Senegal publishes final list of 20 candidates for February presidential election

Senegal PM Amadou Ba DAKAR, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Senegalese Constitutional Council announced the final list of 20 candidates for the presidential election scheduled for Feb 25. Only Karim Wade, the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, was dropped from the provisional list of 21 candidates published on Jan 13…

Russia: Fire breaks out at gas terminal near St Petersburg

MOSCOW, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fire has broken out at a natural gas terminal in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, the regional governor said early Sunday. The terminal, 110 kilometres west of St Petersburg near the Estonian border, is operated by Novatek, Russia’s largest independent natural gas…

Ethiopians leap into pool during holy festival of Timket

GONDAR (Ethiopia), Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Celebrations have been taking place in Ethiopia’s historic holy city of Gondar for the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian festival of Timket. The celebration, which marks the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, is considered one of the most important religious festivals in the country.…

Brazil: 3 killed after severe storms hit Sao Paulo as 6.5-magnitude quake hits Tarauaca

SAO PAULO, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least three people have died in the last 24 hours due to severe storms in southeast Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, the Civil Defense agency said. The casualties comprised two women who were carried away by a flash flood in the city of Limeira,…

China, Brazil to work together for next “golden 50 years” in bilateral ties

Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Mauro Vieira in Brasilia BRASILIA, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — China and Brazil will take the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations as an opportunity to forge the next “golden 50 years” in bilateral relations, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang, also a member…

IMF approves 600 mln USD funding to support Ghana’s economic recovery

ACCRA, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Ghana has secured 600 million U.S. dollars in funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a 3-billion-dollar bailout program, the government announced. The IMF’s decision came after Ghana clinched a deal with its official creditors a week earlier to restructure parts of…

Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire discuss agricultural cooperation

RABAT, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Agricultural ministers of Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire held talks in Germany’s capital Berlin on strengthening agricultural cooperation between the two countries, Morocco’s official news agency MAP reported. Speaking after their meeting on the sidelines of the Berlin International Green Week, Moroccan Agricultural Minister Mohammed Sadiki…

Felix Tshisekedi sworn in as DR Congo president for new term

Félix Tshisekedi at the ceremony on Saturday KINSHASA, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Felix Tshisekedi, president-elect of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was sworn in Saturday for his second five-year term in office at a ceremony attended by regional leaders and other foreign dignitaries. The DRC Constitutional Court in…

European crew arrives at ISS on private mission

 WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An all-European crew including Turkey’s first astronaut arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday on a voyage chartered by Axiom Space. Dubbed Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), it is the company’s third launch to the space laboratory and the first where all three of the…

NAM Summit: Denial of Palestinian statehood ‘unacceptable’, says UN chief

KAMPALA (Uganda), Jan  21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state “must be recognised by all”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda on Saturday.        “The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of…