Islamic State West Africa

Business

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Navigates 'Transition Year' After Q4 Loss, Bolsters Liquidity Amid Credit Strain

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (KREF) reported a Q4 2025 net loss of $32 million, driven by increased credit provisions. Management outlined a strategic pivot for 2026, emphasizing aggressive asset resolutions, portfolio repositioning, and a fortified $880 million liquidity position to weather ongoing market shifts.

Feb 5, 2026

World

South Africa Seeks Closer Trade Ties with China as U.S. Tariffs Bite

Trade Minister Parks Tau is set to sign a key economic pact in Beijing this week, aiming to secure duty-free access for South African exports to the Chinese market amid strained relations with Washington.

Feb 5, 2026

Business

Midwest Drivers Catch a Break: Gas Prices Dip Across the Region

A modest weekly decline offers slight relief at the pump for Midwest motorists, though prices remain higher than a month ago and significantly below last year's peaks.

Feb 5, 2026

Business

Midwest Drivers Catch a Break: Gas Prices Dip to $2.65, Undercutting National Average

A modest weekly decline offers relief at Midwest pumps, with regional prices now significantly below the U.S. average, though costs remain higher than a month ago.

Feb 5, 2026

Business

Midwest Gas Prices Dip Below National Average, Offering Relief at the Pump

Drivers across the Midwest saw a welcome decline in fuel costs last week, with regional averages falling further below the national rate. Analysts point to seasonal demand shifts and stable refinery outputs as key factors behind the drop.

Feb 5, 2026

Business

Midwest Gas Prices Dip Slightly, Remain Well Below National Average

Drivers across the Midwest saw modest relief at the pump last week, with regional averages falling amid a broader national trend of stabilizing fuel costs.

Feb 4, 2026

Business

Western Digital Soars as Cramer Spotlights AI-Driven Data Storage Demand

Jim Cramer highlighted Western Digital's impressive 45% surge following earnings, underscoring the data storage giant's strategic positioning to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom.

Feb 4, 2026

World

AGOA's One-Year Lifeline: A Fragile Reprieve for U.S.-Africa Trade Ties

President Trump's short-term extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act offers temporary relief but underscores deepening uncertainties in U.S.-Africa relations, with South Africa's status on particularly shaky ground.

Feb 4, 2026

World

MSF Hospital in South Sudan's Jonglei State Destroyed in Airstrike; Charity Points to Government Forces

A Médecins Sans Frontières hospital serving over 200,000 people in South Sudan's conflict-ridden Jonglei state was hit by an airstrike, destroying critical supplies. The charity suggests only government forces have aerial attack capability, as renewed violence displaces thousands and threatens a fragile peace.

Feb 4, 2026

World

German Intelligence Reveals Russia's True Military Spending: Half of State Budget Now Fuels War Machine

A classified German intelligence report exposes that Russia's real defense expenditure soared to roughly half its total state budget last year, far exceeding official figures and reshaping Europe's security landscape.

Feb 4, 2026

World

AGOA Renewed, But Uncertainty Lingers: US Extends Key Africa Trade Pact for Only One Year

The US Congress has passed a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a temporary reprieve for a cornerstone trade policy that has shaped US-Africa economic relations for over two decades, but the short-term renewal leaves exporters and investors wary.

Feb 4, 2026

World

US Extends Key Africa Trade Pact, But Manufacturers Warn of 'Temporary Breather'

The one-year renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) offers short-term relief but leaves African exporters and investors facing uncertainty, with industry leaders calling for long-term stability to safeguard jobs and economic growth.

Feb 4, 2026

World

Trump Grants Brief Reprieve to Key Africa Trade Pact, Leaving Long-Term Future Uncertain

President Trump has signed a short-term extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a cornerstone trade preference program for sub-Saharan Africa. While averting immediate expiration, the move offers only temporary relief and signals potential modifications aligned with the 'America First' policy, raising concerns among African nations dependent on U.S. market access.

Feb 4, 2026

World

Dozens Slain in Kwara State Village Raid as Bandit Violence Escalates in North-Central Nigeria

Gunmen raided the remote village of Woro in Nigeria's Kwara State, killing over 30 people and torching homes and shops in one of the deadliest attacks this year in the region bordering Niger State.

Feb 4, 2026

Business

Western Digital Charts Aggressive AI-Driven Future, Unveils $4 Billion Buyback at Investor Day

At its New York investor event, Western Digital detailed an accelerated roadmap for its next-generation HAMR drives and a strategic pivot squarely toward AI and cloud data centers, backed by a new $4 billion share repurchase program and bullish long-term financial targets.

Feb 4, 2026

World

Xi, Putin Hold Virtual Summit Amid Western Diplomatic Push

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video conference Wednesday, as Beijing balances its strategic partnership with Moscow against a recent flurry of diplomatic engagements with Western powers.

Feb 4, 2026

Business

Beyond the Beat: Five Analyst Questions That Defined First Interstate's Rocky Q4

First Interstate BancSystem delivered a top-and-bottom-line earnings beat, yet shares stumbled as analysts pressed management on the long-term costs of its strategic pivot. We break down the key exchanges from the call.

Feb 4, 2026

World

Dozens Slain in Kwara State as Bandits Torch Remote Nigerian Community

Gunmen raided a village in Nigeria's north-central Kwara State late Tuesday, killing at least 35 people and setting homes and businesses ablaze, according to local officials, in the latest outbreak of violence plaguing the region.

Feb 4, 2026

Business

Western Union Bets on Hyderabad AI Hub and Earnings to Revive Investor Confidence

As Western Union prepares to report earnings, its new AI-focused Global Capability Center in Hyderabad, built with HCLTech, aims to accelerate its digital transformation. Investors are weighing this strategic move against a backdrop of long-term shareholder value decline and near-term stock momentum.

Feb 4, 2026

Business

Western Digital Bets Big on AI Storage, Unveils 100TB Drive Roadmap and $6 Billion Buyback

Western Digital charts an aggressive course in the AI storage race, announcing plans for ultra-high-capacity hard drives alongside a significant boost to shareholder returns, as its stock continues a meteoric rise.

Feb 4, 2026