Bulgaria readies to adopt the euro, nearly 20 years after joining EU

SOFIA, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bulgaria was preparing to switch to the euro on Wednesday night to become the 21st eurozone member, amid concerns the move could usher in higher prices and add to political instability rattling the Balkan country. At midnight (2200 GMT Wednesday), Bulgaria will wave goodbye to…

US and Ivory Coast sign $487 million health agreement

US Ambassador to the Ivory Coast Jessica Davis Ba, left, and Adam Coulibaly, minister of finance and budget, sign a health agreement in Abidjan ABIDJAN, Dec 31 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Ivory Coast has signed a major bilateral health agreement with the United States aimed at strengthening the country’s health system and…

Somalis rally nationwide against Israel’s recognition of self-declared breakaway Somaliland

MOGADISHU, Dec 31 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Tens of thousands of Somalis took to the streets across the country to protest Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region that Somalia considers part of its sovereign territory. Large crowds gathered in the capital Mogadishu at the national stadium, where religious leaders led…

Colombia: Pres Petro orders huge minimum wage increase; the largest upward adjustment in 25 years

BOGOTA, Dec 31 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced a historic 23.7% increase in the minimum wage for 2026, making it the largest upward adjustment in 25 years. The measure includes transport subsidies.  As per the President’s decision, the new minimum monthly salary climbed from 1,623,500 Colombian pesos (US$422)…

Tanzania: Govt moves to safeguard Lake Victoria’s fishermen

Fishermen KAGERA (Tanzania), Dec 31 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — Tanzania’s Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Bashiru Ally Kakurwa, has stressed the urgent need to protect the resources of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, to safeguard the survival and livelihoods of over 47 million people across Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and…

Tanzania: Over 200,000 households lifted from poverty

Shedrack Mziray, TASAF Chief Executive Officer ARUSHA, Dec 31 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — MORE than 200,000 vulnerable households across five regions have recorded higher incomes and improved access to education, health and water services following the completion of the fourth Tanzania Poverty Reduction Project (TPRP IV). Speaking about the project in Karatu District,…

US: Train derails in Kentucky, leaking molten sulphur

Multiple derailed train cars lying side by side, with cargo spilled onto a field in a rural area WASHINGTON, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A goods train derailed in the southern US state of Kentucky on Tuesday, leaking molten sulphur into the air, officials said. Thirty-one train cars were involved in…

France pushes back plastic cup ban by four years

The ban on disposable plastic cups, which was due to come into force on Jan 1, 2026 has been postponed until 2030 by the French government PARIS, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The French government on Tuesday postponed a ban on plastic throwaway cups by four years to 2030 because of…

Unemployment in Brazil falls to 5,2% in November

BRASILIA, Dec 31 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) –The unemployment rate in Brazil fell to 5.2% in the quarter ending in November, according to data published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This percentage is the lowest recorded in the entire historical series of the National Continuous Household Sample Survey…

Burkina Faso imposes reciprocal visa ban on US nationals

OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 31 (NNN-XINHUA) — Burkina Faso has decided to impose total visa restrictions on US nationals in response to Washington’s move to tighten entry rules for Burkinabe citizens, the government said Tuesday. The decision was taken in line with the principle of reciprocity, according to a statement signed by…