Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger launch Sahel regional force

Sahel countries have launched a unified armed force BAMAKO, Dec 22 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — At an airforce base in Bamako, Mali’s army ruler General Assimi Goita presided over a ceremony marking the creation of a unified force for the Sahel countries.The force is the latest in a series of measures by…

African ministers renew push for UN reforms

CAIRO, Dec 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — African foreign ministers have renewed calls for sweeping reforms of key United Nations organs, including the Security Council, to improve Africa’s representation, accountability, and effectiveness in global decision-making.The call was made during the Second Africa–Russia Foreign Ministers’ Forum, held in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec 19-20.The…

Paraguay assumes provisional presidency of MERCOSUR

BRASILIA, Dec 21 (NNN-EFE) — Brazil passed the semi-annual presidency of Mercosur to Paraguay this Saturday, at the conclusion of the South American bloc’s summit in the border city of Foz do Iguaçu. The summit concluded with the publication of a joint declaration with 41 points, in which the bloc’s…

South Africa gun violence: Gunmen kill 10, wound 10 in Bekkersdal town, Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Unknown gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 10 others in an attack at a township outside Johannesburg, police said Sunday, in the second mass shooting in South Africa this month. The motive for the attack at Bekkersdal, 40 kilometres southwest of the city, was not…

Venezuelan Pdvsa exceeds oil production target with 1,200,000 barrels per day

CARACAS, Dec 21 (NNN-TELESUR) — The state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) announced that it exceeded its production target for 2025, reaching 1,200,000 barrels per day this Saturday, Dec 20, as part of the Productive Independence Plan. According to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, this achievement lays the foundation for a sustained…

Bolivia faces indefinite strike to protest end of fuel subsidies

LA PAZ, Dec 21 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Bolivia’s powerful labor and transport unions confirmed they would launch an indefinite national strike starting Monday after President Rodrigo Paz Pereira vowed that Supreme Decree 5503, eliminating decades-old fuel subsidies, was a “non-negotiable” starting point for his administration. Despite invitations from the Ministry of…

Mercosur leaders shift to “constructive patience” after EU FTA delay

MONTEVIDEO, Dec 21 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Following decades of negotiations and a high-stakes “now or never” deadline set for this week, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) bloc has officially adopted a stance of cautious optimism after the European Union (EU) failed to secure the necessary internal mandate to sign the historic…

AfCFTA powers Tanzania trade

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 21 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA’s export earnings surged by 40 per cent in 2024 to reach 3.94 billion US dollars from African markets alone as the government intensified efforts to secure reliable markets for locally produced goods and unlock thousands of new jobs for young people. Speaking to…

Cyprus dispatches new humanitarian aid shipment to Gaza

NICOSIA, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Cyprus said on Saturday that it has dispatched a new shipment of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as part of ongoing international relief efforts. A total of 44 containers carrying approximately 950 tons of materials were loaded onto a merchant vessel at the southern…

Russia: 1 killed, 2 injured in self-cause explosion in Khimki city of Moscow region

MOSCOW, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — One person was killed and two others injured in an explosion in Khimki city in the Moscow region, local authorities said. According to the regional health ministry, the two injured people were taken to local medical institutions, with one of them in critical condition and…