France braces for holiday misery as pension strike persists

Packed suburban rail trains at the Gare du Nord station in Paris on Friday PARIS, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French commuters endured a ninth day of public transport strikes on Friday, with little relief expected in coming days as unions vow to keep up their protest against a pension overhaul through…

US, China says ‘phase one’ trade deal reached

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and China announced a major thaw in their trade war on Friday, including immediate cuts to punishing import tariffs. “We have agreed to a very large Phase One Deal with China,” President Donald Trump tweeted after officials in Beijing made a similar announcement.…

Gang violence flares up again in Cape Town despite army deployment

Cape Town is surrounded by many sprawling townships where gang violence, poverty and unemployment are rife CAPE TOWN, Dec 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — Gang violence flared up again here on Friday after a gang leader was killed despite the deployment of troops tasked to bring stability to the area. Rashied Staggie,…

Update: Newly elected Algerian president calls protesters for dialogue

Newly elected President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune ALGIERS, Dec 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — The newly elected President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune said he committed to open dialogue with the protest movement claiming change, saying there will be “no revenge, nor exclusion and marginalization during his term.” Tebboune, who was announced to…

Moscow concerned with US test of previously banned missile, says Russian official

Russia raised alarm on Dec. 13 over the U.S. testing of a missile which would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty MOSCOW, Dec. 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — Moscow is concerned about the test conducted by the United States of a missile previously banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces…

US Democrat-led House to vote impeachment articles against Trump next week

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — US Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee passed all the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Friday, who will be impeached if the full House approves any of them by a simple majority vote. “Next week, these two articles…

Update: Fresh protests as Tebboune replaces Bouteflika

Protesters in Algiers on Friday said none of the election candidates represented them ALGIERS, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Algerian capital, Algiers, in protest at the results of Thursday’s presidential election.They chanted slogans against the winner, ex-PM Abdelmadjid Tebboune,…

ECOWAS court revokes Sierra Leone’s ban on pregnant schoolgirls

LAGOS, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A regional West Africa court ordered the Sierra Leone government to lift a policy barring pregnant students from attending school. The continent has the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world, and 18 African countries require pregnant girls to drop out of school. Sierra Leone’s…

Ebola spreads in DR Congo after militants attack treatment camp -WHO

A NURSE DISINFECTS AN AMBULANCE. GENEVA, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cases of the deadly Ebola virus have risen in the Democratic Republic of Congo where health care workers remain largely cut off from the disease’s hotspots since militants attacked their camp, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Twenty-seven Ebola cases…

Zimbabwe: Pres Mnangagwa says no going back to dollarisation

HARARE, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed not to revert to using the U.S. dollar after a new local currency plunged against the greenback since its introduction this year, fuelling inflation and economic hardship. The government ended a decade of dollarisation in June, partly to stem demand…