Namibia loses bid to overturn ban on rhino horn trade

Namibia pioneered dehorning of rhinos to deal with their poaching SAMARKAND (Uzbekistan), Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Namibia’s proposals to lift the ban on the international trade in black and white rhino horns have been rejected at a key conservation meeting.The result of the voting at the Convention on International Trade…

Sudan’s Khartoum needs ‘urgent’ help due to severe food shortages – International Medical Teams Report

KHARTOUM, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ninety-seven percent of households in Sudan’s capital are facing food shortages, and the healthcare system has largely collapsed across the city, according to an assessment that reveals the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe gripping the war-torn country. The report, released this week by the humanitarian…

Tanzania: Pres Samia faces more pressure as US, EU mull funding cuts

Tanzanian Pres Samia Suluhu Hassan DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Western missions, the United States, the United Nations (UN), and the European Union (EU) are formally demanding government action over the crisis stemming from the election-related protests in Tanzania.In a joint statement on Friday, the British and Canadian…

South Africa remains resolute in achieving a just transition: Pres Ramaphosa

PRETORIA, Dec 6 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa has accelerated its efforts toward a just, inclusive, and community-centred transition, even as some countries remain slow to implement climate action. “In this ever-uncertain environment, South Africa stands proud. We have not wavered on our commitments and have in fact scaled up our climate…

France probes mystery drone flight over nuclear sub base

BREST (France), Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The French military used jammers as several suspected drones flew over a closely guarded base housing nuclear ballistic submarines, prosecutors said. It was the latest in a series of mysterious drone flights over airports and sensitive military and industrial sites across Europe. Three-and-a-half years…

Greece: Storm disrupts transport, schools in Athens

ATHENS, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Schools in Athens were shut on Friday as a storm front lashed the Greek capital and other parts of the country, flooding roads and disrupting transport. Fire department unionist Costas Tsigas said the hardest-hit zone, the western side of the greater Athens area, had received…

Peru: 10 university students die, 3 injured in restaurant fire during birthday celebrations

LIMA, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ten university students died and three were injured in a restaurant fire in southeastern Peru as they gathered for a birthday celebration, police said Friday. The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon in Huancane city in the Andean region of Puno near the Bolivian border.…

Fighting erupts in DR Congo a day after peace deal signed

BUGARAMA (Rwanda), Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fresh fighting in eastern DR Congo on Friday forced hundreds to flee across the border into Rwanda, a day after a peace deal was signed in Washington. Thursday’s agreement was meant to stabilise the resource-rich east but it has had little visible effect on…

Canada lifts sanctions on Syria, following US

TORONTO, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada on Friday removed Syria from its list of states that support terrorism, and revoked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) designation as a “terrorist entity,” joining a list of countries to ease sanctions on Damascus. The moves come after HTS ousted former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad…

Hondurans await election results five days after polls

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hondurans waited for results from a tight presidential race held five days earlier, with a technical tie persisting between a right-wing candidate favored by US President Donald Trump and a conservative rival. The vote count after Sunday’s election has progressed slowly, with interruptions and amid…