The Government of Vanuatu yesterday signed an agreement for a USD57.7 million (over VT6.9 billion) loan and grant agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support the improvement of water and sanitation services in Luganville, Santo.

The Attorney General (AG), Arnold Kiel Loughman, yesterday announced the appointment of Teddy Garaelulumele as the new Director for the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit (VFIU).

[allAfrica]

During the event, Kyrgyzstan will formally assume the rotating CSTO presidency for 2025

Under the French ELSA (European Long-Range Strike Approach) initiative, European countries want to develop land-based cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers

Andrey Marochko noted that after liberating Pershotravnevoye in the Kharkov Region and creating a bridgehead there for further advance, the Russian servicemen advanced to the west of the occupied borders

On Tuesday, about 60 British military experts were stationed at US airbases across the UK to operate a counter-UAV system to operate a counter-UAV system designed to detect, track and destroy them

Photos and videos of the surrender were also posted by military reporter and expert Boris Rozhin on his Telegram channel

Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia received a four-year ban from NADA for allegedly refusing a dope test. Punia denies the refusal, claiming NADA used expired kits. He believes the ban is retaliation for his protest against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his affiliation with the Congress party.

Shashi Tharoor disagreed with his party's view on electronic voting machines. He defended the machines but worried about potential misuse in elections. Tharoor suggested the Election Commission should address these concerns. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wants paper ballots. The BJP won big in Maharashtra, while the opposition struggled.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took oath as a Member of Parliament, joining her brother Rahul and mother Sonia in the legislature. She won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, previously held by Rahul, marking her electoral debut and creating a historic moment with three Nehru-Gandhi family members in Parliament simultaneously. Vadra expressed gratitude to Wayanad voters for their trust and support.

A heartwarming video captured Rahul Gandhi photographing his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, before she was sworn in as a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad. Rahul's gesture of capturing this special moment highlighted their close bond. Priyanka later expressed gratitude towards her family, especially Rahul, for their unwavering support. She won the Wayanad bypolls by a landslide, defeating CPI's Sathyan Mokeri.

Elizaveta has reportedly been a student at the Paris School of Management and Arts during the war in Ukraine - but may not be there any more

Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods coming into the U.S. But his threat has raised questions as to whether Canada has any kind of leverage to squeeze the U.S. and prevent such tariff action.

Representatives from Seychelles' Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and the Environment responsible, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector attended a stakeholders workshop on the presentation of findings of ongoing consultancies under the Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF-EAS) project. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the GBF-EAS project is advancing readiness and early actions to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The project focuses on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) alignment, monitoring systems, policy and institutional coherence, and biodiversity finance. Key findings from three critical studies were presented, namely the National Biodiversity Assessment for Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems. This assessment evaluates the status and trends of Seychelles' biodiversity, identifying threats, gaps, and priority actions to inform the NBSAP. The second one is a Feasibility Study on Biodiversity Finance Initiatives in the Cruise Ship and Shipping Industry. The study examines the sector's impacts on biodiversity and explores the potential implementation of a cruise ship levy as part of the Seychelles Biodiversity Finance Plan (2019). The principal secretary for Environment, Denis Matatiken, clarified that at this point in time, this study regarding a cruise ship levy is only a proposal that is being looked at, it is not something that is being proposed. «We have a biodiversity finance plan and this gives you different solutions that can be implemented. From the 2019 plan, there were 9 proposed solutions. These are mainly based on how a country can raise funds for biodiversity conservation by itself and not rely fully on foreign aid,» said Matatiken. The results of the last study presented was Gaps and Needs Assessment of Policy and Institutional Mechanisms on Biodiversity. This is a comprehensive review of legal and policy frameworks to identify alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework and provide recommendations to address institutional gaps and promote biodiversity mainstreaming. Matatiken said, «Apart from the development of the NBSAP, this workshop is also an opportunity to consult a large number of stakeholders and experts private and public in this sector, especially regarding the results of the studies.» 

A yellow weather warning has been issued for northern Ireland and parts of England as patches of fog form overnight with temperatures plummeting below zero.

The pub chain has confirmed it has taken the shamed fighter's Forged Irish Stout off its taps at all of its seven boozers in the Republic of Ireland.

A Canadian woman who applied for a special visa to accept a job in the U.S. says she's been stuck in Ottawa for two weeks, not knowing when her application will be delivered because Canada Post workers are on strike.

Scotland Yard is investigating a number of people accused of enabling Mohamed Al Fayed's decades of sexual abuse - as 90 new victims have come forward.

Mogadishu (HOL) — The Somali federal government has deployed Turkish-trained elite forces in Raskamboni, a remote settlement in Lower Jubba, signalling a calculated move to assume control from African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces. The deployment comes amid heightened tensions between Mogadishu and Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe, whose recent re-election remains unrecognized by the federal government. The Somali leadership accuses Madobe of undermining constitutional reforms aimed at centralizing authority and transitioning to universal suffrage.

Recurrent and protracted displacement has been a major problem in Somalia. An estimated millions of Somalis are internally displaced due to climate-induced disasters and conflict. Mogadishu, Baidoa, and Kismayo have the highest IDP populations and returnee concentrations. These locations are key destinations due to their relative peace and access to services and economic opportunities.

Get the latest news on the transition to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump and a new Congress.

The price of arabica coffee on global commodity markets jumped to $3.18 a pound (£2.50) - the highest since 1977.

Groups of beggars are already operating in Manchester, Walsall and in central London, 'intimidating' motorists, leaving some fearing for their safety.

A General Medical Council report reveals that the workforce is close to reaching 'parity' between male and female medics.

Dr Tapan Patel, 52, appeared before Westminster magistrates' court charged with assaulting a female by penetration with a part of a body or thing.

Stuart Campbell, now 66, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his 15-year-old niece Danielle Jones, has made a second bid for his release despite refusing to reveal where her body is.

According to the report, the future administration’s strategy on Ukraine is still in the works

Commenting on whether Pakistan is likely to join the list of BRICS partner countries, Ayaz Sadiq said that this was possible