Kurultai Vote Raises Stakes for Parties, Parliament and Foreign Policy, Experts Say 

BY ASSEL SATUBALDINA, Astana Times

25 August 2026 

Astana - Kazakhstan’s first election to the new Kurultai is reshaping more than the country’s parliamentary architecture, said experts at an Aug. 24 meeting in Astana organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS). They pointed to voter turnout, a bigger role for political parties and growing geopolitical competition around Central Asia at a moment when Kazakhstan is seeking to translate constitutional reform into a more durable political system.

South Africa and Zimbabwe - Turning a Shared Future into Shared Prosperity

TDS - 25 August 2026

South Africa and Zimbabwe have an opportunity to move their relationship into a new phase in which political solidarity and shared history are matched by deeper economic integration, stronger infrastructure and greater opportunities for their citizens.

First Lady calls for regional action to give children a stronger start in life

24 August 2026

First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe has called for greater regional cooperation to expand access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD), highlighting that millions of young children in South Africa remain outside early learning programmes.

SADC’s Integration Test is Turning Regional Potential into Results

TDS - 24 August 2026

The 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), held in Durban, has placed regional integration, industrialisation and infrastructure development firmly at the centre of Southern Africa’s development agenda. South Africa has assumed the SADC chairship with a commitment to accelerate implementation and deepen economic cooperation across the region.

Women placed at centre of South Africa’s science and innovation agenda

TDS - 24 August 2026

South Africa has reaffirmed the need to place women at the centre of its science, technology and innovation agenda, with the 23rd South African Women in Science Awards highlighting both the progress made and the barriers that still prevent women from reaching their full potential.

Russia's Question: Can Alliance of Sahel States Normalise Relations with ECOWAS?
By Kester Kenn Klomegah, Moscow Bureau Chief, The Diplomatic Society 

24 August 2026

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and Ghana's Foreign Minister, Samuel O. Ablakwa in August in Moscow, after an intensive strategic consultation aimed at raising bilateral relations from vision to commitment, have agreed on measures for normalising relations between the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The three Francophone West African States have been facing serious security and development issues, and desperately turned for military-technical assistance from Moscow, after breaking with France and other Western allies.

The Bridges Are There, They Just Need to Be Crossed

By Kirtan Bhana – TDS

20 August 2026

Jamaica celebrated 64 years of independence on 6 August 2026. For a nation whose history is inseparable from Africa, the Caribbean and the wider African diaspora, the anniversary offered a moment to reflect on where the relationship between Africa and the Caribbean has come from and, more importantly, where it is heading.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Sihasak Phuangketkeow a TV BRICS exclusive 
"BRICS can play very important role in maintaining free flow of trade and investment"

TV BRICS

20 August 2026

In an exclusive interview with TV BRICS, Sihasak Phuangketkeow discusses ASEAN economic integration, trade and investment, regional connectivity, and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.

SA to advance sports cooperation at 2026 BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting

20 August 2026

South Africa will use the upcoming 2026 BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting in India to strengthen sport cooperation and identify practical areas of collaboration that advance the shared priorities of BRICS partners.

More Connected Than We Think
Youth, Creativity and the Digital Future of China–South Africa Relations
Kirtan Bhana - TDS

18 August 2026

From the Soweto ‘76 generation to the new digital generation of people-to-people diplomacy has a modern face, a voice and story. There are moments in international relations beyond government buildings, official communiqués and conference tables, something much more immediate, people telling their own stories about one another.

Development of 5G networks and telecommunications cooperation in BRICS countries

Why are fifth-generation networks in the BRICS+ countries increasingly becoming an element of industrial infrastructure rather than merely a telecommunications technology? What 5G deployment models have already emerged within BRICS+, and how do they create different investment risk-return profiles? Read more in this TV BRICS article.

Where value is created in the 5G market

The shift toward an industrial model of 5G in the BRICS+ countries is driven by economic logic. The consumer segment offers a longer payback period in a number of emerging markets. As a result, growing attention is being paid to industrial applications of 5G. Manufacturing, logistics, and agriculture, by contrast, generate a measurable economic effect from 5G adoption: reduced downtime, optimised supply chains, and lower energy costs. That is precisely why fifth-generation networks are increasingly being deployed not for the mass consumer but for specific production tasks.