Tourism is key driver of economic growth and job creation in South Africa: Tourism Minister

PRETORIA, Jan 28 (NNN-SANEWS) — Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has reaffirmed that tourism is a key driver of economic growth, investment and job creation in South Africa.  Between January and December 2025, South Africa welcomed 10.48 million international arrivals, a 17.6% increase compared to 2024 and the highest number…

UN Security Council decides to shut down Hodeidah mission

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 (NNN-XINHUA) — The UN Security Council on Tuesday renewed the mandate of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) for the last time. Hodeidah is a port city on Yemen’s Red Sea coast in the western part of the country. Resolution 2813 decides to…

US: Two dead after plane crash that caused large-scale Idaho Power outage

GEM COUNTY (Idaho, US), Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two people are dead following a plane crash where the aircraft plummeted into the Payette River near Black Canyon Tuesday morning, the Gem County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The sheriff’s office said based on preliminary information from first responders, the pilot clipped a powerline, then…

French gov’t survives no-confidence votes over budget issue

PARIS, Jan 28 (NNN-XINHUA) — The French government led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Tuesday survived two no-confidence votes over a budget issue after deputies in the National Assembly rejected the motions. The motions, filed separately on Friday by left-wing parliamentary groups including La France Insoumise, the Democratic and…

Kenyan cult leader faces charges over 52 further deaths

Paul Mackenzie NAIROBI, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The leader of a Kenyan cult accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death will be charged over a further 52 deaths at another village, prosecutors say.Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after 429 bodies, including children, were dug…

Nigerian President Tinubu ‘in great shape’ after falling at Turkiye reception

President Bola Tinubu (L) was pictured with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) ANKARA (Turkiye), Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is “in great shape” despite falling over at a reception ceremony in Turkiye, one of his aides has said.Tinubu, 73, was being welcomed by Turkish counterpart…

Ecuador says US ICE agent tried to enter its consulate in Minneapolis

Federal agents stand guard in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US QUITO, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador on Tuesday denounced what it said was an attempted incursion by US immigration agents into the South American country’s consulate in the flashpoint city of Minneapolis. The government of Daniel Noboa, one of Washington’s closest allies…

Venezuela forecasts $1.4 bn oil investments in 2026, up 55%: president

CARACAS, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez forecast a $1.4 billion bonanza from planned reforms to the oil sector aimed at drawing in foreign investors following the ouster of Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez projected oil investments would rise 55 percent over 2025 after a bill ending decades of…

World not ready for rise in extreme heat, scientists say

    PARIS, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nearly 3.8 billion people could face extreme heat by 2050 and while tropical countries will bear the brunt cooler regions will also need to adapt, scientists said. Demand for cooling will “drastically” increase in giant countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, where hundreds of millions of people…

UN launches $852 million aid plan for Somalia amid deepening crisis

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 27 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — United Nations Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric announced the launch of a $852 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia, which he said, “is 40 percent less than last year” and “aims to support 2.4 million people.” Dujarric stressed that the reduction in funding “is…