'We delivered' is how European Council President António Costa summed up the last EU leaders' meeting of 2025, which 'addressed crucial issues for the future of Europe'. After an EU agreement on the long-term immobilisation of Russian assets was secured just days before the meeting, EU leaders found a 'pragmatic and realistic solution' to cover Ukraine's financial needs of €90 billion for 2026-2027. If EU borrowing was the less expected outcome, it was one 'everyone can stand behind'. Even if the discussion on Ukraine was lengthy, EU leaders also managed to agree on the structure of, and a timeline for, the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF). Likewise, this meeting paved the way towards 'a successful completion of the Mercosur agreement in early 2026', with the postponement of its signature designed to address remaining reservations in certain Member States, notably Italy and France. EU leaders also discussed enlargement and parallel EU reforms, as well as migration and geoeconomics. Additional topics addressed by the European Council were the Middle East, the Pact for the Mediterranean, the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, democratic resilience and the macro-regional strategy for the Atlantic. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

[RFI] Forty years since Yoweri Museveni took power in Uganda, he plans to seek a seventh term as president in elections on 15 January. His strongest challenger is former entertainer Bobi Wine, but his party's rallies have been marred by what watchdogs call a «brutal campaign of repression».

[IPS] United Nations -- As Sudan approaches 1,000 days of civil war, late December and early January saw a brutal escalation of violence, with drone strikes hitting areas at the center of the country's deepening hunger crisis.

[Addis Standard] Addis Abebe -- The adage that ''there are no free lunches in geopolitics--only postponed bills'' captures a core reality of international relations: engagements that appear cost-free in the short term almost always carry deferred obligations.

Final works are underway at Melsisi in central Pentecost ahead of the commissioning of its hydropower system scheduled for this month.

The Vanuatu Penal Code provides a penalty of up to 25 years’ imprisonment for the offence of robbery.

The prime suspect in the recent airport armed robbery case is yet to appear before the Magistrates’ Court, after failing to attend his first scheduled remand hearing due to medical reasons.

The Chinese Government will give a VT2 billion grant for the upgrade and sealing of roads in the Port Vila Central Business District (CBD).

Out of the 203 students who graduated from the Vanuatu Institute of Technology (VIT) in December 2025, one quiet success story stands out — that of Charles Livo, a young man from the small island of Tangoa in South Santo,…

Sets Up Lab For Testing And Calibration

John A. Sarcone III is the fifth Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney who has been disqualified from serving in such a role.

Though largely symbolic, the measure would be a rare assertion of Congress’s role in using lethal force after the stunning raid to capture Nicolás Maduro.

[New Times] This is my first time experiencing New Year in Kigali as well as celebrating the beginning of this new partnership between Brazil and Rwanda. Diplomatic relations between our countries were established in 1981, but only at the end of 2023 did the governments in Kigali and Brasília decide to open their respective embassies in both capitals in order to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

[New Times] In a previous interview with the former Chief Gender Monitor, Rose Rwabuhihi, she told me that it was important to document events and milestones, because it would otherwise be impossible to track progress. I agree with her.

[CAF] The quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 bring together a collection of teams whose combined pedigree underlines the scale of the challenge ahead, with the eight remaining nations having collectively won the continental title 22 times.

The European Commission has ordered Elon Musk’s X to keep all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026 Read Full Article at RT.com

Ministers are scrambling to assemble a rescue package to ease the pressure on the hospitality sector, with an announcement expected within days.

The email, snapped on a piece of paper in Epstein's office by a photographer in 2015, was addressed to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's previous right-hand woman Amanda Thirsk.

In a fresh blow to hard-pressed families, a number of local authorities have already unveiled proposals to increase council tax by the maximum 4.99 per cent for 2026/27.

Amanda Thompson, from outreach group Two Brews, bought two rooms with breakfast included at the Holiday Inn Express in Manchester city centre for Monday night.

A World Rally Championship driver, a two-time British rally champion and one of the UK's most experienced motoring journalists give their expert advice on driving in snow.

[New Times] The introduction of mental health-informed practices into Rwanda's justice system marks a progressive and humane shift, one that recognizes that justice cannot be separated from healing. The Ministry of Justice's partnership with African Peace Partners to train professionals in trauma-informed mediation and restorative justice is not just a policy innovation; it is an invitation for society as a whole to rethink its role in justice.

[New Times] Internationally acclaimed gospel singers Todd Galberth and Naomi Raine are set to make a stop in Rwanda as part of their Everywhere World Tour, a global concert series bringing worship music to audiences across Europe, Africa, and Australia.