Algeria, Jordan sign 5 agreements to strengthen ties

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan in Algiers ALGIERS, Dec 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — Algeria and Jordan signed five agreements on Sunday in a ceremony co-chaired by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan in the capital Algiers. The agreements…

Viking Polaris: Woman passenger killed after ‘rogue wave’ hits cruise ship

The Viking Polaris seen anchored in Ushuaia, southern Argentina  BUENOS AIRES, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One passenger was killed and four more injured after a “rogue wave” hit a cruise ship bound for Antarctica, travel company Viking has said. The Norwegian-flagged Viking Polaris was caught in a storm as it…

EU must act over distortions from US climate plan – Von Der Leyen

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The EU must address “distortions” created by a $430bn US plan to incentivise climate-friendly technologies, the bloc’s chief says. Some EU members have criticised the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), raising fears of a trade war. There are concerns that tax breaks may lure away EU…

West African bloc ECOWAS tells Mali to free 46 Ivorian troops

  ABUJA, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — West African leaders told Mali’s ruling junta to release 46 Ivorian troops it has held for months or face sanctions, officials said. “We ask the Malian authorities to release the Ivorian soldiers by Jan 1, 2023 at the latest,” Omar Alieu Touray, president of…

Update: Flash flood kills 14 at Johannesburg church ritual

 JOHANNESBURG, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Flash flooding that followed heavy rains has killed at least 14 people taking part in religious rituals in Johannesburg, with others still missing, emergency services said. A group of 33 worshippers had joined church rituals on the banks of the Jukskei river when the flooding…

French hospital cancels operations after cyberattack; demand ransom

  VERSAILLES (France), Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A hospital in Versailles, near Paris had to cancel operations and transfer some patients after being hit by a cyberattack over the weekend, France’ health ministry said. Six patients had been transferred by Saturday evening — three from intensive care and three from…

Moroccans protest price hikes and ‘repression’

  RABAT, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protesters turned out in force to march in Morocco’s capital Rabat Sunday to denounce the “high cost of living and repression”, amid surging inflation and rising social discontent. “The people want lower prices… The people want to eliminate despotism and corruption,” chanted the crowd,…

Landslide in Colombia leaves three dead, 20 trapped

 BOGOTÁ, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A landslide engulfed a road Sunday in Colombia, killing three people and leaving some 20 trapped in the mud, authorities said. Crews were searching for people riding on a bus and a motorcycle that were caught up in the accident in a remote areas of…

1,700 dead seals found on Russia´s Caspian coast

MOSCOW, Dec 5 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — About 1,700 seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia, officials said Sunday.     The authorities in the Russian province of Dagestan said that it’s still unclear what caused the animals’ deaths, but they likely died of natural reasons. Regional…

Cuba rejects inclusion in US religious freedom black list

HAVANA, Dec 5 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Manifold voices in Cuba on Sunday strongly rejected Cuba´s inclusion in a punitive US list on religious freedom.     In social media, Cubans expressed their condemnation of the arbitrary list and claimed that religious institutions in Cuba have the right to practice their beliefs in…