Four die in avalanche in Greece: state TV

ATHENS, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The bodies of four people who died in an avalanche in Greece were discovered Friday after an intense search operation, state television ERT reported. Rescue services had been looking for three hikers, men between 30 and 35, who went missing on Thursday in the Vardousia…

Nearly 400 would-be migrants rescued off Greek island

ATHENS, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Greek coastguard on Friday rescued nearly 400 would-be migrants from a fishing boat and another vessel off southern Crete, ANA news agency reported. In one operation about 35 nautical miles from the small island of Gavdos, off Crete, a coastguard vessel, a Danish freighter…

Another 1,100 refugees cross into Mauritania from Mali: UN

NOUAKCHOTT, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 1,100 people fleeing insecurity in Mali have crossed into Mauritania this week, the UN refugee agency reported Friday, saying conditions were “difficult” for the newcomers. UNHCR said 7,310 refugees had now fled to Mauritania in the two months since a jihadist blockade upended…

Historic heatwave in Brazil puts millions at risk in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

BRASILIA, Dec 27 (NNN-EFE) — An unprecedented heatwave is affecting millions of people in southeastern Brazil, with record-breaking temperatures in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and a high-risk red alert in effect until Dec 29. The phenomenon, driven by a mass of hot, humid air, has had direct impacts…

Plastic pollution threatens Lake Malawi’s unique fish

LILONGWE, Dec 27 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Lake Malawi, one of Africa’s most important freshwater ecosystems and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is under growing threat from plastic pollution — endangering both its extraordinary biodiversity and the communities that depend on it. Home to more than a thousand species of cichlid fish…

Venezuela releases 71 political prisoners

CARACAS, Dec 27 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Venezuela released 71 political prisoners who had been detained during the wave of protests following the controversial July 2024 presidential elections, which Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite producing no supporting evidence. Thursday’s move, confirmed by human rights organizations and family committees, is regarded…

Brazilian eVTOL flying car performs unmanned flight

BRASILIA, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, has conducted the first flight of the full-scale prototype of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state. The unmanned flight helped test the integration of essential aircraft…

Tanzania records tourism boom

Tourists at Kwakuchinja Wildlife Corridor DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 27 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA’s tourism sector recorded a nine per cent increase in tourist arrivals in the first eleven months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The total is expected to increase further once December data are compiled, as…

AU congratulates Somalia on historic elections

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 27 (NNN-XINHUA) — African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Friday congratulated the Somali people and government on the historic municipal elections held in the country’s capital, Mogadishu. In a statement, Youssouf praised the calm and orderly conduct of the process, saying that “the holding of…

France stabbings: Police arrest suspect after man stabs 3 women in Paris metro

PARIS, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French police on Friday arrested a man suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro as the capital’s end-of-year festivities were in full swing, prosecutors said. The three victims were attacked at three different locations along the Line 3 metro track that runs across…