South Africa: Two more learners die following Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash

GAUTENG (South Africa), Jan 23 (NNN-SANEWS) — Two more learners have succumbed to injuries in hospital in the early hours of Thursday following the tragic scholar transport accident in Vanderbijlpark on Monday.  The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) confirmed the additional deaths this morning, bringing the total number of learners…

Sudanese slowly rebuild their war-ravaged capital

KHARTOUM, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A jungle of weeds fills the Sudanese finance ministry’s courtyard in central Khartoum, where the army-backed government says it plans a gradual return after nearly three years of war. Abandoned cars, shattered glass and broken furniture lie beneath vines climbing the redbrick facades, built in…

Germany expels a Russian diplomat after a suspect is arrested in an espionage case

BERLIN, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The German government on Thursday announced the expulsion of a Russian diplomat over a case in which a woman was arrested on suspicion of supplying information related to the war in Ukraine to an intelligence contact at Moscow’s embassy in Berlin. The Foreign Ministry said in a social…

‘Several lightly injured’ after train hits crane in Spain

Train station staff inform travellers about a service outage, as authorities inspect the railway infrastructure after three derailments in 48 hours that left dozens dead, at Sants railway station in Barcelona, Spain MADRID, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A commuter train hit a crane in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia…

Greece: Heavy rain, violent winds leave two dead

ATHENS, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two people died in Greece on Wednesday as violent winds lashed swathes of the country and heavy rainfall flooded roads and confined ferries to port. Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilias on X said a coastguard had died “in the line of duty” in the coastal…

European Parliament puts EU-Mercosur trade deal on hold, seeks top court legal opinion

BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to freeze its approval track for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and request a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on whether the deal is compatible with EU treaties. The motion passed by a…

Chile police arrest suspect over deadly wildfires

A firefighter stands amid a burning forest during efforts to extinguish a wildfire in the Biobio region LIRQUEN (Chile), Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in south-central Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of starting one of the recent wildfires that killed 20 people and razed entire neighborhoods, the government…

Guinea: At least 6 killed in gold mine collapse in Siguiri prefecture

CONAKRY, Jan 22 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least six people were killed on Wednesday when a gold mine collapsed in Guinea’s prefecture of Siguiri, located about 800 km northeast of the capital Conakry, local media reported. The incident occurred in the locality of Doko, an artisanal gold-mining area known for its…

Mozambique floods spiralling into escalating emergency – UN warns

Flood waters cover the Chibuto-Chaimite road in Gaza province, Mozambique MAPUTO, Jan 22 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — After weeks of heavy rains, floodwaters in Mozambique’s Maputo province have submerged vast areas of land. Nationwide, more than 100 people have been killed since the rainy season began in October.Rosita Augusto, a resident of…

Ethiopia: at least 40 army allies killed in mistake drone strike

Ethiopian government soldiers travel in the back of trucks on a road near Agula, north of Mekele ADDIS ABABA, Jan 22 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Ethiopian forces killed around forty fighters from their own side in a drone strike in the insurgency-hit Amhara region on Jan 15, a nurse and a local…