US: Pentagon announces it has killed four men in another boat strike in Pacific

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the US military had conducted another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics, killing four men in the eastern Pacific, as questions mount over the legality of the attacks. Video of the new strike was posted on social media by…

France detects two MERS virus cases among tour group

PARIS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French authorities have isolated two people infected with the virus that causes Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) who were among a tour group visiting the region, the health ministry said. MERS is a more deadly but less contagious variation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome…

Colombia’s new law targets mercenary networks, shields coerced recruits

BOGOTA, Dec 4 (NNN-TELESUR) — The Colombian Congress has approved a law ratifying the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb decades of Colombian involvement in foreign conflicts and transform national security policy. The legislation, backed by President Gustavo Petro and progressive lawmakers, creates a…

UN Secretary General Guterres rejects a possible US-Venezuela military confrontation

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 4 (NNN-TELESUR) — UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, rejected during his speech at the Reuters NEXT 2025 Leadership Summit a possible military confrontation between the United States and Venezuela, in the midst of US military deployment near the Venezuelan coast and the growing threats by the Trump administration directly against…

Update: Cuba reports progress in restoring power after early-morning grid failure

HAVANA, Dec 4 (NNN-EFE) — The Cuban Electric Union (UNE, in Spanish) reported steady progress on Wednesday afternoon in restoring power across western provinces following a partial failure in the National Electric System (SEN, in Spanish) around 5 am (local time). By 4 pm, officials confirmed that 50.5% of Havana’s electrical service…

Gabon detains tourism minister after alleged $18m funds theft

LIBREVILLE, Dec 4 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Gabon’s tourism minister, Pascal Ogowé Siffon, has been placed under house arrest after being detained as he attempted to leave Libreville. He was apprehended on a national highway as he appeared to be making a hasty departure from the capital. Siffon is suspected of embezzling…

Gunman hijacks aid plane in South Sudan, demands flight to Chad

JUBA, Dec 4 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — A gunman hijacked a small aid plane in South Sudan on Tuesday and forced the pilot to fly for several hours before the aircraft landed safely in the northern town of Wau, police said. The suspect was arrested on the runway, and no injuries were…

Brazil clinches agriculture export clearances with Philippines, Guatemala, and Nicaragua

BRASILIA, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — Brazilian authorities have completed negotiations with the Philippines, Guatemala, and Nicaragua to expand agricultural exports to these countries after reaching an understanding on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements. In the Philippines, health authorities approved the export of beef fat, an input used in the food…

Peru: Presidential candidate Belaúnde survives armed attack

LIMA, Dec 4 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peruvian Presidential candidate Rafael Belaúnde of the Popular Freedom party survived an armed attack on Tuesday in Cerro Azul, a town 147 kilometers south of Lima, sustaining only minor scratches from broken glass. The incident, which police suspect was an assassination attempt, has cast a…

Tanzania seeks combined efforts to curb human trafficking

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 4 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — A representative of the Secretariat on Combating Human Trafficking, Celestine Makoba has called on collaboration between the government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and stakeholders in strengthening efforts to combat human trafficking, noting that as technology continues to advance, those involved in human trafficking keep…