Signing of EU-Mercosur FTA postponed to January

BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The highly anticipated signing of the free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), originally scheduled for this Saturday in Foz do Iguaçu, has been officially postponed until January following a surge in domestic pressure and mass protests by…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia sends 1,000 fallen soldiers’ bodies to Ukraine; 26 Russian soldier bodies returned

Moscow, Dec 20 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Russia sent the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in action to Ukraine, in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky informed. “In the context of the Istanbul agreements, the bodies of 1,000 dead personnel were handed over to Ukraine. Russia…

Security Council renews mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in DRC

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 (NNN-XINHUA) — The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for one year, until Dec. 20, 2026. Resolution 2808 retains the authorized troop ceiling of 11,500 military personnel, 600…

French government calls for Christmas truce in farmer protests

French farmers block a highway near Urt, in southwestern France, to protest against a mass cull of cows PARIS, Dec 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — ‌The French government called for a Christmas truce with protesting farmers, warning against further blockades during the holiday season, a move the country’s main union said depended…

Greece: Nearly 540 migrants rescued off Crete – coastguard

ATHENS, Dec 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nearly 540 migrants crammed on a sailing boat were rescued early Friday south of the island of Crete, the Greek coastguard said. The 539 would-be asylum seekers were rescued by a patrol vessel of EU border agency Frontex near the small island of Gavdos in…

Brazil to walk away if further delays hit EU-Mercosur trade deal: Pres Lula

BRASILIA, Dec 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned that if the EU-Mercosur trade deal is not signed as planned on Saturday, it will not be concluded during his presidency. The EU’s plan to create the world’s biggest free-trade area with the South American bloc Mercosur…

Former Iraqi President Barham Salih Elected New UN High Commissioner For Refugees

GENEVA, Dec 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The United Nations General Assembly, yesterday, elected former Iraqi President, Barham Salih, as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Salih, born in 1960, served as president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He previously held posts including deputy prime minister of Iraq and prime…

European farmers’ protests against Mercosur deal highlight EU division

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — Thousands of farmers from across Europe rallied near the European Parliament and the Europa Building in Brussels on Thursday as European Union (EU) leaders convened for a summit, with a long-negotiated trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur on the agenda. Protesters, many arriving…

French ‘Doctor Death’ who poisoned patients jailed for life

Frederic Péchier faces a minimum of 22 years behind bars PARIS, Dec 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, including 12 who died.A court in the city of Besançon in eastern France found Frédéric Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with…

US imposes sanctions on two more ICC judges for Israel probe

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States imposed sanctions on two more judges of the International Criminal Court after they rejected an attempt by Israel to end a war crimes probe in Gaza.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had already ordered sanctions on judges and prosecutors in the case, explicitly linked the new…
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