EU grants candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, Dec 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The member states of the European Union (EU) have unanimously adopted a recommendation by the European Commission to grant candidate country status to Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH). President of the European Council Charles Michel said on Thursday on Twitter that the move sends “a strong signal…

Venezuela assumes presidency of Latin American Energy Organization

The vice president of the economic area and minister for Oil, Tareck El Aissami CARACAS, Dec 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Venezuelan government assumed on Thursday the pro tempore presidency of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), which will be headed by the country’s Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami. During the…

Aid access to Ethiopia’s Tigray continues to open up: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Aid access to the northernmost Tigray region of Ethiopia has been gradually opening up since fighting ended early last month, UN humanitarians said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said food and other supplies are being transported into Tigray through…

Somali leaders visit district liberated from Shabaab militants

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre received by residents of Adan Yabal MOGADISHU, Dec 16 (NNN-GNA) — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre visited Adan Yabal, a town in Middle Shabelle region, about 220 kilometres north of Mogadishu, which was recently liberated from the jihadist group Al-Shabaab.The town had been…

South Africa: Quarter-on-quarter employment figures record 10,000 jobs increase

PRETORIA, Dec 16 (NNN-SANEWS) — Employment in South Africa increased by 10,000 quarter-on-quarter, between June and September 2022, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) revealed in the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) released on Thursday.   The 0.1% increase saw employment increase from 9,974,000 in June 2022 to 9,984,000 in September 2022. The…

Pres Biden tells leaders US is ‘all in’ for Africa

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden threw his support behind a larger African role in the world but also vowed the United States would not shy away from promoting democracy. “The United States is all in on Africa,” Biden told nearly 50 African leaders who have gathered in…

Boy hit, killed by car as France celebrate World Cup win over Morocco; police searching for suspect

PARIS, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A suspect driving a car in the southern French city of Montpellier “violently hit” and killed a boy as crowds celebrated France’s victory in the World Cup semi-final, local authorities said. The vehicle was found nearby but the driver fled the scene. Police are trying to locate…

Peru crisis: Judge orders 18 months of pre-trial detention for Pedro Castillo

LIMA, Dec 16 (NNN-ANDINA) — Supreme Judge Juan Carlos Checkley ordered 18 months of pre-trial detention for ex-President Pedro Castillo, within the framework of the investigation for the crime of rebellion (alternatively, conspiracy). Meanwhile, the judge issued a restricted summons for ex-Prime Minister Anibal Torres, who is engaged in the same process…

Brazil sees area burned by fire nearly double in November

 BRASÍLIA, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) =- Fires scorched almost two million acres of territory in Brazil in November, according to data released by an NGO group, nearly 90 percent more than in the same month last year. That is an area about three-quarters of the size of the Brazilian Amazon city of…

Peru crisis: Several hundred tourists stranded at Machu Picchu amid protests

LIMA, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of foreign tourists were stranded in Peru’s renowned Machu Picchu region after train service was suspended due to violent protests following the ouster and arrest of ex-president Pedro Castillo. A state of emergency was declared earlier Wednesday as Castillo’s supporters have taken to the streets…