S. African bloc extends Mozambique troop mission

The military alliance has urged Russia to be "transparent about its military capabilities" on its border with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Germany has called on Moscow to exercise "restraint."

NASA is launching a spacecraft probe that will smash into an asteroid to veer it off course. The mission is a test run, designed to see if the same approach could one day work on a rock on a collision course with Earth.

A group with alleged ties to the "Islamic State" has "enslaved and sexually abused" hundreds of women and girls in Mozambique over the past three years, Human Rights Watch said.

Leaders from the Southern African Development Community said on Wednesday they were extending a troop deployment in Mozambique to help the government fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency.

In tonight's edition: Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi take stock of the fatalities and destruction caused by tropical storm Ana. In Cameroon, Mo Salah helps Egypt beat Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout at the Africa Cup of Nations. And in Garoua artisans hope the tournament will give a boost to their business. Our team reports.

Security expert Andras Racz: Russian troop build-up is 'worrying'

With China gearing up for the Beijing Winter Olympics, other countries are sticking to their pledge of a diplomatic boycott on human rights grounds, especially after documentation of the government's treatment of Uyghurs. One LA business owner has turned his restaurant into a form of activism.

Since December, Russia has gradually amassed more than 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. Amid stalled talks between the US and Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron is embarking on a solo mission to Moscow and then Kyiv, insisting a diplomatic solution is still possible. For more on what to expect from this latest diplomatic push, we spoke to Natia Seskuria, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "Russia will not stop at Ukraine," she warned.

Western powers are reassessing their mission to Mali amid deteriorating relations with the country's military junta. European and African Union leaders are set to meet later this week for talks.

France’s president hosting African and European allies before the announcement of a withdrawal from Mali. Relations have seriously soured with the junta in Bamako ever since a second coup in as many years and the cozying up of the military to Russia and the mercenaries of Wagner.

There have been scenes of jubilation in Mali after France said it would begin to pull its troops out of the West African country. France has helped battle jihadi groups for nine years — until relations with Mali's military leaders turned sour.

The insurgency in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province is surging and spreading to neighboring regions, according to a new study. This comes despite the intervention of SADC and Rwandan troops.