French services rescue 166 migrants from freezing English Channel

 LILLE (France), Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 160 migrants who tried to reach England on flimsy boats were rescued from freezing waters in the Channel overnight Friday, just days after a fatal shipwreck, French officials said Saturday. Around 50 people on board a boat “in difficulty” off the northern French…

Canada police report record opium seizure at Vancouver port

OTTAWA, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canadian police have announced a record seizure of nearly 2.5 metric tons of opium hidden in containers transiting through the western port of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which announced the seizure late Friday, did not say where the drug came from,…

Uganda lifts lockdown in Ebola epicentre

KAMPALA, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda lifted a two-month lockdown on two districts at the epicentre of the country’s Ebola epidemic, amid cautious hope that the outbreak could end soon. Since authorities declared an Ebola outbreak on Sept 20, the East African nation has registered 142 confirmed cases and 56 deaths, with…

Record low turnout, opposition boycott mar Tunisia elections

TUNIS, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisia’s parliamentary election on Saturday witnessed a record-low turnout as most political parties boycotted the polls, denouncing the election as the culmination of President Kais Saied’s march to one-man rule. Last year, Saied, a former law professor, unseated the government and suspended parts of a…

South Africa: Freak wave kills three swimmers, injures 17 at popular Durban beach

DURBAN (South Africa), Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A freak wave has killed three swimmers and injured many others at a popular beach in South Africa’s southeastern city of Durban, according to officials. Robert Mckenzie, a spokesman for KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services, said the wave on Saturday washed swimmers at the…

Nigeria, Rwanda first African nations to sign space treaty

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Nigeria and Rwanda are the first African countries to join 23 other countries in signing the Artemis Accords in Washington DC. The Artemis Accords, signed by Rwanda and Nigeria, are “a set of principles to guide the next phase in space exploration, reinforcing and providing for…

Argentina: Forest fires in Tierra del Fuego the worst ever

BUENOS AIRES, Dec 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Authorities in the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego confirmed that over 10,000 hectares of land have already been consumed by forest fires, making the current episode the largest such catastrophe in the history of the province.  Most of the fires are concentrated around…

Uruguayan Health Minister says COVID-19 situation “under control”

MONTEVIDEO, Dec 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Uruguay’s Health Minister Daniel Salinas said the COVID-19 situation in his country was “totally under control” and added that “what matters is not the number of cases but the impact on the health system and the acute-severe respiratory infections that may be occurring.” Salinas also…

Tanzania: Tourist arrivals up by 64pc

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 18 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released new figures of tourist arrivals in Tanzania, showing a sharp rise to 1,175,697 visitors between January and October 2022, compared to 716,741 during the corresponding period last year. According to the NBS, there was a…

Somali forces kill 88 al-Shabaab militants

MOGADISHU, Dec 18 (NNN-NEWVISION) — Somali security forces, backed by international partners, killed 88 al-Shabaab militants in the latest operation conducted in the country, an official has said. Deputy Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala told state television that the security forces also recovered weapons and equipment that the extremists had been…