature of the continent’s energy landscape, shaping infrastructure priorities, investment needs and long-term energy security. Yet limited refining capacity forces many countries to export low-value crude while importing high-value petroleum products. The African Continental Free Trade Area offers a platform to expand intra-African energy trade, strengthening supply resilience and generating economies of scale. “Africa produces the oil the world needs, but too much of the value still leaves the continent,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC. By convening policymakers, national oil companies, operators, traders and infrastructure developers, AEW fosters dialogue and partnerships across the energy value chain, highlighting strategies for refining, storage, logistics and regional integration.

Application Deadline: 17 February 2026Applications are now open for the 2026 Ghent University Doctoral Scholarships. With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF) Ghent University grants PhD “sandwich” scholarships to promising PhD students from Global South countries who wish to carry out half of their PhD research at Ghent University (‘North’) and half at a university in the Global South (‘South’). Ghent University only finances the part of the research that will be carried out in Ghent (24 months). That is why a Ghent University supervisor can support maximum 2 candidates per call on condition they are both of a different gender. An advice on the ethical and biosafety context of the proposed research projectFor More Information:Visit the Official Webpage of the Ghent University Doctoral Scholarships

For 2026, the company is planning to increase container throughput by 15%, expand RoRo cargo handling and strengthen last-mile distribution networks across North Africa. “Our recent operational milestones demonstrate the strength and reach of our integrated logistics network connecting the UAE and North Africa. In 2026, we aim to further enhance capacity and service offerings to meet growing regional demand,” said Venkat Das, CEO of North Africa Shipping. In related news, North Africa Shipping’s sister company Al-Rowad for Stevedoring FZE said it handled last year 60,000 TEUs at its 52,000-square-kilometer dry port in Libya’s Misurata Freezone, with plans to further boost volumes in 2026. North Africa Shipping and Al-Rowad for Stevedoring FZE will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Middle East 2026.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral developmental investment bank, and Tunisie Telecom, Tunisia’s national telecom operator, say they are partnering to improve the country’s digital infrastructure and drive the company’s transformation. The (up to) €190 million (about US$221.2 million) EBRD development-linked loan will be disbursed in four tranches, including a first committed tranche of €50 million (US$58.2 million). The loan will finance multi-year investments in upgrading Tunisie Telecom’s mobile access network from 4G to 5G, expanding its fibre network, connecting up to 200,000 Tunisian households to fibre-to-the-home, and modernising the company’s backbone and core network. The EBRD says it is providing, for the first time since 2012, financing without a sovereign guarantee in Tunisia’s public sector. The interest rate is tied to the achievement of key transformation programme milestones: sustainability objectives and broader state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform objectives.

UAE-based e& teamed with IT powerhouse IBM to introduce an agentic AI offering, designed to give employees and auditors clear, traceable responses around enterprise governance requirements. Announced during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, e& explained the AI offering is built on IBM’s Watsonx Orchestrate platform. A joint proof of concept was delivered by e&, Gulf Business Machines (GBM) and IBM within eight weeks, demonstrating “how agentic AI can operate at enterprise scale under real-world conditions”. IBM’s client engineering team led the design and integration of the agentic AI offering, with GBM handling delivery through project coordination,Subscribe to our newsletter Get breaking news, exclusive insight, and expert analysis - before anyone else. Milestonee& stated the collaboration marks an important milestone in its enterprise AI push, establishing a scalable and governed foundation of agentic adoption across the organisation.

While AGOA has historically been framed as a market-access initiative, its latest extension is increasingly positioned as a strategic economic tool – one aimed at reshaping global critical mineral supply chains and diluting China’s dominance across Africa. Strategic Minerals, Strategic RealignmentAGOA’s extension signals a unique opportunity for African nations to address industry challenges. Congressional debate around the extension explicitly referenced China’s estimated $10 billion footprint across African mineral supply chains, spanning long-term offtake agreements, refinery ownership and transport corridors. The AGOA extension, lawmakers argued, offers preferential market access as leverage to encourage alternative partnerships that reduce single-market dependency and diversify Africa’s export options. Historically, African minerals have flowed eastward through infrastructure aligned with Chinese demand and processing capacity.

Egypt discoveries set to boost country's outputThree new onshore finds made by US-Egypt joint venture

Image: Sadio Mane is hoisted aloft by his team-matesMane added: "It would have been really a shame and sad to see this kind of thing, this kind of scenario happen. Imagine, just imagine for a second, going into the locker rooms and the football match stopped there. Twitter Twitter , which may be using cookies and other technologies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Twitter cookies for this session only.

NewsSouth Africa declares national disaster after deadly floods and stormsSevere weather kills dozens, damages homes, infrastructure across provincesRegional floods highlight southern Africa’s climate vulnerabilitySouth Africa declared a national state of disaster on Sunday, Jan. 18, after authorities assessed the impact of severe weather that has hit the country since late November 2025. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) said the classification was issued by Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). “Following the classification, according to Section 26, in conjunction with Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act, the National Executive takes on the primary responsibility for coordinating and managing the National Disaster,” the statement said. In Mozambique, the Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction said 103 people have died since the end of last year during an exceptionally intense rainy season. In Zimbabwe, the National Disaster Management Agency said storms and flooding have killed 70 people since the beginning of the year and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.